PHILIPSBURG — A critical air freight delivery has arrived in St. Maarten Sunday, November 9, to support the repair of WestJet’s aircraft that suffered a landing‑gear collapse at Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM).
The airline’s Boeing 737‑800 on September 7, 2025, made contact with Runway 10 at SXM when its right main landing gear collapsed, causing the right engine nacelle to scrape the runway. All 157 passengers and 6 crew members evacuated safely, with no injuries reported.
See related article: WestJet Aircraft Suffers Hard Landing at SXM Airport
Now two months later a large‑scale parts shipment was flown in on a wide‑body freighter (noted locally as a Boeing 747) directly to SXM. The delivery is part of an ongoing repair programme to restore the grounded jet to service and for it be cleared for normal flight operations.
What we know:
- The collapse incident is under investigation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) under file A25F0337.
- According to preliminary findings, the accident did not result from a “hard landing” in the traditional sense — data shows the touchdown was within acceptable limits.
- Investigators found a fractured aft trunnion pin on the right main landing gear in the 737, which is believed to be a key factor in the gear collapse.
- The runway closure and recovery of the aircraft caused major disruptions to inbound and outbound flights at SXM. However, the airport operations resumed normalcy once the jet was towed off the runway.
See related article: WestJet Plane Removed; St. Maarten’s Airport Reopens After Emergency Hard Landing
Why the cargo flight matters
Bringing in parts by air underscores how urgent the repair remains, even months after the incident. The WestJet aircraft was removed from service after having been towed to its present location on the ramp at the eastern side of the airport main terminal building. Since then, the aircraft has sat idle while components were sourced and logistics arranged.
With the large-body freighter bringing in replacement parts today, work to return the jet to service can continue in earnest. Given the extended downtime, the airline and airport are motivated to expedite the remaining maintenance and inspections — every day the aircraft remains grounded represents mounting costs and impacts on the airline’s finances and scheduling.
This type of operation — using a wide-body cargo freighter to expedite the shipment of critical components — is common in the aviation maintenance-repair-overhaul (MRO) industry when an aircraft is grounded for an extended period.
The maintenance teams will install the replacement components, carry out detailed inspections, complete functional testing, and secure regulatory clearance before the aircraft can resume commercial flights.
Related articles:
WestJet Plane Removed; St. Maarten’s Airport Reopens After Emergency Hard Landing
WestJet Aircraft Suffers Hard Landing at SXM Airport
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