Almaty Airport (ALA/UAAA) is the biggest airport in Kazakhstan with roughly 6,5 million passenger a year, although it is not the airport in the capital Nur-Sultan. ALA was opened in 1935 and is located roughly 20km northeast of the city of Almaty. The airport is home to Air Astana, Qazaq and a few other local carriers, but is majorly known as fuelstop for cargo aircraft and also hosts a big storage area, where you will find many stored F100 and some old sowjet metal these days.

Written by Severin Hackenberger in cooperation with Dirk and Marco Valerio Bonelli. Last update: September 2024 – Spot 5+6 added by Zhunisaly Beksultan

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
05R/23L	4400m/Asphalt
05L/23R	4500m/Concrete – only used as taxiway
Terminals
T1	One Terminal for Domestic and international flights and all airlines.
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not mandatory as you mostly will have a mound clearing your view onto the aircraft. But a ladder is useful to avoid/reduce fence and wall in the lower part of the pictures.
Car/Public Transport	Car nessesary as there is no public transport.
Drinks/Food	Bring everything you need as there is nothing around the spots: no shops, no toilet, nothing
Hotels	There are some west of the terminal, but no specific popular spotting hotels.
Season	The winter is cold, the summer therefore very hot and hazy.
Security	It is definitely recommended to search yourself a local guide/spotter before you come here, best to contact the Kazhakstan Spotting Club on Facebook or Instagram. They know how to behave, they know how security/police is behaving here, helps in keeping a low profile which is better here for sure! Spotting is not generally forbidden, but the fewer attention you attract the better!
Runway Usage
General Info	If there is no wind, they use both directions, but 05L/23R is only used as taxiway, so they only arrive/depart runway 05R/23L.

	Spot #1 – Dirt mounds south – 05R/23L movements
WHERE	This spot is located at the end of a small farm road (which turns off UL. Lenina) at the end of a cemetery. The road is very bumpy and hard to drive, but at its end you will find enough space to leave your car and then walk onto the hills around there.
WHAT	From here you can see almost all 05R/23L movements except maybe light 23L departures. In addition also aircraft taxiing to 05L/23R. From the western hill, even aircraft parked on the ramp can be seen.
TIME	Sunrise till late noon.
MISC.	The area here is very bumpy and not flat with some artifical hills made of dirt, so no ladder needed here thankfully. But bring everything you need as there is nothing around.
FOCAL LENGTH	40-300mm 90mm B733 / 40mm B744 / 260mm CRJ200 on taxiway behind

Eastern hill:

ALA-Spot1-East

ALA-Spot1-East

ALA-Spot1-East

ALA-Spot1-East

ALA-Spot1-West

ALA-Spot1-West

ALA-Spot1-West

	Spot #2 – Unfinished terminal – 05R Movements
WHERE	To get here, take the bit bumpy route/small road turning off the main street at the gas station. It runs along a forestline first, then crosses a field and will lead you to the area of the new, unfinished terminal. You can get with the car directly to the fence/unfinished apron from where you can take pictures. There is a mound from where you can see the runway. In the meantime, the area may have been fenced already as constructions are slowly going on…
WHAT	This spot offers views onto landing and takeoff on 05R.
TIME	Sunrise till late noon.
MISC.	Quite hard to find and the road may be bumpy and muddy sometimes.Nearby is also a gas station to get food/drinks.
FOCAL LENGTH	40-300mm

ALA-Spot2

ALA-Spot2

	Spot #3 – Dirt mounds north – Taxi on 05L/23R + 05R/23L Movements
WHERE	Just turn off Zakarpatskaya street, there is a small field/meadow with another pair of artificial mounds north of the runway here. You can park your car easily in front/next to them.
WHAT	From here you can see almost all 05R/23L movements except maybe light 23L departures. In addition also aircraft taxiing to 05L/23R.
TIME	Early afternoon till sunset.
MISC.	The grass is quite high here often, which causes hazy and cut off gear/aircraft parts. But you should be high enough to see the runway.
FOCAL LENGTH	200-400mm Dash 8 = 300mm

ALA-Spot3

ALA-Spot3

	Spot #4 – Dirt mound north – 23L arrivals
WHERE	This spot is located at the end of a small country road (blocked for cars) on a small hill. It is accessible from Ulitsa Akhmetova where you can park the car as marked on the map. From there cross the road and walk for few minutes on the track till reaching the fence. Then few meters on the left there are some artificial hills made of dirt, so no ladder needed. You will have a perfect view of the approach path and of the landing aircraft.
WHAT	From here you can see approach and landing on 23L. In addition also aircraft taxiing to 23R (very rare).
TIME	Early afternoon till sunset.
MISC.	But bring everything you need as there is nothing around. No issues with security that regularly run the airport boundaries from inside.
FOCAL LENGTH	A330 = 160mm; A21N = 200mm

ALA Spot4

ALA Spot4

ALA Spot4

	Spot #5 – Dirt mound southwest – 05R/L Arrivals + 05R Departures
WHERE	To get to this point you should turn the last right before entering the airport. Then drive straight along Akhmetov and Zakarpatskaya Street along the airport fence till you pass the approach path and reach Olga’s grocery store. Then turn left and drive to the end along the fence till you reach some dirt mounds. You can leave your car there in front and climb the mountains.
WHAT	From here you can spot runway 05R/05L arrivals as well as 05R alpha taxiway prior departures.
TIME	Sunrise to noon for arrivals, afternoon for silhouettes.
MISC.	There is a small Olga Grocery store at the airport fence on your way to this spot where you can get some stuff. No issues with security that regularly run the airport boundaries from inside. Heat haze can be an issue from later morning on here.
FOCAL LENGTH	24-200mm An12 on runway = 100mm / A21N Line-Up = 130mm

ALA-Spot5

ALA-Spot5

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ALA-Spot5

	Spot #6 – Zakarpatskaya St – 05R Arrivals
WHERE	On your way to the dirt mounds in the southwest (spot #5) just before passing the approach path you will drive by a small open street corner on your left/towards the airport fence where you can leave your car and take pictures of 05R Arrivals above.
WHAT	From here you can spot runway 05R.
TIME	Only on later summer afternoons/evenings.
MISC.	There is a small Olga Grocery store at the airport fence a few meters down the street. No issues with security that regularly run the airport boundaries from inside.
FOCAL LENGTH	18-100mm

ALA-Spot6

ALA-Spot6

ALA-Spot6

ALA-Aprontour

ALA-Aprontour

ALA-Aprontour