ZRH-Spot 1
Altenrhein St. Gallen Airport Spotting Guide
August 21, 2014
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August 23, 2014Zurich Kloten Intl. Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on October 2, 2024
Zurich International Airport (ZRH / LSZH) is located 13 km north of Zurich City and is one of the spotter friendliest airports worldwide, with many official viewing areas and even two visitor terraces. The center of Zurich (train station Zurich HB) is easily accessible from the airport station. Count between 9 and 13 minutes depending on whether you take a train or the S-Bahn. The rest of Switzerland is well connected by trains, for example, ZRH-GVA takes 3 hours and ZRH-BRN 1 hour and half. It serves as a hub to Swiss International Air Lines, Helvetic and Edelweiss. Since the acquisition of Swiss by Lufthansa, it is the third largest hub of the latter. In 2019 ZRH greeted over 31mio. passengers with at lest of 275k flight movements.
The airport has three airside piers, which are known as terminals A, B and E (also signposted as Gates A, B/C and E). A central air-side building called Airside Center, built in 2003, is directly linked to terminals A and B, which take the form of finger piers. ZRH has three runways: 16/34 of 3,700 m (12,100 ft) in length, 14/32 of 3,300 m (10,800 ft) in length, and 10/28 of 2,500 m (8,200 ft) in length. For most of the day and in most conditions, runway 14 is used for landings and runways 16 and 28 are used for takeoffs, although different patterns are used early morning and in the evenings.
If you are interested in an apron bus tour, which even stops at the intersection of the runways, please visit the official website.
Written by Bruno Geiger, Jeremy & Paul Denton, Julian Mittnacht, Martin Thul, Severin Hackenberger, Marc Roulin, Omar Alex Saffe, Stefan Bratner, Tomasz Habaj & Zoltan Péter Pasztor. Last change: July 2024 (Spot 21 added)
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety |  |
| Photo Locations |  |
| Weather |  |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 16/34 | 3.700 m (12.139ft) Concrete |
| 14/32 | 3.300 m (10.827ft) Concrete |
| 10/28 | 2.500 m (8.202 ft) Concrete |
| Terminals | |
| Terminal A | Domestic flights and flights to destinations inside the Schengen Area |
| Terminal B | Both Schengen and some non-Schengen flights |
| Terminal E | International flights |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not really needed for most part of the movements. Only needed for ground shots at spot 10, 11 and 12. |
| Car/Public Transport | Every spot can be reached by public transport (bus and train) but due to the frequent runway changes we recommend to use a car. Public Transport Map |
| Restrooms | There are public toilets at spots 5 and 15 (heligrill). And of course at the terminal locations. |
| Drinks/Food | Drinks and foods are directly available at spots 5, 12 and 15 (heligrill). And of course at the terminal locations. Fast-food restaurants and supermarkets are available at Rümlang. |
| Hotels | We recommend to take a hotel in Rümlang, a village next to the heligrill location. There is a B&B (rooms offering view of the airport), Holiday Inn, Raddisson and many more. Furthermore you can drive within a few minutes to the locations in the north and at the terminal. |
| Season | We suggest April – September, chance of bad weather in winter is pretty high |
| Runway Usage | |
| (Mo-Fr) 06.00-07.00 and (Sa-Su) 06.00-09.00 |
Landing Rwy 34 and Departure Rwy 28 & 32 |
| (Mo-Fr) 07.02-21.00 and (Sa-Su) 09.02-20.00 |
Landing Rwy 14 and Departure Rwys 28 & 16 (heavies) |
| (Mo-Fr) 21.00-23.59 and (Sa-Su) 20.00-23.59 |
Landing Rwy 28 and Departure Rwys 32 & 34 |
Observation Deck Terminal B
| WHERE | By walk from terminal, check signs for Terminal B then Observation deck. Opening times: 09:00-19:00 in summer, 10:00-17:00 in winter. Entrance : Adults 5 CHF, kids 10-16: 2 CHF. Easy to get at this spot. More infos on the airport website. |
| WHAT | Departing on rwy16, taxiing to parking areas, parked at Terminals A and B. Private jets taxiing to the “Whiskey” positions. |
| TIME | The Observation Deck B is open daily from 10:00 till 18:00 h but from noon you will have backlit for runway movements. |
| MISC. | Restaurant and toilets are available in the terminal. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 20mm – 400mm |
Observation deck Terminal E
| WHERE | Will reopen on June 14 2023!
