Tunis Carthage Intl. Airport - Spotting Guide

Tunis Carthage Intl. Airport – Spotting Guide

January 2, 2024 - last modified on January 19, 2024

The major airport of Tunisia is located within the boundaries of the capital city and welcomes over 6 mio. passengers annual. Tunis Air us the airport as its primary hub. Besides them, you can see all other major European carriers there as well as some exotic stuff from Libya. The traffic increases a lot in summer, but be careful of the temperatures that can reach 50 Celsius between June and August. You can also expect some military and government traffic as there is a base at the south-eastern end.

Almost all spotting locations are within the Berges du Lac neighborhood, which a pretty new developed district in Tunis and hosts many ambassadors, hotels, restaurants and amusement parks. Thus makes it a pretty safe place.

Written by Riadh Zriba, Jakob Lienau and Anna Zvereva. Last change: January 2024 (Spot 6 added)

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
01/19	3.200 m (10.499 ft)
11/29	2.840 m (9.318 ft)
Terminals	One major terminal building for all flights.
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not needed and don`t even think about to use…
Car/Public Transport	All major spots are in the Berges du Lac neighborhood so try to find a hotel in this area. From there you can easily reach the major spots by taxi or even by foot. Only spot 4 and 6 is on the other side where you need a car/taxi to reach it. In general public transport in Tunis is stressful and we would not recommend it. It’s cheap but it’s always delayed and always overloaded.
Drinks/Food	Plenty of cafés and restaurants
Hotels	There are many hotels in the Berges du Lac neighborhood and in walking distance to spots 1-3. Rooms of the Hôtel Lac Leman offering a view of the runway 29 movements.
Season	More traffic in summer but be careful of the temperatures that can reach 50 Celsius between June and August.
Security	There is over 2 meters wall all around the airport making it impossible to spot ground movements. Do not use any ladder as Police may suspect you of terrorism. Plane spotting is not common and it is unknown in Tunisia. It is highly recommended to keep low profile, and do not at any costs point your camera towards people or buildings as there are many reports of people asking to look at the camera to make sure they were not photographed. On the south east there is a military air base. Do not point your camera towards the base. Inside the airport the best spotting location is inside the terminal at the gates. For security reasons, the police will not allow you to take pictures elsewhere inside the terminal and you will be asked to delete your photos.
Runway Usage
General Info	Both runways are active and it depends on the wind direction. When the winds are almost zero, all three rwys may be used for landing (19-01-29): planes from the north (Europe) will use rwy 19, planes from east and the south will use either 01 or 29. This makes it challenging if you target a specific plane so make sure to monitor the wind prior to spotting. Ryw 11 was closed for landing after the Boeing 737-500 of Egypt air (SU-GBI) crashed on a top of a mountain 6.6 km from the rwy 11 in 2002.

	Spot #1 – Entertainment Park – 01 arrivals
WHERE	The location is on a parking lot, located in front of an Entertainment Park in the Berges du Lac district. Alternatively you can stay along the Avenue Principale, just in the case the lot is closed. Public transport is limited so best way to get there is by Taxi.

WHAT	Only runway 01 arrivals can be photographed

TIME	Best light from sunrise until noon.

MISC.	Amusement park with restaurants close by. DO NOT point your camera towards people or shops.

FOCAL LENGTH	A320: 130mm, B777: 70 mm

	Spot #2 – Bd Cheik Zaeid – 01 arrivals
WHERE	You can spot close to the waterfront along the street on Bd Cheik Zaeid or bit further up from the Avenue Principale. At latter the angle is worser. Public transport is limited so best way to get there is by Taxi. Parking is possible by the roadside.

WHAT	Only runway 01 arrivals can be photographed.

TIME	Best light from afternoon until sunset.

MISC.	Close to the lake there are plenty of restaurants. DO NOT point your camera towards people or shops.

FOCAL LENGTH	A320: 100mm, BJ: 185mm

	Spot #3 – Parking Lot – 29 arrivals.
WHERE	There is a parking lot at the Rue Du Lac Léman where you can spot from. Best way to get there is by taxi. Alternatively you can stay along Av. Principale for morning arrivals. Just walk further to the east to an open field.

WHAT	Only runway 29 arrivals can be photographed.

TIME	Best light from noon until sunset. Light on the morning side is just for a short period.

MISC.	There is nothin close by. Do NOT point your camera towards the cars or the air military base!

FOCAL LENGTH	B737: 80mm

	Spot #4 – Gas Station – 19 arrivals
WHERE	Along the Avenue de l’UMA there is a gas station where you can spot from. Best way to get there is by taxi/car as there is no public transport. Parking is possible by the roadside.

WHAT	Arrivals on runway 19. If there is no wind, only planes from the north will use this one.

TIME	Best light from noon until sunset.

MISC.	There is nothing close by.

FOCAL LENGTH	B777: 55mm

	Spot #5 – Terminal – Ramp, runway 01/19, taxiway
WHERE	The spot is in the satellite building at the departure gates 50-58, where all flights to Europa leave. A valid boarding pass is needed! Otherwise you can see the cargo building from the arrival hall near the passport. At the main departure the windows are covered, so it is impossible to take any pictures.

WHAT	From the satellite you have a good view of the runway 01/19 as well as the taxiway and ramp movements.

TIME	Good light condition from noon/afternoon until sunset. Depends on which angle.

MISC.	Be aware that you have to shot through the windows. Security didn’t really pay attention. DO NOT use your camera in any other location of the terminal!

FOCAL LENGTH	Approximate 100-200mm from the gates.

	Spot #6 – Parking Lot – 19 arrivals
WHERE	The spot is north of the airport on a small gravel area which is used for parking. Best option is to reach this point by taxi/car via Rue Jard. de la Soukra. When you are there, there is a small trash hill and you can only take sky shots from there.

WHAT	Only for RWY 19 arrivals. Departures are very high already.

TIME	Best light from sunrise until noon.

MISC.	There are several small restaurants or cafés. For restrooms you just need to ask for permission. Keep always low profile as they are not familiar with plane spotters. It is a safe neighborhood and usually the people there are very kind. They ask if everything is alright etc. There are stray dogs… just to mention. We recommend sun protection because of lacks of shaded spots.

FOCAL LENGTH	A320: 150-250mm; A330: 100-200mm

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This guide is not completed but due to a lack of information we cannot provide more spotting postions. If you do so, please contact us to complete this planespotting guide.