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November 1, 2016Oslo Gardermoen Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on June 27, 2024
Oslo Gardermoen (IATA: OSL, ICAO: ENGM) is one of three airports in the region (the other two are Torp and Rygge). It is the largest airport in Norway and home of SAS, Norwegian and Wideroe. Also the Royal Norwegian Air Force has stationed its fleet of C-130 Hercules on the northwestern part of the airport. Gardermoen is located 40 kilometer north of the city of Oslo and handels just under 28,5 million passengers in 2019.
The airport has two runways (01R/19L and 01L/19R) and one terminal. The increasing traffic recent years has resulted in an expansion of the terminal. The western part of the terminal will handle most domestic fligths. Almost all flights of Wideroe will arrive and depart from there. All international flights will depart from the eastern and newly built northern concourse.
Especially in summer ,Gardermoen is a great place to be. There are some great easy-to-find spots right next to the runways and the airport is realy spotters-friendly. When opened, the Gardermoen Aviation Museum is well worth a visit (see Spot #4).
Written by Erik Moen, David Gutmann, Zoltan Péter Pásztor, Emilie Heintz and Bas Velders. Last Update: June 2024 (Spot 13 and 14 added)
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety |  |
| Photo Locations | |
| Weather |  |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 01L/19R | 3.600 m (11,811 ft) |
| 01R/19L | 2.950 m (9,678 ft) |
| Terminals | |
| Pier A,B,C | Domestic flights |
| Pier D,E | International Schengen flights |
| Pier F | International Non-Schengen flights |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not needed. |
| Car/Public Transport | A car is advisable at Oslo Airport, especially for spot 1,2,6. Spot 4 and 5 are reachable by hotel shuttle or public transport. |
| Restrooms | Inside the Terminal. |
| Drinks/Food | Inside the Terminal. No facilities near the spotting locations |
| Hotels | There are some hotels in the southeast and southwest of the airport. Also, there are some bed & breakfast near spot 6 in the northwest. |
| Season | Best period to spot at Gardermoen is between April and September. In winter it is too cold and some roads are not passable, because of heavy snow. |
| Runway Usage | |
| General Info | Both runways are often used for takeoff and landings at the same time. The runway assignment will often depent on the location of the gate. Most domestic & cargo flights will arrive and depart on the western runway, while most international traffic will arrive and depart on the eastern runway. |
Blikkvegen - Departures/Arrivals 01R/19L
| WHERE | From the terminal drive on the E16 in the direction of Oslo. On the E16, take the exit towards 174 (Jessheim). Continue until you arrive at the roundabout near the gas station and McDonalds. Go left on the Fv460 and take a right at the second roundabout on ‘Vibergvegen’. After 2 kilometres, go right on ‘Blikkvegen’. Continue for 2,5 kilometres, and then turn left in the corner on the dirt road. When you have reached the fence, you can park your car just north of the road. Climb up the wall to get a clear shot over the fence. Be aware, in winter, the dirt road and parking area can be very muddy/snowy. |
| WHAT | From this spot you can catch all 01R/19L departures and 19L arrivals. 01R arrivals tend to exit early. Go to spot #2 for better shots. |
| TIME | Light conditions in the summer are perfect from sunrise till ~13:00 |
| MISC. | There are no facilities here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | ~80-100mm for 787/A330, ~120-150mm for 717/737/A320. |
Hill - 01R/19L movements
| WHERE | Take the same route as towards spot #1. Walk or drive towards the south of the runway (around the radar tower) and continue as far as you like. Walk uphill towards the treeline to get a clear shot over the fence. |
| WHAT | This spot is good for all 01R/19L departures and arrivals. |
| TIME | Light conditions in the summer are perfect from sunrise till ~13:00 |
| MISC. | There are no facilities here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | ~80-100mm for 787/A330, ~120-150mm for 717/737/A320. |
Ravinevegen - Arrivals 01L
| WHERE | To get to this spot, follow the signs ‘Nannestad’ (Exit 2 on the E16). On the second roundabout, you will see the Scandic hotel on your left. Turn left here (3rd exit) and keep left and turn left again on the sandy road. Head towards the bicycle path (‘Ravinevegen’) and find yourself a clean shot between the lampposts. Park your car along the ‘Ravinevegen’ or at the aviation museum (spot #4). |
| WHAT | From this spot you can catch all 01L arrivals. You can walk along ‘Ravinevegen’ for some different angles. |
| TIME | Light conditions in the summer are good from ~15:00 till sunset. |
| MISC. | There are no facilities here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | ~80-100mm for 787/A330, ~120-150mm for 717/737/A320. |
Gardermoen Aviation Museum - Lineup/Arrivals 01L and heavy 19 Departures
| WHERE | Follow the same route as to Spot #3. Near the Scandic hotel, turn right on ‘Museumsvegen’. You will arrive at the ‘Forsvarets Flysamling Gardermoen’ (Well worth a visit). Walk around the museum towards the fence. You can climb up the little dike to get clear shots over the fence. A small step is recommended.
