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July 30, 2016Basel Mulhouse Freiburg EuroAirport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on December 22, 2023
EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg (BSL/LFSB) is located around 3.5 km north of Basel – 20 km south-east of Mulhouse and 46 km southwest of Freiburg im Breisgau on the French side of the border. BSL/LFSB has one airside pier, splitted into French and Swiss side. The airport has two runways but for most of the day and in most conditions, runway 15 is used for landings and departures.
EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg is as well the main basis for AMAC (Aircraft Maintenance and Completion) Aerospace and Jet Aviation Business-Jets with an full range of maintenance services for most current aircraft models and the majority of out-of-production models of Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer and Gulfstream aircraft. You will see at BSL/LFSB a lot of Biz-Jets operations in every size, up to B747-8.
The center of Basel (station Basel HB) is easily accessible from the airport station, count between 15 and 20 minutes travel time. The rest of Switzerland is well connected by train, for example, you have 3:00 to Geneva, Lausanne 2:30 to or less than an hour to Bern or Zurich from Central Station.
Written by Bruno Geiger, Jeremy Denton & Yann Parmentier. Last Update: December 2023 – Spot 18
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety |  |
| Photo Locations | |
| Weather |  |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 15/33 | 3.920 m (12.860 ft) |
| 07/25 | 1.860 m (6.102 ft) |
| Terminals | |
| French side | Air France, HOP! for Air France, WiZZ Air, Aigle Azur, Air Algerie, dif. Charter Airlines |
| Swiss side | Swiss, KLM, LH, EasyJet, Ryanair, TuiFly, dif. Charter Airlines |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Needed at some spots, check where we’ve mentioned it. |
| Car/Public Transport | Car is useful, but you can also reach some spots by bus. |
| Restrooms | Within the Terminals, Hotels. |
| Drinks/Food | There is a Reataurant/Hotel near Belveder Spotting Point. In the airport terminal you will find fast food and restaurants / toilets. |
| Hotels | There are hotels within the airport area in all price categories. |
| Season | Best sun position between April and October from the west side of the runway 15/33. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 15/33 | Is the main runway for the landing and departures. |
| 07/25 | Rarely in use. Only by smaller Biz-Jets from Sector 6bis (SouthWest) like Challenger 300s or similar size. |
CHÂTEAU D'EAU - MORNING ARRIVALS RWY15
| WHERE | On the A35 direction (Paris, Strasbourg, Mulhouse) take the exit just after the airport called “BARTENHEIM” you will see from the highway a huge blue tower on your right which is the location of the morning spot runway 15. Then take on the right on “ROSENAU” drive through the road D66 and take the first way on your right. There’s a small path direct to the blue tower. |
| WHAT | Only approach in the morning from Runway 15. |
| TIME | From sunrise until approx 1200. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 744 = 140mm / 332 = 170mm / 738 = 240mm / ATR72 = 340mm / F2000 = 420mm |
MOTOCROSS BARTENHEIM - MORNING ARRIVALS RWY15
| WHERE | Opposite point 6. Sens Basel –> Mulhouse, exit Bartenehim. Turn left Bartenheim. 100m before the roundabout take the left path, then ride-up. Opportunity to stop before the motocross field or continue after. Stop 300 / 400m before the forest. |
| WHAT | Only approach in the morning from Runway 15 |
| TIME | From sunrise until approx 1200. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | C135FR = 100mm / A319 = 130mm / Glex 3/4 300mm |
Parking Area Fence - CIVILIAN RAMP
| WHERE | Take the exit No.36 Euroairport / Blotzheim from the highway A35/E25 and follow to direction “Airport”. At the second cross drive to direction Airport F1 / F2 / F5. After the tunnel turn right and use direction Parking F5 / F10. At the next cross go ahead and drive up to the fence which is covered by metal plates at most places (southern option) unluckily – ladder needed! But there is a small part where you can also shoot thru the mesh (northern option) as there are no metal pannels. |
| WHAT | Parked Aircrafts and push back from terminal. |
| TIME | Sunrise till early noon. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. Ladder necessary at most spots due to metal plates on the fence – so you cannot shoot thru the mesh! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | For parked aircraft 20-150mm / push back 70-200mm |
1. Northern option:
2. Southern option:
Visitor terrace - Ramp
| WHERE | This spot is located on the top floor once heading towards the departure/check in. There you will find the “Terrasse” at the glass front as you can see below on the overviews. Just head out and search your favourite spot at the front. |
| WHAT | Only aircraft on the ramp. |
| TIME | Sunrise till early noon. |
| MISC. | All you need can be found in the terminal. Caution: the terrace has a glassfront, which is not super clean. Terrace can be closed during storms. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-250mm |
Unluckily we cannot provide any examples yet.
