Brasília Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek Airport - Spotting Guide

Brasília Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek Airport – Spotting Guide

September 25, 2020 - last modified on December 6, 2023

Brasília International Airport – Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek (IATA: BSB, ICAO: SBBR) is the airport that serves the capital of Brazil. It is the third busiest in the country and the only one in South America to operate two runways for simultaneous landings and takeoffs. It has two tracks with more than 3,000 meters each. The latest figures show a total of more than 16.7 million passengers and 70 thousand tons of cargo handled.

The main airlines of Brazil operate at the airport: Latam, Azul and Gol, Sideral and Modern Cargo. On international calls they operate at the airport American Airlines, Copa, TAP, Latam Peru, Latam Chile and Paranair.
In 2012 the airport was passed to private initiative, INFRAMERICA which is the current administrator.

The airport has a good movement and practically during the whole day it is possible to photograph here. The majority of flights are opretaed by the Brazilian airlines that connect Brasilia to practically the whole country. TAP and American Airlines are the only non South-American operators with flights to Lisbon and Miami. Brasília receives many cargo flights, executive aircraft and government flights from foreign authorities, planes of different air forces and international leaders. The photo points are very good and it is always possible to take good photos.

In Brasilia there is a lively group of spotters, follow the link to find them on the internet:

BSBspotter – facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bsbspotter/

BSBspotter : https://spotterpointbsbspotter.blogspot.com/

Brasilia airport: https://www.bsb.aero/br/

Marcos H. Rocha, local Spotter, was the one who helped us to elaborate this guide, all the photos are from his height. Last Update July 2020.

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
11R/29R	3’200m (10 499 ft) Asphalt
11L/29L	3’300m (10 827 ft) Asphalt
Terminals
Terminal 1	Main terminal with two concourses and one international pier.
Terminal 2	not in use
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not necessary. Some spotters use it in points 2 and 3, but it is not very necessary as the fence is low at and with one step or even by holding your camera above it you can easily clear it.
Car/Public Transport	From point 1 to 7 it is possible to walk from the airport terminal. For the other points it is necessary to rent a vehicle.
Restrooms	Only point 1 and 3 has bathrooms that can be used. Elsewhere, there are no bathrooms
Drinks/Food	At point 1 you are inside the airport, so you have all the amenities. Outside only point 3 has a snack bar, but even point 7 is relatively close and you can use this amenities.
Hotels	There is an IBIS Styles hotel, very close to photo location no. 3
Season	In Brasilia you can photograph practically the whole year, in some points, due to the change of the sunlight, it can be better or worse. In Brasilia it rains very little which helps a lot.
Runway Usage
General Info	During the rainy season that runs from September to April 29 L/R is the prefered direction. Otherwise 11 L/R is active.
11L/29R	Usually there will always be landings and takeoffs for the north / northeast sector
11R/29L	Usually there will always be landings and takeoffs for the south / southeast sector.

Terminal Terrace - Ramp

WHERE	Go into the terminal and look for the terrace/food court, also called “Gazebo”. It is a space where enthusiasts and spotters can go with all the tranquility. You can spend good hours watching the planes, especially those that are parking nearby.

WHAT	Brasilia airport is all glass so you can always take pictures of aircraft movements, but there are always obstacles and reflections.

TIME	Best time to observe and take pictures is from 3 pm until the end of the day, because in Brasilia, depending on the seasons, the day is brighter than in others. At any time of the year the light is excellent, giving opportunity to great photos.

MISC.	You are inside the terminal, everything is at your disposal.

FOCAL LENGTH	18-35mm and 75-135mm

Access Road - International Ramp

WHERE	Get out of the terminal at the departures level and walk northwards along the car ramp on the sidewalk. You can’t park there so use the official car park of the terminal.

WHAT	The point where you can see the international gates (32,33,34,35 or known by the old number 01,02,03,04 respectively), have a view of all international flights operated at the Brasília Terminal It is possible to have a view of aircraft that pass through taxiways (C, H, L1) towards their stop positions. There are some plants and trees in addition to the construction house that can make it a little difficult to click on a few angles, so the best thing to do is to click the aircraft still a little distant to avoid obstructions.

TIME	From October to mid-April with the light being directed from the Southeast and Southwest positions of the sun, the aircraft are with the light totally in favor throughout the day. From April to October only side angles of the aircraft are illuminated because during these months the sun will be in the North direction.

MISC.	It is very close to the terminal, so if you need you can enter the terminal for snacks and bathrooms. There is surveillance, frequent policing.

