KUL-Spot1
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May 10, 2015Kuala Lumpur Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on December 17, 2024
The largest Airport in Malaysia handled 47,2 million passengers in 2023. KUL is a hub for AirAsia, AirAsia X, Malaysia Airlines, Malindo Air and Maskargo. The majority of traffic is obviously generated by AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines.
During daylight there are Asian airlines like AirAsia Indonesia, AirAsia Zest, Thai AirAsia, Lion Air, Cathay Dragon, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Cebu Pacific, JAL, Jetstar Asia, Vietnam Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern etc. The African/Middle East carriers like Saudi Arabian Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Royal Jordanian, Egypt Air, Uzbekistan Airways and Ethiopian Airlines are regular guests during the daytime. From Europe, Air France, KLM, Swiss, British Airways, Condor and Turkish Airlines are regular during the daytime as well. Highlights visiting KUL are rare carrier like Mahan Air, Iraqi Airways, Himalaya Airlines or US Bangla. Cargo planes during daytime are Maskargo, Cargolux, FedEx, UPS and Tri-MG Intra Asia Airlines.
You can look up the official airport website for the upcoming arrivals and also ETAs for the flights. The schedule there also includes the charter flights and some freighters. Otherwise check Flightradar24 or flightstats. As there are two runways in use for arrivals (see Runway Usage) we also recommend using flightradar24 on your mobile (local SIM cards with internet are cheap and easy to buy) while spotting. This way you can actually see when specials are coming in and still switch the runway in time for the arrival. The road around the airport has no traffic lights and very little traffic, making it possible to switch in 3-5 minutes.
Written by Patrick Weis, Jan Seba, Julian Rodriguez, Firat Cimenli, Konstanty Dobrzyński, Jesse De Jonghe and Marcus. Last change: October 2024 – Spot 12 updated
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety |  |
| Photo Locations | |
| Weather |  |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 14R/32L | 4.019 m (13.186 ft) concrete |
| 14L/32R | 4.000 m (13.123 ft) concrete |
| 15/33 | 4.000 m (13.123 ft) concrete |
| Terminals | |
| KLIA 1 | All the major international carriers |
| KLIA 2 | Lowcost carriers including AirAsia (from all countries), Jetstar, Cebu Pacific and Scoot |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | No spotting directly at the fence allowed, a ladder is not necessary. |
| Car/Public Transport | A car is absolutely necessary to get arround the airport, also very important to have a place to go to during a spontaneous rainshower or thunderstorm. We strongly advice not to go spotting without a car in KUL; getting one with air conditioning is recommended. |
| Restrooms | Nothing at the locations outside. Only at the observation deck and in the terminal. |
| Drinks/Food | In the terminal and as shown on the map. Several nearby villages also have local restaurants. |
| Hotels | Tune Hotel KLIA2 is very convenient and quite reasonably priced. The Sama Sama Hotel offers an open terrace for guests on the 9th floor with views on 32R departures. There are also many other hotels around the airport in the nearby villages. |
| Season | The weather in KUL is always unpredictable and you will very likely have rainy days and lots of clouds during your stay. There is no real ideal time to visit, just a few months to avoid because of heavy rain. The best time to visit is from January to August. |
| Security | As of 2024, there are several reports about problems with the police, especially for the non official locations in the south east. Be very careful and keep a low profile! |
| Runway Usage | |
| General Info | As the airport generally experiences very calm or no winds at all, the airport sometimes freely decides whether they use 14/15 or 32/33 direction. The preferred direction can change from time to time, depending on construction sites and more. KUL has three parallel runways: 33 and 32L (center) are used extensively by Air Asia. |
| 14L/32R | 32R is the major Departure runway for KLIA 1 with a handful of daily arrivals. AirAsia can also use this runway for arrivals or departures as it is very rare when the afternoon traffic is very busy. In the rare case of 14-ops this is the main landing runway for KLIA1 as well as some KLIA2 arrivals. Also few flights from KLIA1 will depart here. |
| 14R/32L | 32L is the major landing runway for all airlines using KLIA 1 and 25% for KLIA 2 arrivals. During 14-ops this the the main departure runway for KLIA1 and the main landing runway for KLIA2. |
| 15/33 | This is the primary departure runway for KLIA 2 and approximate 75% for KLIA 2 arrivals. Nearly all KLIA2 flights will depart here in case of 15-ops. |
Dirt Road - 33 Arrivals Afternoon
| WHERE | This spot is located as marked on the map on the dirt road next to the road arround the runway. Another option is to stand directly next to the road behind the crash barrier. In this case you are a bit closer to the aircraft but also closer down the approach path. You can park you car on the eastern side of the road infront of an unused boom gate. |
| WHAT | Here you can take all arrivals onto RWY 33 in the afternoon. |
| TIME | The best time in winter is from 14:00 till sunset. In Summer you have to start later, probably around 16:00. |
| MISC. | Bring with you what you need, no toilets, no food, no drinks. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70mm for the A330s (usually no larger aircraft land here) and 115mm for an A320. |
Rocks - 33 Arrivals and Departures Morning
| WHERE | This spot is located on an road to an airport crashgate at the new runway 15/33. Park your car at the side of the road. As of 2024, stay away from the rocks if there is nothing special as the security might come and send you away! Instead to stay near the rocks, take pictures along the small river and near the small forest for the landings. |