THE VIKING RESTORATION
| WHERE | On the highway, you have to exit at “Hésingue” and follow it. At the roundabout take the first exit on the right and drive for about 900m/1km. You will arrive at the old maintenance building of LH Technik and Crossair at runway 25.
|
| WHAT | Only the Viking restoration could be taken here. |
| TIME | Morning shot until approx 1200. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. A ladder is necessary with at least 3 steps. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | About ~18mm |
THE BRIDGE - 25 Line-Up, Hangar, Ramp
| WHERE | At the roundabout of the casino, take the 1st face towards the airport and go up the whole road for approx 2km. At the first roundabout take the second exit 3/4 turn towards Freight / Japat. Stay on deck for shooting. |
| WHAT | Runway 25 line-up in front of Hangar Crossair / LH Technic before entering Japat / Novartis. Be aware: You cannot see the ramp in the back completely as it is a bit lower the gears are cut off mostly. |
| TIME | Best around noon. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. Be aware: you would need to walk up the street here roughly till the bridge, but there are “pedestrian forbidden” everywhere – so you may be sent away quickly! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 330 = 85mm / 738 = 130mm / C525 CJ1 = 300mm |
That is the view directly on the bridge which is fenced that you do not jump down – a few meters to the left and right there is no fence and a free view again.
KRITTWEG - MORNING ARRIVALS RWY34
| WHERE | Take the exit Hésingue (highway) then turn left towards Hésingue / Blotzehim. Arriving at the roundabout, take the 4th exit (3/4 turn), along the hill, then at some point there will be a path on the right after a short climb. Take it and park in the fields. |
| WHAT | Only arrivals runway 34 morning. |
| TIME | Morning shot until approx 1200. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-400mm |
ROADS INTERSECTION - AFTERNOON ARRIVALS RWY34
| WHERE | Take the exit Hésingue (highway) then turn left towards Hésingue / Blotzehim. Arriving at the roundabout, take 3rd exit until approx 8oom / 1km. There will be a crossroads, park on the right. The ASB (basel air service) building. Stay here for the approaches on rwy33 in the afternoon. Possibility to walk on the path direction east to take the aircraft on the ground at Amac ASB Jet. |
| WHAT | Arrivals runway 34 and possibility to shots business jets on the ground at AMAC + ASB jet. |
| TIME | Afternoon shots, from approx 1300/1400 to the end of the day. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Approaches shots : 319 = 180mm / G5 = 210mm / PC12 = 300mm AMAC ground : 70-300mm or 50-500mm |
MAC AEROSPACE SWITZERLAND - AFTERNOON ENGINES TEST/PARK AIRCRAFT
| WHERE | From the spot 8, take the road D105 direction west and exit at the first way on your right, follow the road “Rue de l’industrie” few meters and turn directly on the left to “Rue des Champs” until the end of the road you will see AMAC building. |
| WHAT | Engines test and parked aircraft. |
| TIME | Morning spot until 1230. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 727-200 = 50mm (runway) / B773 = 85mm (remote, engines tests) / 747 = 85mm / ATR72 = 210mm (remote, engines tests) |
THE HILL ON RWY07 - AFTERNOON ENGINES TEST/PARK AIRCRAFT
| WHERE | From the spot 9, continue on the same D105 direction west and take the road D201 “Avenue Nathan Katz” direction North. Turn on the small path on your left and park the car next to the road before the private area. You can also reach that spot from the spot 11. |
| WHAT | Engines test and parked aircraft. |
| TIME | Afternoon spot from 1300/1400 approx. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 346 = 110mm (remote, engines tests) / 321 = 210mm (runway) |
RWY07 - AFTERNOON ENGINES TEST/PARK AIRCRAFT
| WHERE | To reach the spot 11, you have to continue on the same road D201 and same direction “Blotzheim” enter the village and take the road “Rue de la Chappelle” it’s at the beginning of the village on your right. Continue on this road until you reached the Church which will be on your left. At the Church you have a road on your right that you have to take and drive until the end of the path. |
| WHAT | Engines test and parked aircraft. |
| TIME | Morning until 1200 and end of afternoon. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | MD87 = 28mm (taxiway) or 60mm (remote, engines tests) / 346 = 85mm (runway 25/07) or 18mm or less on the taxiway / 772 = 18mm (taxiway) / 722 = 50mm (remote engines tests). |
FIELD EXIT ECHO - AFTERNOON DEP./ARR. BOTH RWYS
| WHERE | To reached the spot 12, you have to continue on the same road “Rue de la Chapelle” straight until the small path and the beginning of the airport fences. |
| WHAT | Rotation shot runway 15, arrivals runway 33 or taxiing aircraft. |
| TIME | Afternoon spot, from approx 1300 until the end of the day. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 772 = 120mm / 320/738 = 180mm / 342 = 180mm on taxi Bravo or 110mm on runway |