By bus (August 2018): Take line 420, which costs 35 Krona each way with a prepaid ticket (this can be bought at the Ruter desk in the Airport arrivals hall). This line departs from Busgate “48”, which can be reached form the arrivals hall. |
| WHAT | This spot is good for all 01L departures and arrivals. From you also have nice view onto heavy 19 departures. |
| TIME | Light conditions in the summer are good from ~15:00 till sunset. |
| MISC. | There are no facilities here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | ~80-100mm for 787/A330, ~150-180mm for 717/737/A320. |
SAS Museum - West Air Europe Apron, Arrivals 01L/19R
| WHERE | Same route as for spot #3/4, however head towards Nannestad until you will see signs for ‘SAS-museet’. On the E16, turn left on ‘Hans Gaarders veg’. Follow this road, until you will arrive at the museum. To the left of the building, there is a small platform you can use to oversee the airport, West Air Europe platform and runway 01L/19R.
By bus (August 2018): Take line 420, which costs 35 Krona each way with a prepaid ticket (this can be bought at the Ruter desk in the Airport arrivals hall). This line departs from Busgate “48”, which can be reached form the arrivals hall. Get out at “SAS-museet”. |
| WHAT | This spot gets you an overview of the West Air Europe apron. All movements can be seen from here. Also you can catch all 01L/19R departures and arrivals. |
| TIME | Light conditions in the summer are perfect from ~15:00 till sunset. |
| MISC. | There are no facilities here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | ~130-150mm for apron shots of BAe ATP. ~140mm-160mm for 787/A330, ~170-200mm for 717/737/A320 on the runway. |
Pedershogget - Departures/Arrivals 19R
| WHERE | From spot #5, drive along the Gardermovegen. Just after the roundabout, turn right into the woods. Be advised, this spot is for summer months only. In winter this road is too snowy and muddy to drive on (or get a 4×4). Follow the road and go left on the end. You can drive around and up the hill for a clear view of the runway.
