Norwich Intl. Airport - Spotting Guide

Norwich Intl. Airport – Spotting Guide

August 31, 2023 - last modified on October 13, 2023

Norwich International Airport is Located in the East of England. Mainly serving the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. In 2022 it was ranked the 18th Busiest Airport in the UK with 31,434 aircraft movements, and 28th Busiest Airport in terms of passengers. In World War 2, the airfield was formerly known as RAF Horsham St. Faiths, which the Royal Air Force used as a bomber and fighter station until 1942, when it was made available to the US Air Force. The USAAF based B-24 Liberators part of the 8th Air Force until the end of the war, and handed the base back to the RAF. In 1967, the RAF left the airfield and in 1971, the first commercial flights started at the airport.

The airlines that currently operate out of Norwich are KLM (Amsterdam), Loganair (Aberdeen), TUI (Holiday Flights) and in the summer Blue Islands fly to Jersey. Additional to the Scheduled Airlines, many other airlines send their aircraft in for the maintenance and paint facilities at the airport, making it a good place to catch new and special liveries. Other users of the airport are CHC, NHV and Bristow with their off-shore helicopter flights.

Written by Josh Warr. Last Update: July 2023

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
09/27	1841m / 6040ft Asphalt Concrete
Terminals	Airliners and Paint/Maintenance Traffic
Klyne Business Aviation Centre	Private Jets, GA and Offshore Helicopters
Spotting Information
Ladder	Ladders are advised for locations 3-4, but may get away with if tall or using small lense that will poke through the fence.
Car/Public Transport	All Spots are accessable by foot, but a car may be beneficial for spots 1, 2, 6 & 7 as its a bit of a walk, especially spot 7. Buses run from the Airport to the city centre frequently.
Drinks/Food	A few places to get food/drink nearby, all walking distance
Hotels	Two Hotels close to the airport terminal but none of these offer a sight of the movements.
Season	Year round, though summer will have additional holiday flights.
Security	No issues with security, as long as you don’t park infront of crash gates.
Runway Usage
General Info	Arrivals and Departures both on Runway 09/27. Runway 27 is used for ILS. Used for both arrivals and departures.

	Spot #1 – St. Faiths Rd – RWY27 Arrivals
WHERE	From the terminal follow Fifers Lane till you get to a roundabout. At the roundabout turn left and follow the road straight northwards until you come to a cemetery. Turn left to the cemetery to park the car. From there you will be able to see the end of RWY27.

WHAT	Runway 27 Arrivals only.

TIME	All day long in the winter from the southern point. In the summer months go up to the northern point in the early morning and evening.

MISC.	No amenities nearby.

FOCAL LENGTH	100-300mm Falcon = 150mm; Piper = 300mm

	Spot #2 – Hurricane Way – RWY09 Departures
WHERE	Turn into Norwich Airport Industrial Estate from Fifers Lane and follow Hurricane Way down to the end. Just park by the roadside at the end.

WHAT	Runway 09 Departures

TIME	All day long in the winter. In the summer months from late morning until afternoon.

MISC.	Just an Industrial Estate, nothing nearby.

FOCAL LENGTH	200-400mm Falcon = 400mm

	Spot #3 – Liberator Rd – Main & Eastern Apron
WHERE	Turn into Norwich Airport Industrial Estate from Fifers Lane. Then turn left at the Airways Diner until you hit the main gate, if you follow the road round to the right, there should be some space to park on the side of the road. Walk back pass the main gate and follow the road down until you see the apron. If you carry on down the road, you will get to the main terminal building. The location can be reached easily from the terminal by foot as well.

WHAT	Eastern & Main Apron.

TIME	Depends on the angle but around noon should be fine.

MISC.	No amenities nearby.

FOCAL LENGTH	200mm for Eastern Apron and about 30mm for Main Apron

	Spot #4 – Saxonair Car Park – RWY09/27 Traffic
WHERE	From the Airport Terminal Building, follow the path towards the bus stop. Once past the bus stop and war memorial, there will be a path to get into the car park. Parking in the car park is just for Saxonair customers, so you will have to park somewhere and walk over to this location. The location can be reached easily from the terminal by foot as well.

WHAT	Runway 09/27 Traffic, Taxiway Traffic, Stand 7 Shots

TIME	Shots for Stand 7 are best in the afternoon / evening once the sun has travelled round.

MISC.	No amenities nearby.

FOCAL LENGTH	Focal Length is 200mm for the Helicopters, 400mm for Runway Activity and 100mm for Stand 7 Shots.

	Spot #5 – Holt Rd – RWY09 Arrival
WHERE	Along the Holt Road, will be two laybys, one on each side. Road can be accessed easily from the terminal. Once there park at the lay by and wait for the aircraft. The location can be reached within 15 minutes from the terminal by foot.

WHAT	RWY09 arrivals only.

TIME	All day long in the winter from the southern point. In the summer months go up to the northern point in the early morning and evening.

MISC.	No amenities nearby.

FOCAL LENGTH	Focal Length is about 150 – 300mm