MEA pilot epically lands plane at Heathrow airport amidst strong winds

It's a good day to be Lebanese and proud.

Footage posted on Feb. 9 shows the heroic moment captain George Dib and co-pilot Karl Stephan safely landed Middle East Airline's Airbus 330 at London's Heathrow airport in the United Kingdom despite a relentless storm.

The video, first posted on Twitter by BIG JET TV, details how the clearly skilled pilot was able to pull off a crosswind landing despite winds up to 80 km/hour. In aviation, a crosswind landing refers to a landing maneuver in which heavy winds are perpendicular to the runway, making it almost impossible to stabilize an aircraft. 

A source told Annahar newspaper that the trip was initially supposed to be boarded on a smaller plane, but as a precautionary measure for passengers' safety amidst horrible weather conditions, a larger 330 aircraft was used.

Moments before it hit the ground, the plane can be clearly seen swaying left and right in the air, making it hard to imagine that the pilot would even attempt a landing. 

The man who appeared to be recording the video can be heard doubting the pilot's skills. "He's not gonna pull that one off, is he?" the man asked upon realizing just how unsteady the flight was. "Yes he is," he quickly follows, as soon as the aircraft miraculously touched down.

According to CNN, storm Ciara is responsible for the cancelation of hundreds of flights all across Europe on Sunday; over 100 flights in Frankfurt, Germany and Amsterdam, Netherlands fell victim to the storm. 

The storm was also responsible for the fastest-ever flight tracked from New York to London. A British Airways flight completed the journey in just four hours and 56 minutes, rather than the expected average of six hours and 13 minutes. Most flights to London were canceled on Sunday, apart from Middle East Airlines, Emirates Airlines, Delta Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic.

Rain or shine, the green cedar stands tall in an unexpected unifying moment for Lebanese people everywhere.