The Observation Deck on Dock E is only accessible to visitors (not passengers) via a shuttle bus from from Observation Deck B. Follow the way to Spot #1. The shuttle bus operates every 30 minutes and begins at 12:15 with last departure at 15:15. If you are a passenger with a valid boarding pass flying from Terminal E, you can use a separate deck after security checks. It is open all year round and is located next to Dock E in the passenger zone following the security checks. |
| WHAT | Departing rwy16 and rwy28, taxiing to rwy16. |
| TIME | As you can photograph different angels usually you can stay here the whole day. |
| MISC. | Vending machines for snacks, drinks (warm and cold) and toilets |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100mm – 200mm |
Car Park P3 - RWY 34 + heavy 16 departures + Whiskey apron partly + stands in front
| WHERE | From inside the airport, you’ll find elevators to the Car Park P3 in the rearmost corner of the food court, near the train station. Follow the signs to the uppermost floor. If you stay on the penultimate floor there is no mesh. |
| WHAT | Runway 34 Arrivals and departures, taxiing, parked and maintenanced aircraft – so basically a very nice overview of the surrounding area/the southern part of ZRH airfield. In addition even heavy 16 departures are very nice here. |
| TIME | Due to the sun´s position the light is okay between spring and autumn only and then also just from sunrise till late morning/early noon. |
| MISC. | Lots of shops, restaurants and toilets are available inside the Terminal. Heat haze is a problem here as well as the poles in front of the mesh. Don´t cut holes into the mesh! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50mm – 400mm B777 arrival 34 with mountains = 300mm / B764 side shot = 150mm / A333 on taxiway = 115mm / A333 on whiskey stands (other site of the runway) = 350mm |
View to the southern side:
Car Park P6 - RWY 28
| WHERE | By walk, exit terminal 1 to the east (possible on both, arrival or departure level) and proceed straight ahead to the Parking Garage P6. Enter the large parking garage you and get to the 10th or 11th floor by car or elevator. The difference is as follow: A: 11th floor. This is the rooftop of the garage and you have a wonderful sight of the northern part of the airport. What you cannot see as the sight is blocked by a building is the line up/threshold for 28 so go to B instead. B: 10th floor: Taking pictures is a bit tricky as you have to shot trough some metal rods, which are wide enough. So go to the eastern corner to photograph the line-up of 28. |
| WHAT | Arriving and departing from rwy28 and the taxiway to 28. 10 departures as well but those are rare. |
| TIME | In winter the spot is good for the whole day. In the summer month there can be a lot of heat haze during midday. Summer straight on taxiway/runway from: 09:30 – 16:30 Summer lineup on 28: 10:30 – sunset |
| MISC. | Shops an Restaurants are available in the terminal. Restrooms within the parking garage on the main floor. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100mm – 300mm |
Option 4A:
Option 4B:
Spotter Hill - Final Runway 14
| WHERE | This is another offical viewing area. From spot 15 continue along the Bülacherstrasse direction east and turn on the first small road on the right, go straight until the car park. There are parking signs on the |
| WHAT | Landings rwy14 only. |
| TIME | Summer from 07:00 to 11:00. No light in during the winter! |
| MISC. | Grill station and toilets. First not open every day! Parking is free up to 5 hours and a parking disc is needed if you plan to leave your car. There is a McDonalds in Bülach city (see map) with free WiFi. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50mm – 350mm PC12 = 310mm / B77W side shot = 55mm |
Final Runway 14
| WHERE | From spot 5, walk for ~8 minutes on the small path in the grass until the hill. Here you are on an elevated position to shoot over the fence. The light is reflecting from the ruwnay so light its a bit better here, even the angel. |
| WHAT | Landings rwy14 only. |
