TFS-Spot1
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January 31, 2017
Darwin Airport – Spotting Guide
February 2, 2017Düsseldorf Intl. Airport – Spotting Guide
January 31, 2017Darwin Airport – Spotting Guide
February 2, 2017Tenerife South Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on October 17, 2024
43% of the Canaries total population lives on the largest island of Tenerife. It has been a popular destination for tourists since the 19th century although the main boom in tourism occurred in the second half of the 20th century, and especially since the 1980s when the sunnier south of the island was developed.
The island has two airports with Tenerife South, (formerly Reina Sofia), accommodating the majority of the tourist traffic, and Tenerife North, (formerly Los Rodeos), mainly managing inter-island and other domestic flights.
Tenerife South airport was inaugurated in November 1978. The airport is situated on the southern tip of the island in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona. It is located just to the north of the town of Los Abrigos and to the east of the tourist hotspots of Los Cristianos and Playa de las Americas. It is the second busiest airport in the Canaries after Gran Canaria handling 12,3 million passengers and almost 85.000 aircraft movements in a year. The traffic mostly consists out of holiday traffic from across Europe, with the UK, Germany and Scandinavia providing a large proportion of these flights. Most passengers arrive and depart on Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 family aircraft, although TUI, Jet2 and Condor also fly 757s. Binter ATR 72s and the odd bizjet make a welcome change from the norm. Tuesday and Fridays are busy but Sunday is the busiest day at TFS.
There is a rough dirt track which runs north from the town of Los Abrigos and then east along the southern boundary of Tenerife South airport before turning south again, routeing around the tomato farms covered in white plastic sheeting, back to the main TF-643 road west of the junction for La Tejita.
Written by Clive Grant, Gerrit Griem, Marcus, Gordon and Maximilian Schulz. Last change: March 2024 – Spot 10+11 checked by Stefan Bratner
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety | |
| Photo Locations | |
| Weather | |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 07/25 | 3,200m x 45m (10,499ft x 148ft) |
| Terminals | One terminal is used for all flights. |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not necessary |
| Car/Public Transport | Although Spot no.1 is less than 1km from the town of Los Abrigos, a car is really needed to get to the best spots. Runway ends can also change suddenly which makes a car even more necessary. |
| Restrooms | Nothing directly at the spots. In the village of Los Abrigos cafes and restaurants |
| Drinks/Food | Supermarkets and cafes in Los Abrigos |
| Hotels | Apartamentos Isla de Oro in Los Abrigos is probably the most convenient place to stay. |
| Season | Tenerife is an all year round destination, although it’s busiest during the summer and winter peaks. Daylight hours are shorter in winter, although the light is better. There is also less chance of heat haze in winter, especially for traffic on the taxiway. The winter also provides a greater variety of traffic. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 07 | As the main trade winds are from the north-east, Runway 07 is the one used most often. |
| 25 | Although not used as often as Runway 07, sudden changes in wind direction are not uncommon, requiring the use of Runway 25. |
Landing spot - 07 arrivals
| WHERE | Starting in the town of Los Abrigos, go to the far eastern end of Calle la Gaviota and at the end of the road turn left onto the dirt track. The first 100m is probably the worst bit of the route, so take care, especially if driving. Alternative is by foot. Just park in the town of Los Abrigos and walk a few minutes. But just okay for #1. For #3 you need approximate 20 minutes, for #5 35 minutes. |
| WHAT | Choose your spot to get the angle you prefer for landing traffic on Runway 07. |
| TIME | All day until late afternoon. Summer – At sunrise the sun will be in line with the runway so the light is not so good till a bit later. Winter – Towards sunset the sun will be in line with the runway so the light is not so good. |
| MISC. | There is no shade and there are no facilities at this spot so bring what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 80-200mm |
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- Starting point at Los Abrigos
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- First part is on a dirt track
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- Start of path to get to 1
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- Main gate to 1 allowing access by car
Boulder mounds - 07 arrivals
| WHERE | See #1 how to access the southern side of the airport. Following the dirt track west from Spot No.1, there are a number of boulder mounds (2A) just before you get to Crash gate P6, from where you have a nice sight of the arrivals. You can also stay on the ground at point 2B, which is a bit closer to the runway (no ladder needed). |
| WHAT | 07 arrivals only. The mound nearest the fence is good enough to get landing shots with the mountains in the background, but if you’re confident with your rock climbing skills, the tallest mound further back gives more opportunities. |
| TIME | All day until late afternoon. Summer – At sunrise the sun will be in line with the runway so the light is not so good till a bit later. Winter – Towards sunset the sun will be in line with the runway so the light is not so good. |