FOCAL LENGTH	55-100mm aircraft at the gate, 100-150mm in the taxi.

Shell Station - 11L movements, taxiway, ramp

WHERE	One of SBBR’s best-known spots, the Pizzeria has a covered terrace for meeting spotters and friends. It is just a five minutes walk from the terminal to the shell station/pizzeria. Parking is available directly at this location.

WHAT	The view provided by the site is from the Cargo Terminal, Patio 2, Patio de Aviação Geral and view from the runway 11L.

TIME	From April to mid-October the position of the sun in relation to the aircraft that pose, take off or will taxi to the 11L is facing the Northeast side, being totally against the light, thus allowing photos by aircraft that are in positions 53 to 63 every day in the morning and all aircraft passing the taxiway (Q / QQ), in addition to the complete view of all hangars. From mid-October to mid-April the position of the sun in relation to the aircraft that land and take off in 11L and who will taxi to the runway, the sun is totally in favor giving a good light especially as it is the summer light. The sun is in the southeast position.

MISC.	This place is next to a restaurant and a gas station with a covered terrace. You can stay there or on a lawn, very close at the fence. There are restrooms and a snack bar.

FOCAL LENGTH	18-55mm when the planes are taxiing pass close to the fence, but you can use tele lens for more distant aircraft. 175mm – 135mm for aircraft landing or taking off 11L/29R

Post office - Cargo Ramp

WHERE	Few meters south of the previous spot, located next to the post office along the fence.

WHAT	Has a complete view of the cargo operations of narrow-body aircraft such as Sideral’s Boeing 737-300 / 400/500, Boeing 727, and Modern’s 737s.

TIME	Every day in the morning throughout the year the light is totally in favor for aircraft parked at the Cargo Terminal in positions 53 to 57 that have a better view, and for aircraft passing through taxiways (Q and QQ) . From October to April, aircraft passing through the taxiway (H) towards runway 11L have light in their favor. At that same point, the possibility of taking pictures with the background view of the Center of Brasilia, especially in the late afternoon where the city is all lit up because the sun at that time is in the Southwest direction.

MISC.	You`re near point 3, where there are restrooms and a cafeteria. There is considerable movement, policing and surveillance by cameras.

FOCAL LENGTH	50mm for aircraft near the fence and 75-100 for aircraft in the taxi, depending on the size of the aircraft, since there are many business jets here, and cargo aircraft, type 737-727-767

Terminal 2 - Ramp

WHERE	Continue westwards on the main road till you see the terminal 2 (closed). Walk to the east side of the building to the fence. Parking is avialable directly at the spot.

WHAT	A place where it is possible to observe some aircraft in the hangar sector, traffic on taxiways and stopping points.

TIME	Throughout the year in the morning it is possible to take pictures in good light.

MISC.	In this place it is common to be approached by security guards, obey the instructions if approached and cannot take photos, the place has shade but does not have bathrooms or water.

FOCAL LENGTH	55-135 normally for aircraft in the taxi or parked

Terminal 2 - Ramp

WHERE	Pass terminal 2 and another building until you reach an empty parking area. From there walk to the fence to geat a sneak of the ramp.

WHAT	Here you can see the movement in front of terminal 2, taxis and parked aircraft.

TIME	Ideal from 4pm all year round.

MISC.	There are no bathrooms or snack bars around here, take what you need. The area has constant surveillance, the entrance to this access is next to the silk hangar of the Federal Highway Police, there are security cameras as well.

FOCAL LENGTH	50mm, 100mm, 180mm, parked aircraft, in taxi or entering this sector.

Final TWY Q/QQ

WHERE	The last ramp postion is in front of the hangar of Ícaro Taxi Aéreo and it is possible to take some photos of the end of the hangar sector. Parking is not available there so walk from the previous location to this spot.

WHAT	Taxi planes and parked aircraft in front of numerous hangars, many business jets stop here.

TIME	Throughout the year, always from 4pm.

MISC.	There are no bathrooms, no shade or places to buy food, take what you need. Location always monitored, there is a possibility to be approached in this location. 25min to 30min walking from the terminal to this point, there are bus stops, I look at the F.O.D. Location is close to a security post and there is constant surveillance.

