VIDEO Amazing images at Cluj-Napoca airport. How pilots managed to land planes on wind code orange
Landing at Cluj Napoca airport, December 28, 2025. PHOTO: Facebook video capture/Cluj Spotting
The pilots who landed on Sunday at Cluj-Napoca Airport, a county under orange code for strong winds, used a special method to bring the aircraft safely to the ground, writes the local press and Digi 24.
In Cluj, wind gusts reached speeds between 70 and 90 km per hour on Sunday, so the landings of planes at the Cluj airport required a high level of attention from pilots and air traffic control personnel.
The pilots applied the technique called “crabbing”. This involves orienting the plane with the nose slightly towards the direction from which the wind is blowing, in order to compensate for the deviation produced by it, according to clujenii.ro.
In the final phase of the landing, just before contact with the runway, the aircraft is aligned with the axis of the runway, a moment that requires extremely precise coordination between the plane's controls and a constant evaluation of the gusts, the quoted source added.
Images of the spectacular landings of some aircraft on the runway of the Cluj-Napoca “Avram Iancu” International Airport were published on December 28 on the online platform dedicated to aviation enthusiasts, Cluj Spotting.
“Spectacular landings, the “crabbing” technique and a lot of piloting skill on runway 25 at #CLJ, given that the METAR indicates a wind of 21 knots, with gusts of up to 31 knots. Passengers seated on the left side have the privilege of seeing the runway on which they are landing,” Cluj Spotting reported.
The Director of the Airport conveyed that, even in strong wind conditions, the traffic was carried out in maximum safety conditions, and the pilots did not refuse the landing.
“All landings and takeoffs were carried out under safe conditions. Traffic was not affected by the wind. The gusts were more intense than usual,” David Ciceo, director of Cluj Airport, told Digi24. At the same time, he assured that the passengers were not in danger, and the flight schedule was not affected.