| MISC. | There is no shade and there are no facilities at this spot so bring what you need. Heat haze is an issues during the summer! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 80-200mm |
Spot 2A, Boulder Mound
Spot 2B, Ground
West point spotting tower - arrivals and departures 07, dep 25
| WHERE | See #1 how to access the southern side of the airport. Further along the track is a rather basic structure which provides views over the fence. |
| WHAT | 07 arrivals and departures including traffic on the parallel taxiway (heat haze!). 25 departures. For traffic on the runway you’re likely to get the top of the fence in your photos from this spot. |
| TIME | All day until late afternoon Summer – At sunrise the sun will be in line with the runway so the light is not so good till a bit later. Winter – Towards sunset the sun will be in line with the runway so the light is not so good. |
| MISC. | There is no shade and there are no facilities at this spot so bring what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 80-250mm |
Crash gate P7 - 25 arrivals and departures
| WHERE | See #1 how to access the southern side of the airport.. Continuing east along the track you will come to Crash gate P7. |
| WHAT | 25 arrivals and departures. Although this spot could also be used for Runway 07 traffic, there is no need as other spots are better, particularly as you need to shoot through the crash gate latch here. |
| TIME | All day until late afternoon. Also, for 25 arrivals taking the first exit, the light is good here till later in the evening. Summer – At sunrise the sun will be in line with the runway so the light is not so good till a bit later. Winter – Towards sunset the sun will be in line with the runway so the light is not so good. |
| MISC. | There is no shade and there are no facilities at this spot so bring what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-250mm |
Mid point spotting tower - all arrivals and departures
| WHERE | See #1 how to access the southern side of the airport. Thanks to the Canary Islands Spotting Group, (cispotting.net), roughly half way along the runway is a spotting tower which works well for whichever end of the runway is in use. It’s also closer to the fence than the West point spotting tower so you should normally be able to avoid getting the fence in your photos. |
| WHAT | All arrivals and departures including traffic on the parallel taxiway (heat haze!). |
| TIME | All day until late afternoon. Summer – At sunrise the sun will be in line with the runway so the light is not so good till a bit later. Winter – Towards sunset the sun will be in line with the runway so the light is not so good. |
| MISC. | There is a bench on the spotting tower but there is no shade and there are no facilities so bring what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-250mm |
Crash gate P10 - all arrivals and departures
| WHERE | See #1 how to access the southern side of the airport. Continue on the track until it turns away from the fence at Crash gate P10. |
| WHAT | All arrivals and departures including traffic on the parallel taxiway. |
| TIME | All day until late afternoon. Summer – At sunrise the sun will be in line with the runway so the light is not so good till a bit later. Winter – Towards sunset the sun will be in line with the runway so the light is not so good. |
| MISC. | There is no shade and there are no facilities at this spot so bring what you need. Also, you need to shoot through the latch in the crash gate so this spot is not ideal, especially as Spot No.5 is nearby and much better. However, on a hot day it may mean you can get lift off shots on Runway 07 from here when traffic may still be on the ground passing Spot No.5. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-250mm |
Touchdown point - 25 arrivals and departures
| WHERE | See #1 how to access the southern side of the airport. You have to be both adventurous and very keen to get touchdown shots to trek to this spot. You need to walk along the narrow path from Crash gate P10 with a steep drop on one side, stopping before you get to the red and white striped ‘pill box’ structure on the other side of the fence. Also, when you get there you need to shoot through the mesh of the fence, so it’s far from ideal. Still, it might be worth it for the odd photo of aircraft burning rubber on touchdown. |
| WHAT | 25 arrivals and departures |
| TIME | All day until late afternoon. Summer – At sunrise the sun will be in line with the runway so the light is not so good till a bit later. Winter – Towards sunset the sun will be in line with the runway so he light is not so good. |
| MISC. | There is no shade and there are no facilities at this spot so bring what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-250mm |
Landing spot - 25 arrivals
| WHERE | On the eastern airport perimeter road. Continue on the TF-643 and turn left into the Carretera al Hermano Pedro before you reach the city of El Médano. Just park next to the road. |
| WHAT | Landing traffic on Runway 25 only. You can choose your spot according to the angle you prefer for landing shots. |
| TIME | All day until late afternoon. Summer – At sunrise the sun will be in line with the runway so the light is not so good till a bit later. Winter – Towards sunset the sun will be in line with the runway so the light is not so good. |
| MISC. | There is no shade and there are no facilities at this spot so bring what you need . |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 80-250mm |
Los Abrigos - 25 departures
| WHERE | If you’re staying in Los Abrigos and you don’t mind using a long lens, there are several places from which to take airborne shots, including the eastern edge of the town. |
| WHAT | 25 departures |
