Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (IATA: ZNZ, ICAO: HTZA) named after the island`s first president is the main airport in the Zanzibar Archipelago in Tanzania. It is approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of the capital of Zanzibar. The island is a popular tourist destination for Europeans and you can see carriers like Eurowings, Condor, Air France, LOT or TUI from there as well as all major carriers from the Middle East bringing tourist to Zanzibar. But the traffic is dominated by regional airlines with turboprops aircraft like the ATR72, EMB120 and the Cessna Caravan, serving mainly smaller nearby airstrips and the capital of Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam. The african mainland is well connected to almost all major hubs,

Written by Gerrit Griem and Zoltán Péter Pásztor. Last Update: December 2024 – Spot 2

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
18/36	3.007 m (9.865 ft) Asphalt
Terminals
Domestic	An old and small terminal, used by the regional carriers.
International	New big terminal, used by the international airlines.
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not needed. A huge wall around the airport prevents any sight from the outside.
Car/Public Transport	A rental car is highly recommend to get to the spots!
Drinks/Food	There is nothing at the locations, so be prepared.
Hotels	The 4star Golden Tulip Zanzibar Airport is directly at the terminals and from the uppermost rooms you might be able to watch the traffic.
Season	The temperatures and sun hours are consistent throughout the year. Rainy days are especially in Nov-Dec and March-May but nothing to worry about.
Security	We had no problems during our stay. The island in general is very safe compared to other african countries as it is a popular tourist destination.
Runway Usage
General Info	Used in all directions. There isn’t a preferred side.

	Spot #1 – School – 36 arrivals
WHERE	This location is not easy to find so we recommend to use a car and a GPS to reach it. It is on a field next to a school building, south of the airport terminal. Park the car in front of the school building and step a few meters on the field to see the planes approaching.
WHAT	36 arrivals
TIME	From late noon until sunset.
MISC.	There can be some friendly farmers at work with machetes but not really to something to worry about.
FOCAL LENGTH	180-190mm for a Dash 8-Q400

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	Spot #2 – Wall – 18 arrivals
WHERE	The next spot is on a dirt road that runs parallel to a huge wall. It is located north of the airport and we recommend to use a car and a GPS to reach this place. To avoid a longer drive on the bumpy dirt road is to approach this spot from the north, from the asphalted road that runs from the airport and passes the airport on the east side.
WHAT	18 arrivals only. The gap between the power lines and the wall is big enough to photograph the planes properly.
TIME	From late noon until sunset.
MISC.	This is a lot of pedestrian traffic so be polite to the locals. Also animals like chickens and goats run around.
FOCAL LENGTH	Around 200mm for a 737

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