Latest news with #TenerifeNorthAirport
Daily Mirror
11-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Tenerife's 'sunniest beach' happens to also be the island's 'most beautiful'
Brits planning Tenerife holidays may want to bookmark one gorgeous beach that's not only tipped as one of its most beautiful, but is also where you'll find the most sunshine Tenerife is famed for its incredible beaches, but its volcanic landscape means that most of these offer black sands. While still very beautiful in their own right, they can catch holidaymakers offguard, especially if tourists are expecting white sandy shores. However, the largest of the Canary Islands does actually boast some golden sandy beaches, and one of them has just been revealed as the holiday hotspots' 'sunniest beach'. Playa de las Teresitas has been crowned the island's best spot for sun-seekers in new rankings from Saga Holidays. The travel experts looked at factors including sunshine hours and average temperatures to determine the winners, with Teresitas impressing thanks with a daily average of 10h37m of sunshine, and balmy temperatures of 26C. There's an added bonus for visitors too, as it's often tipped to be one of Tenerife's most beautiful beaches thanks to its azure waters and soft golden shores that are lined with palm trees. The one-kilometre-long beach itself was actually man-made in the 1970s, with the sands imported from the Sahara Desert. As part of the project, breakwaters were put in along the shore to help keep the waters calm and swim-friendly, making it a popular destination for families. While it can get very busy during the peak seasons thanks to its proximity to Santa Cruz de Tenerife - and therefore heaps of hotels, restaurants and bars - it's still a firm favourite with those wanting to make the most of those postcard-worthy views. One happy holidaymaker took to Tripadvisor to praise the gorgeous beach, writing: "Playa de las Teresitas is, in my humble opinion, the most beautiful on the island. Golden sand, crystal clear waters and equipped with all amenities." Another added: "Clean beach and tranquility assured, perfect for spending time even with small children, the water is shallow for several meters". If you want to visit, there are a number of direct flights to Tenerife from the UK. It's worth noting that although Tenerife North Airport is closer as it's half an hour's drive from the beach, most budget carriers fly to Tenerife South Airport, such as easyJet and Ryanair. Still, this airport is an hour's drive from the beach so it's still very doable if you're thinking of staying in the area. The nearest holiday resort is Santa Cruz de Tenerife where you'll find plenty of hotels, and it sits about a half hour drive from the beach, so can be an ideal base if you want a mix of all-inclusive resorts, trips to the beach and access to plenty of Tenerife's most popular attractions. Overall, Teresitas actually took the fourth spot in Saga's rankings. The crown of Europe's sunniest beach actually went to Ölüdeniz Beach in Fethiye, Turkey. The iconic beach not only boasts fine sands and crystal-clear waters, but it's home to the 'Blue Lagoon' that's a hit with the social media crowd. You can check out the full list of Europe's top 10 sunniest beaches below: Ölüdeniz Beach (Blue Lagoon), Fethiye Anthony Quinn Bay, Rhodes Nissi Beach, Ayia Napa Playa de las Teresitas, Tenerife Agia Fotia Beach, Crete Playa de Maspalomas, Gran Canaria Lay's Mile Beach, Limassol Elafonissi Beach, Crete Tsamadou Beach, Samos Praia do Barril, Tavira
Daily Record
29-04-2025
- Daily Record
Pilot's chilling mistake causing deaths of 146 Brits
Tenerife North Airport , once known as Los Rodeos Airport, is one of the island's two international airports and is located 2,000 ft above sea level, making it a particularly tough airport to fly in and out from. The weather conditions often creates poor visibility caused by the winds blowing up off the sea, reports the Mirror . The most terrifying example of how deadly these conditions can be came on March 27, 1977, when two planes collided on the runway, partly due to poor visibility. The crash remains the worst in aviation history, with 583 lives lost. However, another disaster hit the island just three years later - involving a British jet. In the 1970s and 80s, Dan-Air had become the UK's largest independent airline in the United Kingdom. On 9.20am on April 25, 1980, the popular airline's Flight 1008 departed Manchester Airport for Tenerife. On board were mostly British tourists looking to escape the UK for the sunny beaches and stunning landscapes of the Canary Islands. The flight was crewed by three experienced pilots, Captain Arthur Whelan, 50, First Officer Michael Firth, 33, and Flight Engineer Raymond Carey, 33, plus five cabin crew, bringing the total number of occupants to 146. For most of the three-hour flight, everything went to plan, until the descent at 1pm local time. Winds normally blow in from the Atlantic to the west, but on this day they were coming from the opposite direction, meaning that the opposite runway was in use - Runway 