| TIME | All day until late afternoon. Summer – At sunrise the sun will be in line with the runway so the light is not so good till a bit later. Winter – Towards sunset the sun will be in line with the runway so the light is not so good. |
| MISC. | Shops and cafes nearby |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 400-500mm |
Hill - Arrivals 07
| WHERE | If you are coming from the southern spots drive trough the villages Los Abrigos and drive northwards on the TF-65 which leads to the Autopista TF-1. Taxe the next right into the TF-645 heading to Atogo. After a few minutes you will find the entrance to another dirt road which brings you to the approach path of RWY 07. Once there you can either drive to the western point (10A) or to a small mound a bit to the northeast (10B). From the dirt road climb up the mound to your left. |
| WHAT | Choose your spot to get the angle you prefer for landing traffic on Runway 07. Line up and departures can be shot from different positions at 11A. 11B is recommend for line ups only. |
| TIME | From afternoon till sunset in the summer only! Holding Point for 07 dep from late noon till sunset. |
| MISC. | There is no shade and there are no facilities at this spot so bring what you need. There are several mounds around here, both points are elevated: you can easily clear the fence, so no ladder is needed. Take care as this road is really a bumpy dirt road with big holes: so be careful once coming in with your rental car! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-300mm Option B Line-Ups: A320 = 170mm / B757 = 130mm |
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- Entrance Road off TF645
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- Take left road down to 11
Position 11A:
Position 11B:
Mound with Bench - Apron, Taxiway, Runway
| WHERE | Park at the previous spot #10 and walk down to the fence or just take the gravel road down here from just after the mound/spot 10. Once you got here, there is the viewing mound with seat/bench from where you can easily take some pictures.
This spot was used to be a construction site so do not wonder about old containers or similar abandoned stuff! |
| WHAT | From here you can see the apron with all the movements plus the helicopters and private jets park right in front of the spot. Here is also the last exit on to the taxiway so you get great close-ups and an occasional wave from pilots. |
| TIME | Taxiway/Runway: From afternoon till sunset in the summer only! Apron: earlier from noon to sunset but also depends on how the planes are parked. |
| MISC. | No ladder needed as you are on a little mound. There is no shade and there are no facilities except a small bench at this spot so bring what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 200-400mm Apron ~400mm / A320 on taxiway = 270mm |
Entrance to the area:
The “observation deck” itsself:
The view from the deck:
Rubblemound - Apron, Taxiway, Runway
| WHERE | This spot is located near the closed kinda terminal facility. The driveway and nearby parking is used for taxis nowadays only, but however, this can be entered with a normal car as well. Then just head to the roundabound at the western end and next to this one you’ll see kinda hill made out of rocks, which has to be climbed for the shots we show below. |
| WHAT | This spot is mostly used for night shots of aircraft parked on the apron infront (mostly Bizjets or freighters) or the nearby taxiway and runway parts. |
| TIME | Taxiway/Runway: From afternoon till sunset in the summer only. Apron: In the very early morning or from sunset to sunrise. |
| MISC. | No ladder needed. Nearest facilities for food, restrooms and so on is (inside) the nearby terminal 1. Heat haze IS a problem, especially on warmer days. Climbing the mound is very dangerous as the mound is not really stable, take care! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 150 – 400mm B737(-700)BBJ on apron = 250mm |
White House - All runway movements
| WHERE | This location is everything else than easy to access. You get to it partly by car then have to walk the rest. Keep on the road ‘Calle al Hermano Pedro’ passing point ‘8’ going north. Past the Cueva Del Hermano Pedro. Within ten seconds, the practice fire dump passes you on the left (building that looks like a fat cross). There is then a straight tarmac road angling back left. There is always a chain across the entrance, but you access it by turning off 30mts before it on a dirt track by a derelict low building. Take that dirt track and you’ll join the tarmac road. Drive up three quarters to the end then turn right where you see that white area. Follow that little windy road but come off it on to the dirt when you get to the disused buildings (grey roofs, white outlines). Park the car on the top left corner of the fence of the building. Now you have to walk along that dirt track heading directly south to the runway until you see a building. Position yourself on the elevated hill along the runway. |
| WHAT | Great location for all runway movements on either the taxiway or the runway. Arrivals on 07 will use the exit in front of you or will take the last one and roll by your position. The helicopter base is on your left hidden by trees, but the helicopters fly-taxi by, so you’ll get great close-ups of them. |
| TIME | From afternoon till sunset in the summer only! Heat haze is an issue for ground photos in the afternoon. |
| MISC. | No ladder needed. There is absolutely nothing nearby so be prepared! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | XXX |
It is not marked on the map but you can see it taking off from the taxi stand
Hi, I spent some time at spot 1. In the afternoon starting around 3pm, the light is fine. Access thanks to the guide above not a problem by car.