With public transport, take bus 855 (Maura) from the terminal, get out on ‘Søndre Børke’. The walk to the spot takes about 20 minutes. |
| WHAT | This location is ideal for departures and arrivals on runway 19R. |
| TIME | Light conditions in the summer are perfect from ~15:00 till sunset. |
| MISC. | There are no facilities here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | ~280-300mm for lineup shots. ~80-100mm for 787/A330, ~150-180mm for 717/737/A320 on the runway. |
Bicycle Path - Arrivals 01R
| WHERE | Along the Fv460 is a bicycle path. You can park your car underneath the landing lights and walk on the bicycle path for some different angled shots. |
| WHAT | Also you can catch all 01R arrivals. |
| TIME | Light conditions in the summer are good from ~12:00 till sunset. |
| MISC. | There are no facilities here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | ~50mm-80mm for 787/A330, ~80-110mm for 717/737/A320. |
Spotting Hill - Departures & arrivals 01R
| WHERE | To reach this spot, drive towards parking P3 on “Henrik Ibsebs veg”. On the end of the road, turn left and drive all the way till the end (keep right). There is an opening between all the bushes. Behind the bushes, there is a hill with benches. |
| WHAT | Also you can catch all 01R arrivals. |
| TIME | Light conditions in the summer are good from ~12:00 till sunset. |
| MISC. | There are no facilities here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Lufthansa A321: 230mm, SAS 737: 220mm, Thomas Cook A330: 45mm. |
Wood - Departures/Arrivals 19R
| WHERE | To reach this spot, follow directions to spot 6. Walk about 300 meters north. To get there you just walk into the woods, and follow a path until you come to a place where there are no trees and you have a clear sight to the runway. This place is located to the left of the runway, and if you stand about 90 degrees east, you can see the planes taxiing onto the runway if they use the exit Alpha 9. At this spot you can get amazing head-to-head pictures. |
| WHAT | Departures and arrivals on runway 19R. |
| TIME | Light conditions in the summer are perfect from ~15:00 till sunset. |
| MISC. | There are no facilities here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | B787: 55mm – 150mm, A320/B737: 80mm – 200mm, A350: 100mm – 300mm Sample photos by David Gutmann |
Circle K - Departures & arrivals 01L
| WHERE | To reach this spot drive to location number three, and follow the road E16 to the nearest roundabout. In the roundabout turn left (third exit), and then turn left again towards the gas station. Drive straight forward towards the rental cars area, and drive into it. Then drive on the gravel road until you get to the fence besides the runway. You can either use a ladder, to get higher than the fence, or use the little grass top to the left of the rental cars. |
| WHAT | Lineups on 01L, and final approaches for 01L. |
| TIME | Light conditions in the summer are perfect from sunrise till ~13:00 |
| MISC. | There are food and drinks, and toilets at the Circle K. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A350: 30mm – 300mm, A320neo / B737: 100mm – 200mm, B787 / B777: 60mm – 150mm Sample photos by David Gutmann |
Parking Garage P10 – International Gates and Taxiway L
| WHERE | The location is beautiful for stand shots where the plane is parked as well as planes taxing on Taxiway Lima (L) and general activity on the tarmac. Its located on the 7th floor on the parking garage next to the airport (P10), Follow the sign to P10 and then head to Area 7J (Follow the signs), take the lift up to Area 7J (7Th floor). From here you can go to the left and put your camera between the small metal obstacles. Overall a stunning location to do planespotting from a cool perspective. The close proximity to the airport makes this spot convenient |
| WHAT | Planes taxing and parking at stands, Stands 39-41 / 181-186 and Taxiway L1/L2. The spot is also good during the night since you can put the camera on the concrete edge and use it as a stable surface for night time photography. Be aware of Traffic and busy parking lot during the Peak-Season. |
| TIME | The light is perfect from 14:00 till sunset (Also great for Night Time Photography). Heat Distortion may occur on warm summer days. |
| MISC. | 3-4 Min from the Airport Terminal (Toilets, Convenience Stores, Restaurants etc) |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A320/737 90-300 mm (Stands located further away requires longer focal length 150mm + ) Depending on how close you would like to get to the action, Minimum is 90 mm ) |
Forest Parking - 19R arrivals
| WHERE | Parking space in the wood at the FV1560 road north of the airport, located above the exit of the railway tunnel. It is not reachable by public transport or by foot and a car is necessary. You can park directly at the spot at stay in your car. |
| WHAT | 19R arrivals only. |
| TIME | In summer from sunrise until around 1 pm. On hot days heat haze can be an issue with small aircrafts. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby, bring what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A300 = 250mm; 737 = 300mm |
Tronstuløkka bus stop - 01R approach