FIELD EXIT FOXTROT - AFTERNOON DEP./ARR. BOTH RWYS
| WHERE | To reach the spot 13, you have to take the road on the left of the Church “Rue des Romains” and take the third path on the right “Rue de l’Aéroport” until the crossing, take on the right for the spot 13 + 14 or left for the spot 15 until the end of the path. |
| WHAT | Rotation shot runway 15, arrivals runway 33 or taxiing aircraft. You have 4 spots in the same area that you can choose the angle of you pictures. |
| TIME | Afternoon spot, from approx 1300 until the end of the day. A ladder is necessary at lest 3 to 5 steps. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | MD87 160mm on runway and 25 taxi bravo / 320 = 190mm on runway / 346 = 105mm on runway |
WAREHOUSE HILL - AFTERNOON DEP./ARR. BOTH RWYS
| WHERE | To reach the spot 14, you have to take the road on the left of the Church “Rue des Romains” and take the third path on the right “Rue de l’Aéroport” until the crossing, take on the right for the spot 14 + 13 or left for the spot 15 until the end of the path. The spot is just in front of the intersection Fox and the General Aviaiton Hangar + Farnair. |
| WHAT | Rotation shot runway 15, arrivals runway 33 or taxiing aircraft. You have 4 spots in the same area that you can choose the angle of you pictures. This spot is not so recommended but possible. |
| TIME | Afternoon spot, from approx 1300 until the end of the day. A ladder is not necessary as you have a small hill. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 332 = 180mm |
FIELD EXIT GOLF - AFTERNOON DEP./ARR. BOTH RWYS
| WHERE | Take the exit No.36 Euroairport / Blotzheim from the highway A35/E25 and follow to direction “St Louis / Blotzheim” the next 2,7 km. After entering the village “Blotzheim” turn left at the second cross into Rue de l´Artisanat. Now continue the next 800 meters along the road to the Rue de l´Aeroport (on the left side). From here drive the next 300 meters on the Rue de l´Aeroport and turn left on the first country road. Drive the next 500 meter on this small country road and park your car 50 meters from the fence (please do not park your car directly by the fence otherwise you will get in troubles with the police). |
| WHAT | Taking off and Landing rwy15/33, Taxiing after landing on rwy 33 to the Ramp |
| TIME | Summer approx from 14:00 to sunset / Winter from 13:00 to sunset. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. Ladder necessary from 3 to 5 steps. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | ATR42 = 235mm / C130 = 190mm / 319 = 170mm / 310 = 120mm / 772 = 85mm / 748 = 70mm |
THE BIG HILL - AFTERNOON DEP./ARR. BOTH RWYS
| WHERE | From spot 13 + 14 + 15 get back on the main road “Rue des Romains” continue direction runway 33 and take the third path on the right, there’s a huge hill from where you can climb to the top. |
| WHAT | Arrivals and departures both runways, watchout on the heat haze during summer could be a trick. |
| TIME | Afternoon spot, from approx 1300 until the end of the day. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. Ladder not needed. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | At least 300mm for the (330, 340, 777, 747) to 500mm for smaller. |
LECLERC - AFTERNOON DEP./ARR. BOTH RWYS
| WHERE | Get back from the spot 15 and continue on the road “Rue de l’Artisanat” and follow Leclerc mall and park you car at the parking. Then you have to walk direction airport fences through the fields for about 300 to 400 meters.
You can also come here by bus quite easily. Either take bus 50 to the airport and walk up north and cross the runway via the tunnel (takes 25 min by foot from the stop) or take bus 1 to Blotzenheim Clostermann from St Louis, St Exupery where you can switch to tramline 3. Bus drive up here takes ~20 minutes, but the walk to the spot only 5 more minutes. |
| WHAT | Arrivals and departures both runways. |
| TIME | Afternoon spot, from approx 1300 until the end of the day. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. But there is a big mall complex nearby now. A ladder is necessary with at lest 3 to 5 steps. After rainy days/weeks, the fields are quite muddy – bring hiking shoes. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 738 = 90mm (runway) / 343 = 130mm (taxi bravo) or 65mm (runway) / D328 = 180mm (runway) / 7x = 170mm (runway) |
Walk onto the field heading to the fence like this:
BELVEDERE - AFTERNOON ARR./DEP. RWY15
| WHERE | Take the exit No.36 Euroairport / Blotzheim from the highway A35/E25 and follow to direction “St Louis / Blotzheim”. Drive to the tunnel (ca. 2,4 km from highway exit) and park your car directly after the tunnel on the right or left side. You can see the Belvedere Park (Photopoint) directly on the small hill on the right side of the road. Walk the narrow path up to the hill and you will find the platform as well the Belvedere Park.