| WHAT | From the marked point on the map you can take arrival and lineup shots (though with a fence in the picture). The example images of the AirAsia A330s below show the difference between a shot taken from the hill and from the street. |
| TIME | The best time in winter is from sunrise till 11:00. In summer you can spot longer, probably until 12:00 before the sun altitude is too high. |
| MISC. | Bring with you what you need, no toilets, no food, no drinks. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 160mm for an A320 on lineup. 220mm for a landing A320 and 130mm for an A330. |
Airport Road - 32L Arrivals Afternoon
| WHERE | Along the airport perimeter road there is a dirt road running behind the crash barrier, which is accessible a bit north of the marked spot. |
| WHAT | Good location for RWY 32L arrivals. Shooting lineup is not possible here due to the high fence. The marked spot is a good location for Runway 32L arrivals where you won’t have the fence in the picture and still have a great angle for the aircraft. |
| TIME | The best time in winter is from 14:00 till sunset. In Summer you have to start later, probably around 16:00. |
| MISC. | Bring with you what you need, no toilets, no food, no drinks. Police is also sending people away when they are standing there and move them to the official spot 9. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 75mm for an A380 and and 140mm for a B738. |
Airport Road - 32L Arrivals Morning
| WHERE | There is a sand/gravel area next to the airport perimeter road which you can use for spotting. Choose your location so that you can shoot the arrivals between the lamp posts. As of 2024, there are red/white barriers put up that prevents cars from entering the gravel road behind the barrier. Park at the official spot and walk back. |
| WHAT | This spot is good for all aircraft arriving Runway 32L in the morning hours and for lineup shots until 9:30 as later there is too much heathaze. For lineup shots you will have the fence in your pictures, as can be seen in the example shots. |
| TIME | The best time in winter is from sunrise till 11:00. In summer you can spot longer, probably until 12:00 before the sun altitude is too high. |
| MISC. | Bring with you what you need, no toilets, no food, no drinks. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Depending on your location it’s around 100mm for a B747 and 180mm for an A320, but you can also get closer. Police is also sending people away when they are standing there and move them to the official spot 9. |
Observation Deck - Taxiway and ramp movements
| WHERE | This spot is located landside on the top floor (Departure level) of Terminal 1 (KLIA 1). There are sings in the Terminal showing you the way to the “Observation Deck”, which is at the end of a long hallway. |
| WHAT | From this spot you can take pictures of aircraft parking at the terminal and for aircraft taxiing on the taxiway to runway 32R or 32L. But there is a lot of heathaze and you have to spot though glass. Also this location is facing south and thus the sun for the winter time of the year, making it somewhat unusable for longer photography sessions. |
| TIME | In winter you are backlit almost during the whole day (expect for shots on the eastern or western aprons, which are either good in the morning or evening). Taxiway shots become acceptable from 16:00 (but are never really pretty). In summer this spot becomes more usable, as the light is now on the correct side, but sadly the sun is too high around noon. The light will get great from around 16:00 as well. |
| MISC. | Everything you need is in the terminal, there are toilets just around the corner. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Varies strongly. Pictures on the taxiway opposite the observation deck are at 130mm for a B738. |
Observation Decks KLIA2 - Taxiway and ramp movements
| WHERE | This spot is located landside nearby the entrance to KLIA2 terminal area at the departures level 3. |
| WHAT | From this spot (or spots, as there is the possibility to spot on both sides of the entrance) you will easily get a view on planes taxiing to/from their stands and those standing at the stands. It is also possible to take photos of aircraft using Runway 15 from the deck on the west side but heat haze is likely to be an issue. |
| TIME | More or less the entire day. It partially depends on the season. You might have to adjust your position in order to get most of the photos with the sun. |
| MISC. | Everything you might need (lavatories, shops, cafe’s etc.) is nearby. This is a generally available area to which you can get even when not flying. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50+ [Big Points at 165mm, nose close-up at 300mm, QPR plane at 155mm, spot overview at 18mm] |
Bridge inside the terminal - Taxiway and ramp movements
| WHERE | This spot is located inside the terminal and is accessible after passing the passport control. This is a bridge linking piers of the terminal. Very easy to find. |
| WHAT | You can easily spot from here waiting for your flight. All the movements at the taxiways are clearly visible. |
| TIME | All day, you just have to adjust to the location of the sun. |
| MISC. | As this is inside the terminal all you might need (lavatories, shops etc.) is somewhere nearby. At some areas you will need to stand behind a row of chairs in order to be close to the window. Dirty windows may be bothersome. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50+ [A320 taxiing at 170mm, 3xA320 at 86mm, The Apprentice at 95mm] |
Mound - 14R/32L movements
| WHERE | This is a mound that gives you an elevated view of the 14R/32L runway, depending on the angle you might find some palm trees in the way but the view is mostly unobstructed. You should drive on road 27 that goes around the airport and exit it towards security control post 6. Leave the control post to your right and keep going on the road that goes in parallel to the airport fence, turn left on the first street, then right and you’ll reach the spot which is a gravel mound.