| WHERE | The spot is located at Tronstuløkka bus stop on the Fv460 road / Gardermovegen. You can walk further south on Gardermovegen (~ 50-100m) to get a better angle for 01R landings. From the terminal you can drive on Gardermovegen towards “Sand”. Parking nearby in Tronstuløkka street should be fine. There are a few busses going to/from OSL terminal. The bicycle lane can lead you to the terminal. |
| WHAT | Final approches on 01R in the morning. 19L departures would be too high. |
| TIME | Light conditions in the summer are perfect from sunrise till ~13:00 |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby, bring what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | At the bus stop: A333 ~ 130 mm Further south on the walkway: E190 ~ 260 mm; B788 ~ 160 mm |
Comfort Hotel - 01L arrivals and departures
| WHERE | You have to be a client of the Comfort Hotel to use this spot. It is accessible from the terminal with a hotel/airport shuttle or public transport. By car you can use Edvard Griegs veg and the E16 road from the terminal. There are also walkways to go on foot. Pictures were taken outside at the trees located between the hotel and the airport fence. I was staying in room 4031, where you can take pictures from as well. |
| WHAT | This spot is good for all 01L departures and arrivals. You can also see aircraft on the taxiway to 01L, the cargo park positions and the maintenance hangars. |
| TIME | Light conditions in the summer are good from ~15:00 till sunset. Heat haze could be an issue since planes are on the ground. |
| MISC. | The hotel sells food/drinks and has a car park. Depending on the room, you might only take pictures of aircraft take-off going till the end of 01R. The window in the room was quite small but luckily in room 4031 I was able to fully open the window to avoid taking pictures through the window. It seems that the system to block the full opening of the window was already (deliberately?) disabled. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A330F ~ 130mm |
Hi Passing through Oslo in Sept are ther any good places airside to spot from.
Thank you Geoff
Comment about spot 10:
During my visit in late April 2024, I noticed that spot 10 was used as a storage place for rental cars. There were signs mainly in Norwegian at the entrance of this car park. I was on foot. Thus I didn’t have to park a car. However since the rental agencies use it as a car park, I was wondering if this was a private property and therefore if planespotters were not really allowed there. After roughly 2 hours there the rental car staff that passed by me many times ended up asking me if I was OK. I told them I was taking pictures of planes and after some explanations, they were OK that I stayed longer.
If you want an alternative to spot 10 you can walk a bit further south, on the other side of the Oslo Seafood Cargo Center (OSCC) building. There is a walkway between OSCC and the car rental center. From the walkway you can climb the small hill and see planes landing on 01L. Some trees can bother a bit on the left side (landings in the morning).
Spending a day at Gardermoen in a few weeks time, arrive by overnight bus, depart by another. Spots 4 & 5 via 420 bus look ideal but I’m assuming no cover if weather isn’t good?
Back up plan would be Spot 11, what can/can’t be seen from there?
Thanks
Jeg har lyst til å se på fly men har ikke bil hvilken er best meg?
I’ve been wanting to come to Oslo to photograph the de-icing at night! Which spots would work nicely for this and in Jan/Feb is it a nearly definite that they will be de-icing?
Many thanks to all those who contribute 🙂
Can I drive all the way to spot 2 by car?
Nope, but its a short walk , maybe 5 min or so. however there is a small mound just where you park your car so you might aswell stay there, regardless of traffic direction really it does not make much of a difference.
Airside there are plenty of gaps between the gates where you can get a camera up to the window. I won’t post specific locations as a shop could appear in the space tomorrow, just explore the piers. Some piers are only accessible if departing on international flights.
Spot 11, car park P10 now has metal barriers which seem to be common on a lot of multi storey car parks in the city fitted with only one useable gap for pictures. I have a picture from 05/09/2023 if required.
Hi, can you send a photo to support@spotterguide.net please.
Thanks, Julian
Which runway Will an sas a330LR from nyc land on.
08:15
i think all b777 b787 a330 etc land on runway 19L
it depends. 01R/19L is most common as they park on the eastside of the terminal. Cargoflights most of the time land on 19R/01L , but I’ve also seen them takeoff from the eastern runway if they are light enough. that’s cause they depart to the east most of the time and it’s easier to manage the traffic for the controllers that way
Hi! Can you please tell me which spotting points are the closest to walking distance? I have a flight via Oslo in a few weeks with a few hours layover. During this time I don’t want to sit in the terminal, I’d rather take pictures of airplanes. Hence the question of which places are reasonably easy to reach on foot from the terminal. Thanks very much!