You can also come here by bus. Either take bus 50 to the airport and walk up north and cross the runway via the tunnel as marked (takes 25 min by foot from the stop) or take bus 1 to Blotzenheim Clostermann from St Louis, St Exupery where you can switch to tramline 3. Bus drive up here takes ~20 minutes, but the walk to the spot only 5 more minutes. DEC 2023: allegedly, it is not possible to come here by foot anymore from the terminal as there are “pedestrians forbidden” signs along the road from parking F4/F5 on northwards up to the tunnel. So be prepared to may be stopped by police or similar… |
| WHAT | Taking off and Landing rwy15/33, Taxiing to rwy15, LineUp rwy15 (only early morning), Hotel Taxiway to rwy15 lineup (rare). |
| TIME | Summer from 14:00 to sunset / Winter from 13:00 to sunset. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. But there is a big mall complex nearby now. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Runway: 40-200mm Taxiway: 200-400mm |
LINE-UP RWY15 - AFTERNOON ARR./DEP. RWY15
| WHERE | Walk from the Belvedere spotting point (Spot #18) approximately 500 meters along the fence. |
| WHAT | Take Off and landing runway 15, Landing runway 33 (only heavy planes) |
| TIME | Summer from 14:00 to sunset / Winter from 13:00 to sunset. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. Ladder necessary 3 to 4 steps. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | For takeoff and landing rwy15/34 70 mm – 200 mm |
APPROACH RWY 15 - AFTERNOON
| WHERE | Walk from the Belvedere spotting point (Spot #18) approximately 800 meters along the fence. |
| WHAT | Landings on runway 15 |
| TIME | Summer from 14:00 to sunset / Winter from 13:00 to sunset. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Runway15 70 mm – 200 mm |
WURMBACH RIVER - AFTERNOON ARR. RWY 15
| WHERE | Bartenhain exit left, take the roundabout 4th out, then take the path on the left before the railway bridge. Opportunity to stay all along this trail for approaches. Aircraft are high. |
| WHAT | Only approach runway 15 afternoon |
| TIME | From 1230/1300 to the end of the day. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. Ladder necessary |
| FOCAL LENGTH | CS100 = 275mm |
Belvedere can be reached by car again (been there last Friday). So no need to park near the tunnel any more. Also they are extending the tunnel, most likely for airport vehicles to go round the base.
Stichwort Besucherterasse: Ich finde da nur widersprüchliche Angaben. An der einen Stelle steht, dass alle Besucherterassen aus Sicherheitsgründen geschlossen sind. An der anderen Stelle steht, dass die Terasse Teil der für 50 Euro buchbaren SkyExecutivLounge ist. Kann jemand Licht ins Dunkel bringen? Gibt es einen schönen Spot im Terminal, wo man als Besucher Flugzeuge beobachten kann, am besten mit Kaffee oder Snack?
Hallo
Heute gegen 14 Uhr überflog eine B747 von Osten kommend SEHR NIEDRIG Pfaffenweiler, vermutlich Richtung Basel. Sie hatte keinen aktiven Transponder, tauchte also auf Flightrada24 nicht auf. War es das Flugzeug des marokkanischen Königs, das vor Kurzem über Karlsruhe gesichtet wurde? Ich hoffe, Sie wissen mehr.
Herzliche Grüße
Thomas Lutz, Pfaffenweiler
Hallo Thomas, heute landete gegen 15 Uhr die A7-HBJ in BSL. Ich denke das ist deine Maschine gewesen.
Falls man das Flugzeug auf FR24 nicht sieht empfehle ich immer das ADSB radar: https://tar1090.adsbexchange.com
-Julian
[…] EuroAirport is an international airport 3.5 km (2.2 mi) northwest of Basel in Switzerland, 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Mulhouse in France, and 46 km (29 mi) south-southwest of Freiburg im Breisgau in Germany. It is located in France, on the administrative territory of the commune of Saint-Louis near the Swiss and German borders. The airport serves as a base for easyJet Switzerland and Belair, which operates on behalf of Air Berlin, and features mainly flights to European metropolitan and leisure destinations. Airport server about 7+ million passengers per year. Apart from passenger traffic you might encounter a significant amount of business jets and cargo airplanes. EuroAirport is relatively planespotter-friendly airport. It has a variety of nice locations you can take pictures of aircrafts. More information you can know from from detailed planespotter guide at SpotterGuide.net. […]