| TIME | Summer from 07:00 to 11:00 No light in during the winter! |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here but spot 5 is very close. Parking at spot 5 is free up to 5 hours and a parking disc is needed if you plan to leave your car. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70mm – 200mm A319 side shot = 125mm |
Runway 16 Morning Arrivals
| WHERE | Located on a hill in a private area between the village of Winkel and Rüti, next to the road of Zürichstrasse. The dirt path is called Chrinneweg. From the parking position of the spot n°8, just walk back on the road towards rwy14, continue walking north until you reach the trees line on your right side. The spot is located at the top of that hill. |
| WHAT | Early morning arrivals runway 16. |
| TIME | Summer: from sunrise until 10:00 (until the heat haze appears) Winter: Not good with the light |
| MISC. | Nothing at this spot so bring with you what you need. It is a private area, so we kindly ask you to be very respectful. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Depends on the angel that you want (slighty 3/4 front or side shot) but a minimum of a 500mm is required to at least catch the B738/A320’s.
E190/A223/A320/B738 = 500mm |
Touchdown Runway 14
| WHERE | From spot 7, drive on Zürichstrasse direction south for about a minute and takethe third way on the right named “Winklerallmändgraben”. Park your car along the way next to the bridge. Its a offical parking and you need a parking disc. Now cross the bridge over the 51 and walk for about 10 minutes down to the fence. Now you can either stay at the crash gate, but the fence is almost 3 meters high there. Or walk a bit further down the path where the path is elevated and you can easily shot over the fence with your ladder. |
| WHAT | Excellent point for arrivals/touchdown on runway 14. For side on photos of heavies (see Delta 767) you have parts of the fence in your picture. |
| TIME | Summer from 07:00 to 11:00 No light in during the winter! |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. Parts of the aircraft is cut off if the grass is not mowed. Be aware of joggers and horseman on the path so leave enough space and don´t block it. A long/high ladder is needed here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-400mm. Side on 777=120mm and Fokker 50 = 250mm, touch-down 77W = 400mm |
SR Technics
| WHERE | The parking at the end of rwy16 is located next to the SRTechnics apron. A ladder is highly recommended – with a little luck, shooting through the fence is possible, too. |
| WHAT | You may be able to get a shot if a maintenance visitor is parked the right way. Mostly home airlines for maintenance. Air Caraibes is a normal visitor for maintenance, Qatar Amiri as well for the big checks, and some other AIrlines too. |
| TIME | The Afternoon |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 80mm – 150mm |
W Apron
| WHERE | By car : From the spot 12 (Héligrille), drive back to the “Flughofstrasse”, pass the Park Inn Hotel and the McDonald’s continue direction south and exit to the right where you will see a sign “TOR 150”, “Im Rohr”, “Flughafen Zurich AG”. Then you will cross the road, take on the left sign “TOR 130” and “Im Rohr” until the roundabout take the third exit continue strait on then on the right you will have some free parking places.
By foot : From spot 11 (Hélipad) walk down direction south along the fences until you reached the spot 10. |
| WHAT | Only aircraft who are parked on the Whisky apron. A ladder will be necessary to get good shots. |
| TIME | All day, depends how the aircraft is parked. For example, the 319 is good in the late morning and early afternoon and the 748 in the end of afternoon and early evening. |
| MISC. | Nothing at this spot, bring with you what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-200mm |
Heligrill - RWY´s 16 and 28
| WHERE | By car, from the Park Inn Hotel take on the right, direction north then take the first exit also on your right and continue strait until the end of the road. You will see the Heligrill place. Please park your car along the road. Parking disk is needed and police patrol regular.