12. Controller Justo Camin, 34, was unable to use the normal descent procedure because another aircraft was ahead, also lining up for Runway 12 and the two planes were getting dangerously close to colliding mid-air. With no radar to guide him, Camin had to manage traffic using set instructions, instructing each aircraft in turn to fly along a predetermined route. At 1.18pm, Camin decided to put the Dan-Air flight into a holding pattern to give the other plane time to land safely. However, Runway 12 had no publishing holding patten - so Camin improvised. He told the crew to enter a left-hand holding pattern and stay in it, circling, until the other aircraft had cleared. When First Officer Firth radioed in their position, Camin replied: "Roger, the er, standard holding pattern overhead Foxtrot Papa is inbound heading one five zero, turn to the left, call you back shortly." Captain Whelan simply answered: "Roger" - without repeating the instructions back. Had he done so, the disaster might have been avoided. Camin had said "turn to the left," when he actually meant "turns to the left", a small but crucial mistake that confused the crew. The captain was now trying to follow a holding pattern that didn't exist on any chart and misread the order as a single turn to the left onto heading 150. That one turn sent them into mountainous terrain where the minimum safe altitude was 14,500ft - nearly triple their current height. At one minute and six seconds before the crash , one of the pilots is heard saying, " Bloody strange hold, isn't it?" adding, " It doesn't parallel with the runway or anything." The cockpit audio shows the crew were uneasy, but no one radioed air traffic control to double check. Controller Camin, thinking the jet was safely circling out at sea, told them to descend another 1,000ft. He didn't realise they were heading straight for the hills. Captain Whelan queried Camin's instruction with his co pilot in the cockpit. "I don't like that." "They want us to keep going more round, don't they?" said his co-pilot. At this point, the automatic ground alarm was heard on the cockpit "pull up, pull up!" In a desperate attempt to avoid the mountain, Captain Whelan flipped out of his left turn into a steep right turn. The captain believed that he could avoid the terrain by turning right. Co-pilot Firth, looking at the chart realised, it was the wrong course of action and made other suggestions to the captain. "Lets get out of here," Flight Engineer Carey is heard saying on the CVR. Captain Whelan continued to steer the plane steeply to the right, losing 300 feet of altitude in the process. Spanish investigators later said that one desperate turn wrecked any hope of escape. Flight Engineer Carey was heard warning: 'Bank angle, bank angle!' And then the CVR cut out. Dan-Air flight 1008 slammed headlong into the side of La Esperanza at an altitude of 5,450 feet, just 92 feet (28 meters) below the summit. The impact obliterated the plane. Debris scattered across the slopes, and the tail section was hurled into a ravine before shattering. Small fires erupted from the pulverized wreckage and for the second time in just over three years, the dreaded crash alarm sounded at Tenerife North Airport . Rescuers reached the site within hours, but the scene was devastating. No one had survived. Not a single intact body was found. Some victims were never even identified. Spain admitted the controller had made a mistake - but blamed the British crew entirely. UK investigators hit back, saying Camin should've realised sooner there was a conflict and used a published holding pattern. British investigators added he should not have issued an unpublished and untried holding pattern but they accepted that the Dan Air crew did not query the controller's instructions or request clarification. They also criticized Camin's decision to clear flight 1008 to descend to 5,000 feet. Had the holding pattern been designed according to official regulations, the minimum altitude should have been 7,000 feet. After receiving a ground proximity warning, the captain - who could not see in the fog and cloud - decided to conduct a turn to the right, which actually took them straight into the side of the mountain. What is not in dispute, however is that the omission of a single letter in a word set off the chain of events that ultimately led to the crash . If the controller had said "turns" and not "turn" the crash would never have happened. The crash findings prompted a renewed focus on clear, standardized procedures for all flight operations, including holding patterns. It also highlighted the need for clear communication between air traffic controllers and pilots - and ensuring pilots repeat Air Traffic Control instructions so there is no room for misunderstandings. Dan Air was able to recover from the accident and continued flying until 1992 when it was taken over by British Airways. Despite being the largest loss of life on a British airliner , on its 45th anniversary, Dan Air Flight 1008 is not as well remembered as it should be - and the 146 people who lost their lives that fateful day.