APR 2023: Spot under construction and no longer available for now! |
| WHAT | Arrivals on 32L and departures on 14R. |
| TIME | Best in the afternoon until sunset, depending on the time of year it’s good from around 1PM until sunset. Heat haze can be a problem at times. |
| MISC. | It’s a mound of asphalt gravel and there’re no trees at all that can provide some shadow or shelter here so can get really hot during summer. No shops or facilities around here so bring what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 300mm for an A320, 150mm for a B77W (Full Frame!) |
Viewing Deck - 32L arrivals and departures
| WHERE | This is the first official viewing terrace outside of the airport boundaries. It was opened on June 2019 and is easy to reach from previous location #3. Just drive down the road until you see the construction on the left side. There is a gravel track on either side of the terrace so that you can access it by car. |
| WHAT | Perfect for 32L arrivals and departures. Some heavy 14R rotations too. Some light poles disturb the view. |
| TIME | Best in the afternoon until sunset. In winter it’s good from around 14:00 but in the summer you’ll need to start later, around 16:00. Heat haze can be a problem at times as you are taking ground pictures. |
| MISC. | Seats are installed and the roof provides shade. No ladder is needed as you are on an elevated position. Official operation hours of the deck are from 0700 AM until 0700 PM.
Update Februar 2020: Cd’s are removed! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A380 = 100mm; A320 = 200mm |
Tune Hotel - 32R arrivals
| WHERE | The Tune Hotel KLIA Aeropolis airport hotel is a quiet, well-serviced hotel full of Air Asia staff. It is next to the cargo facilities on the opposite side of the terminals reachable from the major road 27 which leads to the other locations. The advantage of the hotel is that all rooms are accessable from an open corridor. The pictures are not taken from the hotel room itself, but from the outside hallway. The hotel has 6 floors and you can shoot from the floor you want. |
| WHAT | From this point, you can take the 32R landings very easily from noon until sunset. Departures on 14L may be possible but we did not test that. |
| TIME | The best time in winter is from 12:00 till sunset. However, depending on the weather conditions in Malaysia, you may have to wait until 2 or even 3 o’clock. When the sun is on top, heat haze outside is a major problem. |
| MISC. | Firstly the prices of staying in the hotel are very cheap. Considering the incredible distance of the city to the airport, it would make sense to stay 2-3 nights to do the spotting and you can easily reach the other locations from there. The staff said that there is no problem with spotting from this point, even if you are not a customer at the hotel. The possibility of spotting is as close as a conversation with the reception. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A380 = 180mm; B737 =280mm Be aware of that, distance may be further than you expect. |
Cargo Area - Take Offs 14R Morning
| WHERE | This spot is located in the cargo area not far from Spot #4 between Sepang Aircraft Maintenance and Hangar 06. From the perimeter road turn at Sepang Aircraft Maintenance into Jalan KLIA S7. As soon as you reach the large open area park your car on the kerbside. |
| WHAT | As 14-operations are quite rare, this is a possibilty to get some pics. From this spot you can take pictures of aircrafts taking off on runway 14R. Most aircraft will be already rotated here. |
| TIME | The best time in winter is from sunrise till 11:00. In summer you can spot longer, probably until 12:00 before the sun altitude is too high. |
| MISC. | Bring with you what you need, no toilets, no food, no drinks, no restrooms. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Approximately 250mm for A350 and 400mm for B738 |
Labu Lanjut - Arrivals 14L Morning
| WHERE | This spot is located in the village of Labu Lanjut. When coming from the terminal on Road 27 exit at “Kg. Labu Lanjut” and make a sharp left turn. After 100 meters trun right into Jalan Utama. The next road turn left into Jalan 8, cross the bridge and follow the road to the end. There you need to turn left again and drive until you’ll reach a right hand bend. There you can park your car. If you wanna get closer to the approach path just follow the farm road by foot straight ahead. |
| WHAT | From this spot you can take pictures of approaching aircrafts on runway 14L. You see the planes very late so use a app if you don’t wanna miss a flight. Otherwise continue on the farm road by foot straight ahead. |
| TIME | The best time in winter is from sunrise till 11:00. In summer you can spot longer, probably until 12:00 before the sun altitude is too high. |
| MISC. | There is nothing at this spot, so bring what you’ll need. You will hear the aircrafts before you can see them as they are approaching behind some trees. So always be on alert not to miss anything. Take mosquito repellent with you as the spot is located close to a small swamp river. Locals are very friendly, so no need to worry about security. It is possible, while spotting, you’ll get some company from wild monkeys and other animals. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-400mm 200mm = A330 / 320mm = A320 |