FOCAL LENGTH	50mm, 100mm, 200mm, parked aircraft, in taxi or entering this sector

Campo verde/Way Park entrance - 11L arrivals

WHERE	Pretty huge green area (like a park) with plenty of options where you can stay. If coming from the terminal make sure you don`t drive on the highway and use the road running parallel. Make a u-turn at the huge roundabout (spot 9) and drive back to the terminal and make a rigth turn to get into the parking (look for the TAXI sign). You can stay at the car or go down for a different angle. Easy access from the terminal by walking, about 30min all along the previous locations (see map), or public transport. To reach this place by bus, you must take the bus at the airport terminal and get off right after passing the hangars that we mentioned here in point 7, but if you are just up to that point this place is a short walk, Then you can take the bus to return to the terminal. Buses 108.6, 0129, 181.4 pass through here, coming from the terminal.

WHAT	Ideal for landings on 11L runway.

TIME	From November to February from 6am to 11am and from 3pm to 7pm

MISC.	In this place there are trees for protection from the sun. We recommend to go accompanied but a relatively safe area, close to the airport with car movement and there is policing for a period.

FOCAL LENGTH	You will see the approach of the aircraft very far so you can use the full zoom of your camera, when the aircraft is closer you will use between 18-250 and 100-400 mm.

Airport entrance balloon - 11L arrivals

WHERE	This place is in a roundabout that gives access to the airport. Only option is to park at the previous spot and walk through the grass to this place. Maybe a five minute walk.

WHAT	You can see the aircraft final approach towards 11L. The aircraft pass very close and fast because they are already in the final stage for landing.

TIME	From October to April in the spring and summer light, the sun has a view of the Southeast in the morning and Southwest in the afternoon, allowing for a full day of light in favor of the aircraft approaching by 11L. From mid-April to October the light goes to the North side, making it impossible to take pictures with light at that point.

MISC.	This place besides being a balloon / roundabout is a garden, so always keep it clean, collect your garbage, water and sunscreen is recommended. Beware of the birds “Quero-Quero” that can attack. There are surveillance cameras in this location and there is always policing too.

FOCAL LENGTH	55-350mm aircraft approaching , lateral and moving away.

Passarela (walkway) BRT - 11R arrivals

WHERE	This place is outside of the airport boundaries and far away. It is next to a bus station and a walkway over the highway 450. In this place there is the option to climb on the walkway (better angle) or stay in the green area located in front. We strongly recommend that you go here by car, there are parking spaces nearby. It is possible to stop your car very close to this location.

WHAT	Ideal for landings on runway 11R.

TIME	Sun Position – From March to October throughout the day.

MISC.	Sunscreen is always good. There are street vendors on site who can have something to drink or eat. There is public transport to the airport. There are no frequent police patrols and a place with a lot of movement of peopl so we recommend taking pictures in groups and always keeping an eye on movement.

FOCAL LENGTH	50-250mm, the aircraft is approaching and passing you.

Block 25 of the Park Way - 11R/29L arrivals and departures

WHERE	There is a condominium area that allows viewing of landings and takeoffs from runway 11R-29L, public area. Somewhat distant from the airport and although there is public transport, it is advisable to go by car, placing the following address on the GPS, Google Maps, Wase etc: Condominio Brisas do Rio Park Way Q 25 – Núcleo Bandeirante, smpw Trecho 1 Q25 conjunto 34, Brasília. Upon reaching the end of this street, you can already see the airport.

WHAT	Ideal for landings and takeoffs from runway 11R, 29L

TIME	All day from November to April and periods of rain when the runway head 29.

MISC.	There are no bathrooms, water points and shelters, sunscreen is recommended. Public transportation every hour. Store your trash and dispose of it properly. Although there is public transport the ideal is to go by car.

FOCAL LENGTH	Distant location from the airport, for side shots of the 200mm aircraft, approaching up to 280mm and aircraft at the airport 350mm-400mm

Public Park in Lago Sul - 29 arrivals

WHERE	This is the furthest place from the airport to take pictures and it is in a residential neighborhood. There is no public transport nearby. You can only get there by car and when leaving the airport take the DF025 highway and go to entrance QI17 because it is a remote location. Follow the location’s coordinates : 15°52′ 11,6″S 47°52’32,7″W. Approximate distance of 15 kilometers.

WHAT	Allows viewing of landings and takeoffs from both runways.

TIME	It is possible to photograph here all year round, depending on the time of year, november to March more favorable, but as you are between the two rwy, there can always be a way to photograph.

MISC.	As it is a park / area of environmental protection, it does not have restrooms or places to sit, bring water and sunscreen. Be aware, store and dispose of your trash in a suitable place. There are no regular police patrols, but when it does, you may know that you will be approached for a check.

FOCAL LENGTH	You are very far and should have at least 500mm for A320 etc.