UPDATE OCTOBER 2023: The spot 11A (viewing platform) has been demolished. Spot 11B + C remain available. The viewing platform as well as the heli-grill will be relocated closure to runways intersection however do not expect to have a large viewing platform as before (it seems based on the plans). |
| WHAT | Taking off rwy16 and 28, taxiing to rwy10 (rare) and south apron as well as remote places. It’s a great spot with lot of facilities and a wonderful view over the airport. A few holes along the fences are available in order to get pictures of the new remote apron. However, during summer time you might get some heat haze as you are more fare away than before from the runways. As well, if some aircraft are park in front of you it might be a problem to get departures shots on runways. The remote place is mostly use for government aircraft up to an Airbus 340-600. In total 7 holes can be found in the fences (see overview pictures). |
| TIME | Summer times: Take off Runway 16: 13:30 – 20:00 (Used for widebodys to 16:00) Take Off Runway 28: 10:00 – 16:30 (heat distortion) Taxi to Runway 10: 11:30 – 16:00 (rarely in use) Taxi to South Apron :13:30 – 19:00 (heat distortion)Winter times: Take off Runway 16: 12:30 – 16:00 (Used for widebodys to 15:00) Take Off Runway 28: whole day Taxi to Runway 10: 9:30 – 16:00 (rarely in use) Taxi to South Apron :12:00 – 16:00 |
| MISC. | Basic toilet facilities, foods, drinks and tables. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18mm-400mm |
Spot 11A
Spot 11C
Spot 11D
Spotting Location as of May 2023:
The Bridge - Rwy28 departures
| WHERE | By car, from the Park Inn Hotel take on the right, direction north then take the first exit also on your right and park your car next to the road. Then walk back to the bridge. |
| WHAT | Only departures runway 28 |
| TIME | Summer : Take Off Runway 28: 10:00 – 16:30 (heat distortion) |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 300mm = E190 / 160mm = B773 |
Firefighters' Hill - Line-up 16, takeoff 32
| WHERE | The spot is on the famous hill, next to the firefighter station. Drive into the village of Oberglatt and drive into the small road called “Im Hof”, continue straight until the “do not enter” sign where you can see the hill already. The farmers are not amused if you park on the nearby madows and fields, maybe for a quick stop but do not stay to long. We recommend to park at spot 14, official viewing area, and from there walk along the perimeter fence back to the hill. |
| WHAT | Line-up on runway 16 and Take off on rwy32 (rare). During summer, heat haze is pretty high at this point. |
| TIME | Summer Times: Lineup Runway 16: 13:30 – 20:00 (Used for widebodys to 16:00)’ Takeoff Ruwnay 32: 14:00 – 20:00 (rarely in use)Winter Times: Lineup Runway 16: 12:00 – 16:00 (Used for widebodys to 15:00) Takeoff Ruwnay 32: 13:00 – 16:30 (rarely in use) |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before coming here.