There is also the options to take photos from the north end of calle de el Choco in the afternoon.
Hi Rafael, can you provide us some plane photos from the Calle el Choco please. Our Email is support@spotterguide.net
Thanks, Julian
A question if I may. When is the best time of year to visit Tenerife South? Is early April viable?
Hey Tim,
I just came back yesterday and it was fully okay. I was there for hiking and made a stop at North airport (Guide update incoming). I you check the correct lightning and be aware of heat haze no problems. Airline during my time was the typical holiday. Jet2, Tui Group, Condor, Icelandair, Play, Ryanair, Norwegian, Easyjet, Edelweiß, Eurowings, Marabu and and some else.
For me after a day or two it was boring. Its no LAX oder Frankfurt or London airport. But if you look in Flightradar for example you can pick the best things out like special liveries or planes and enjoy the island the rest.
Best time off year is the winter where you get Scandinavia flights and the light is better
All periods are ok @ TFS.
But if you pay attention to the quality of your photos, so you should go in winter, from mid-October to the end of January. The light is better, and the traffic is even denser than in summer. The best time is during the Christmas holidays… The most active period of the year.
And you can check my pics @ tfs, I go there 4-5 times a year so I’ve spotted there during all periods of the year. It can gives you an idea of the lights during months.
https://www.jetphotos.com/showphotos.php?country-location=location%3BTenerife+Sur-Reina+Sof%C3%ADa+-+GCTS&photographer-group=photographer%3B28301&search-type=Advanced&sort-order=0&page=2
Hola visito tenerife este fin de semana y me gustaria saber algun punto para hacer spotting en llegadas el mejor, voy en coche, gracias. llego el sabado temprano por la mañana
Thanks for all the informations you compiled.
I’ve been to spot #3, #5 and #11 in the last few days. The roads and paths are sometimes not that good and are a bit intimidating, but mostly they’re only short distances. The access roads are absolutely passable with a normal rental car.
Just been to spot #3 which really is superb for landing shots. Don’t even try to drive to it, unfortunately the first section of track up the hill from the road to the open gate is for the most capable 4×4 vehicles only. Frustrating as its fine beyond that point. Just park in the free car park on C. la Gaviota and walk, but beware of all the dog poo!
Good afternoon, I hope this can be answered….. I was in Costa Adeje on Thursday 24/08/2023 (approx lunchtime) when I saw a Global 7500 go into TFS landing on 07. FR24 didn’t have any info as per the norm and I didn’t open ADS-B Exchange in time. Can anyone tie up a reg for me please? Or will I have to confine this one to the ‘Forget about it’ file!
Regards
Scott Porter
Hello everyone, Can anyone help me with an aircraft sighting on November 27 this year. As we were boarding our flight home I logged a bizjet B-2212. I can’t find any record of this, can anyone tell me the correct reg.
Thanks.
It was B-221Z of Deer Jet
Hey guys,
i was at TFS today for spotting at point #5, i used the east entrance to get to the spot by car.
After 2 hours of spotting i went back to the entrance, there is an old gate, probably an old airport gate like the gate you have to pass when you go to spot #1, but after that old gate in the east is another red barrier to the street, which was closed and locked after my spotting time. It was open when i drove through it to get to spot #5.
So be aware, i had to turn around and drove along the runway side (quiet bumby) to spot #1, there i was able to pass the open gate and get to the street…otherwise my car would be trapped.
Best regards,
Tim
Hi Tim, can you give me the exact location of the gate on the east side please so I can add it to the map.
Best Regards,
Julian
Hey Julian,
sent you a Facebook message.
Best regards
Tim
Are the details for TFS still the same? I am on holiday in Tenerife and was thinking of going to spots 1 thru 5 via Los Abrigos. I would hate to pay €50 for taxis to get there and back only to find out that there was no longer access. The last comments were seven months ago.