Jordan > A plane crashed

We are woken at four o’clock. A simple breakfast is ready in the restaurant, though I’m not really hungry yet. At half past four, we leave Amman heading for the airport. At seven o’clock, the plane takes off for Amsterdam. It’s an ordinary return flight, until just before eleven o’clock Dutch time, when the captain announces that he has just received word that Schiphol Airport is closed and that it will take at least five hours before it reopens. We divert to Frankfurt. That’s really frustrating when you’re almost home.

Jordan - The imposing Abdullah Mosque by night

We try to guess the cause, and settle on fog. Half an hour later, another announcement comes. Limited air traffic is now possible in Amsterdam, and we head for the Netherlands after all. Applause breaks out on the plane. Around Amsterdam, it’s foggy. The clouds obscure any view of the landing. Even when the landing gear is down and I hear the flaps extend, there’s still no visibility. Only just before landing, when we are directly over the A9 preparing to land on the Buitenvelderbaan, does the view clear. A few seconds later, the wheels touch the ground. As we make our way through customs, one of the fellow travelers hears on his phone that earlier this morning, at half past ten, a plane had crashed at the Polderbaan.