++April 2024, apparently some spotters have been asked to move away from this spotting location by the police authority. Please keep a low profile while spotting at this location and if the police ask you to leave, please comply with their request without complaining. Do not park nearby the hill, use spot 14 for parking++ |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100mm – 400mm. 250-500mm for 32 takeoff. |
Route 90 - 14 arrivals
| WHERE | From spot 13, exit the road “Im Hof” then “Auf der Balen” and turn on “Bülachstrasse” on the right. Continue straight next to the fence and exit the road on the right. You will see many people, cars, snacks so you can´t miss it. You can either stay at the parking lot and look for your favorite position (Spot 15A). Otherwise you can leave the lot and walk back the round until a mound where you can climb up (Spot 15B). |
| WHAT | Afternoon arrivals on runway 14. |
| TIME | Summer: 14:00 – 20:00 Winter: 13:00 until sunset |
| MISC. | At this spot, you have everything you want. Toilets, drinks, foods and chairs. Parking is free up to 5 hours and a parking disc is needed if you plan to leave your car. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 55mm – 300mm |
Spot 15A:
Spot 15B:
Field - 14 arrivals
| WHERE | From spot 14, walk by following the small path through the field and find the good location that suits you the best. |
| WHAT | Afternoon arrivals on runway 14. |
| TIME | Summer: 14:00 until sunset. Winter: 13:00 until sunset. |
| MISC. | Nothing at this spot so bring with you what you need. Or walk to the spot 7 where you will be able to get some foods, drinks and toilets. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Hawker = 460mm / 320 = 290mm / 757 = 170mm / 380 = 116mm |
Runway 14 Lights
| WHERE | From spot 14, cross the road “Bülachstrasse” then walk for about 10 minutes direction north towards these fils on the path road until you reached a good location that ables you to take those pictures. |
| WHAT | Only touch down runway 14 late afternoon with snowy mountains in the background druing winter time. |
| TIME | Good spot for late afternoon and during winter in order to get the snow in the background |
| MISC. | Nothing at this spot so bring with you what you need. Or walk to the spot 15 where foods/drinks/toilets are available. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 300mm |
Bimenzältenstrasse - 28 Line-Ups + GA/Rega apron
| WHERE | This spot is no exact position, rather the area all along the fence next to “Bimenzältenstrasse” east of runway 14/28. Can be reached from the south /”Flughafenstrasse” best, then just park your car nearby at the marked spots on the map – but be careful NOT TO BLOCK any ways or preserved/private parking spots! |
| WHAT | Line-Ups onto runway 28 as well as the nearby Business aprons such as the Rega one or bizzer parkings. |
| TIME | In the early morning only, but can also be nice on fall/spring evenings for mood shots. |
| MISC. | Ladder recommended, but not absolutely needed as you can also shoot thru the mesh. But a ladder is useful in order to avoid high grass in the picture. Heat haze is a big problem in summer! When parking your car, be careful NOT TO BLOCK any ways or preserved/private parking spots! Don’t take pictures obviously when bizzer are being boarded by VIPs and co! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 24-400mm Bizzer parked next to the fence ~24mm / CS300 Line-Up = 220mm |
Al Raushe (Runway 16 + 28)
| WHERE | It is located outside of the village named “Rümlang” on the road named “Glatttalstrasse”. You will have to park your in the industrial area. Please refer to the map. |
| WHAT | Runways 16 + 28 departures heavies. |
| TIME | ONLY during Winter time (Summer heat haze) Runway 16 : 11:30 until Sunset Runway 28 : Sunrise to Sunset |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby and please note this spot is usable only during winter and for heavies. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Runway 16: minimum of 400mm Runway 28: minimum of 450mm |
Runway 28 evening Arrivals
| WHERE | This spot is located on a small foot path at the end of Stighagweg, on a small plateau with an bench. It is located on the northeast side of the airport, in the village of Kloten. Get your way to the Trottackerweg and park your car as marked on the map. From there walk up the small path to the plateau. |
| WHAT | Arrivals into Runway 28 only. |
| TIME | 19:30 till sunset in the high summer month only! |
| MISC. | There are some trees spending shadow and a bench to sit down. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 120-500mm |
Bridge - 28 arrivals
| WHERE | The spot is near the airport parking place P16 (only available with a previous online booking), on a bridge in the Fahrschulstrasse. As parking is limited the best option is to walk from the airport along the cargo area to this spot. Or with the bus or tram to Zürich Flughafen Fracht and walk from there. You can stand on the bridge and make creative shots, but there are some trees so you need a good timing. |