KLIA Terminal 2 Parking - Arrivals 15 & Departures 33, Morning
| WHERE | Go to the upper floor of KLIA Terminal 2 Parking Zone B. You can enter the parking via the terminal building, level 2. Then follow the signs to the parking, and take the elevator to the upper floor. Then walk towards end of the parking where you can see the Air Asia HQ. Of course you can enter the garage by car too and it’s really cheap. |
| WHAT | Runway 15 arrivals are visible from here. You can also see planes taxing to runway 15. Due to the Air Asia HQ it’s not possible to take side-on pics from here. Departure shots from Runway 33 are possible as well, but one will have to adjust by standing further back (in the open) and to the left(towards the wall facing KLIA2 terminal). Widebody departures (A330s and 787s) are much easier as they tend to use the full runway length, while this is situational for narrowbodies. From what I observed during my visit, shorter flights(domestic operations, flights to nearby destinations such as Singapore and Thailand) tend to rotate much earlier leading to a shot that has more underside, while flights to further destinations tend to use the full length and thus can be captured at an angle similar to what one can expect from a widebody, leading to a more side-on shot. If one is lucky, one can capture arrivals for Runway 33 as well as some aircraft may exit near the threshold of Runway 14 if their gates are at that end of the terminal, although heat haze may be present. |
| TIME | The best time in winter is from sunrise till 11:00. In summer you can spot longer, probably until 12:00 before the sun altitude is too high. |
| MISC. | There is a lot of shadow. The terminal is very nearby so plenty of drinks/food/restrooms are availlable there. Heathaze might be a problem but in general it’s doable. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | + 300mm is needed here. |
It seems that most aeroplanes of KLIA2 are parking at Gates P, L in the afternoons, rendering plane-spotting at the KLIA2 Observation Deck boring. On one wing of this Observation Deck, flights can be seen taking off from KLIA with a focal length of 400mm. That is the only consolation of plane-spotting on the KLIA2 Observation Deck, which is basically dominated by smokers. Malaysia should ban smoking on this Observation Deck for the healthy benefit of the public.
Just looking at a few days in KLIA and noticed this on the hotel website ;
Runway View on the 9th
A terrace with a breathtaking view and a unique spot to observe aircrafts landing and taking off.
Guests staying with us can now enjoy exclusive access to an open terrace
overseeing a mesmerizing view of the airport runways when you book a
room specifically on the 9th floor. At this terrace dedicated to all
aircraft enthusiasts and plane spotters, you’ll have the chance to watch
the landing and takeoff of spectacular airplanes, enhanced with a
scenic background view that will leave you breathless.
This is for the Sama Sama Hotel
Thanks for the hint mark. Only an option for 32R unfortunately.
-Julian
Can anyone please advise me during winter season, where to shoot pictures of Qingdao Airlines A321neo landing at KLIA Terminal 2?
Just want to confirm that Spot #11 is non accessible now as there’s a larger maintenance hangar constructed and launched last month blocking up a significant portion.
Can you still use the position? I can imagine some take offs are high enough and above the hangar.
Yes, there is a hilly road area near the roundabout but you need a 300mm+ lens to take pictures. Heathaze may be an issue.
About spot #8, is it still available to go?
I am now in Tune hotel and lived in 6th floor, but unfortunately the balcony showed in the above cannot be found. I wonder if the hotel closed some facilities since then.
Spots #5 and #6 are available 24/7? I can’t found any information about working hours
Yes, they are.
How to go to Anjung Spotter from KLIA and back to KLIA from Anjung Spotter? I understand the road is an expressway. Are taxi drivers allowed to stop at Anjung Spotter to wait for aircraft fans to board?
There is parking at Anjung Spotters, so I can imagine a taxi or Grab-driver can stop there to drop-off and pick-up there without issues.
Does the Spot#5 and #6 need a boarding pass? Is it possible to go there directly without tickets?
As written in the description it is landside, wich means its before security and no boarding pass is needed.
-Julian
thx for telling that.
About spot 3-4. There are red/white barriers put up that prevents cars from entering the gravel road behind the barrier.
This makes access to these spots tricky if you’re coming by car. Police is also sending people away when they are standing there and move them to the official spot 9.
Thanks for the feedback, I have left a note in the guide.
-Julian