| WHAT | You can photograph landings to Runway 28. Takeoffs from Runway 10 are visible, but very high already. |
| TIME | In winter the spot is good for the whole day. In summer from around 09:30 – 16:30. |
| MISC. | If you are felxible there are discounters like Lidl or other little things around 10-15 mins away or you can buy them at the airport. The police will drive and maybe ask you what you do. They also make sure that you don’t through things from the bridge. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A320 = 250mm; A340 = 150mm; F900 = 400mm |
Runway Trail - 32 Line-Ups
| WHERE | Located on the gravel path (alongside perimeter fence) that runs along Runway 14/32. Accessible by foot or bike. Parking close to this spot is not available. You have either to park near spot 8 or 17. It is actually the same gravel path that continues to/from Spot 8 and 17. It is a 15 min walk from the end of Runway 28 (Spot 17) and a 30 min walk from Spot 8. |
| WHAT | Only usable for Runway 32 line up shots. You can get head on shots or when aircraft are lined up on runway 32 waiting to takeoff. |
| TIME | Summer from 07:00 to 11:00 No light in during the winter! |
| MISC. | Nothing here, so bring what you need with you. Large fence will be in the way, so either shoot through the holes or bring a decent ladder with you. As said before for Spot 8, it is a fairly well used walking/cycling route so just be mindful of not blocking the pathway. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Taxiing towards the runway or head-on is around 200-300mm. Aircraft lined up (depending on size) 70-200mm – Iberia A321 (300mm) – Swiss A321 (135mm) |
WEF – The World Economic Forum
| WHERE | The famous WEF ramp bus tours starting at spot 1. Tickets can be booked in advance at aero-terminal.com formerly known as buchair |
| WHAT | Tarmac pictures can be taken from a bus tour. |
| TIME | 6 days from 08:00 to 18:00. They also organised some night tour. |
| MISC. | Nothing, bring what you need before doing the trip. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18mm to 200mm is enough |
Could you guys make a spotting guide for videos? thank you
Comment to Place 13:
Point 13 parking:
The friendly owner of “Ben’s Kamelfarm” next to the parking area told me that parking on the meadow was not allowed and that the local farmers with the tractors complained because they had difficulty getting past. The parking lot described on the map is also behind a “no entry” sign and you risk fines.
Locals told me that the best thing is to walk along the fence from parking lot point 14.
Hi Johann, I changed the desription and hope the situation there becomes easier one day.
-Julian
Hi everyone, I made a website to replace the old trckr.ch website (arr/dep info) and thought I’d share it here.
Link is https://www.zrh-tracker.com
Can you plane spot from inside the terminal airside ??? I am transiting through.
Hello Steve, from spot n°2 you can spot without exiting the airport.
Hi everyone. I recently heard from several other Zurich spotters that they got sent away from Spot 13 by the police since its a nature reserve. A lot of ZRH spotters still use the spot since its a great place to catch the 16 departures. However, I would recommend to keep a low profile and if getting caught follow the orders of the police to avoid a fine.
Thanks for the heads up Till! We will update the spot accordingly.
Hi Julian, I’ve just returned from ZRH and I used Spot 4A. Took a while to find it, the instructions to the car park are correct however the whole car park is not 11 floors high. To get to 4A (11th floor) you need to walk to the very East end of the car park and take the Elevator to the 10th floor. From here there is a door into a stair case where you can work to the 11th floor which is on the side of the 10 floor car park. (I have photos if that helps)
Hi! Just discovered on the top floor of P3 there are zippers in de mesh. The airport have placed them there for the spotters. A sign says that you should close the zippers when you leave.
That’s wonderful! Thanks for the update Rudi.
-Julian
Hi everyone
Heligrill (Spot 11A) got closed and deconstructed this September. The building of the new spotting hill unfortunately got delayed for an undefined time. Spot 11C (so directly at the fence) is still available.
Thanks for the heads up! Guide updated accordingly.
Hi team
Here is the spot 11?
Something its wrong with de spot 20, the photos in descrition dont match with the map.
Hi Rui, the numbers were partially mixed up. I have fixed it. Thanks for the hint!
-Julian
Hi guys,
Some of the spots location requires ladder to be able to shot. Whenever you come from a different country how do you manage to get one? Or is there a place we can borrow one?
Thx