Detroit Metropolitan Wayne Country Airport (DTW/KDTW) is the primary airport serving Southeast Michigan, Northern Ohio as well as partsof Southern Ontario. The airport is located about 20 miles west of Downtown Detroit in Romulus, MI. In 2019, the airport registered almost 37 million passengers. Delta Airlines is by far the largest carrier, accounting for about 75% of the traffic and it is Delta’s second biggest hub after ATL. Detroit is also a large base for Spirit Airlines. DTW serves over 140 destinations in 39 states, Europe, Asia, The Middle East and Central America/Caribbean. Intercontinental service is provided by Air France, Lufthansa, Icelander, Turkish Airlines and Royal Jordanian.

Written by Brady Noble, Patrick DeVito, Achim Walther, Michael Johnson and Maria Lu. Pictures provided by Alexandre Fazan. Last change: October 2024 (Spot 6 updated, Spot 8 added)

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
04L/22R (western runway)	3.048 m (10.000 ft) Concrete
04R/22L (western runway)	3.659 m (12.003 ft) Asphalt/Concrete
03L/21R (eastern runway)	2.591 m (8.500 ft) Concrete
03R/21L (eastern runway)	3.048 m (10.000 ft) Asphalt/Concrete
09L/27R (crosswind runway)	2.654 m (8.708 ft) Asphalt/Concrete
09R/27L (crosswind runway)	2.591 m (8.500 ft) Concrete
Terminals
McNamara Terminal	Delta, Delta Connection, Aeromexico, Air France
North Terminal	All other carriers
Airport Chart
Spotting Information
Ladder	No ladder needed.
Car/Public Transport	For spots 1 and 2 no car is needed if you arrive at the terminal.
Restrooms	Directly available at spots 1 and 2, inside the terminal.
Drinks/Food	Some fast-food chains are available north of the airport.
Hotels	The Westin Hotel located adjacent to Delta ticketing and even offering rooms with ramp view. Other hotels are located north of the airport which offer views of 22L/R. See spots 5 and 7.
Season	Spring is best, winter in Michigan is very cloudy. However, in the summer, heat haze can occur.
Runway Usage
General	4 paralell north south runways used primarily. East-west runways only used in case of extreme wind.
04L/22R	Only in use for arrivals and preferred runway for flights approaching from the west.
04R/22L	Only in use for departures. Preferred runway for all heavy departures as well as flights from the north terminal use 22L for take off as its a shorter taxiway roll..
03L/21R	Only in use for departures. Mostly CRJs use this one.
03R/21L	Only in use for arrivals and preferred runway for flights approaching from the east.

	Spot #1 – McNamara Terminal Parking garage (West) – Ramp Gates A3-A35
WHERE	Take Eureka Rd. to John Dingell Dr. and follow the signs for international arrivals and enter the parking garage. Then, either park on or walk up to the top floor. If you go to the south-west side of the garage, gates A3-A35 will be visible
WHAT	You will be able to have a clear view of Delta aircraft taxiing, refueling and pushing back. Most traffic here will be Delta Connection, but you may see Delta Mainline as well. Furthermore you can photograph 22L departures
TIME	Sunrise to Noon. Heat haze possible in the summer
MISC.	All food/drinking fountains/restrooms will be in the terminal. Police tend to leave you alone in the parking garages.
FOCAL LENGTH	CRJ700=40mm

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	Spot #2 – McNnamara Terminal Parking garage (East) – 03/21 runways, taxiways M and W
WHERE	Take Eureka Rd. to John Dingell Dr. and follow the signs for international arrivals and enter the parking garage. Then, either park on or walk up to a high floor and proceed to the north-east side of the garage.
WHAT	From here, you will have a view of 21L and 21R as well as taxiways Mike and Whiskey. When the 21s are in use, you have a prime view of aircraft taking off. When the 3s are in use, you are within 200ft of aircraft holding short 3L.
TIME	3PM to Sunset. Again, heat haze possible some months
MISC.	All food/drinking fountains/restrooms will be in the terminal. Police tend to leave you alone in the parking garages.
FOCAL LENGTH	For aircraft taking off-150mm. For aircraft taxiing to 3L, no more than 100 mm. For landing aircraft, 200-300 mm. A320=100mm

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	Spot #3 – Green Lot – FBO ramp, 21R line-up
WHERE	Take Interstate-94 to Exit 198 and then, follow the signs for the Green Parking Lot. Look for a free lot next to fence. Don’t use a ladder there and take the pics through the fence.
WHAT	You will have good views of the FBO ramp as well as good views of aircraft taxiing along Mike towards 21R for departure (no arrivals on 21R). When the Detroit Lions have home games, the opposing team’s plane will park at the FBO ramp.
TIME	For FBO ramp-sunrise to noon. For taxiing aircraft-3PM to sunset.
MISC.	Sundays during the fall are always good. Please keep your time here brief, don’t linger. The police will eventually come after a few minutes. The North Terminal is just around the corner.
FOCAL LENGTH	Gulf=50mm

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	Spot #4 – I-94 Service Drive – 22R arrivals
WHERE	The spots is at the intersection of Vinig Rd. and I-94 Service Drive. You have to park on the side of the road and take a quick shot. The road is not the busiest but don’t stay too long here.
WHAT	All aircraft landing on 22R
TIME	Afternoons to sunset for the best lighting.
MISC.	Only use this spot for quick pictures, police will come.
FOCAL LENGTH	A332=60mm

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	Spot #5 – Comfort Inn Metro Airport – 22R arrivals
WHERE	North of the airport and next to the I-94 is the airport hotel area. The Comfort Inn is at Wick Rd and the parking lot offers a great view of the 22R arrivals. Park at the west side of the lot, next to a field.
WHAT	All aircraft landing on 22R
TIME	Sunrise until noon.
MISC.	You don’t need to be a hotel guest. Restroom and Starbucks inside the hotel.
FOCAL LENGTH	80mm for a A350, 130mm for A320/B737

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	Spot #6 – Gravel Area – 21L arrivals
WHERE	There is a gravel area at Middlebelt Rd. and Goddard Rd. This area is spotter friendly, just pull into the empty property and park. Easy access from the I95 and then drive southwards for a 2-3 minutes until you see the approach to the right and the gravel area to the left.
WHAT	All aircraft landing on 21L.
TIME	Sunrise until noon.
MISC.	A one minute drive northwards you find some fast food restaurants and a few hotels. As far as police, we’ve never had an issue, we’ve parked at this spot and had officers drive past me.
FOCAL LENGTH	50-200mm A340 = 150mm; 753 = 150mm; A330= 150mm

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	Spot #7 – Howard Johnson by Wyndham Romulus – 22L/R arrivals
WHERE	The Howard Johnson by Wyndham Romulus, located on the north side of the airport offers views of the 22 runways. Access is available via Merriman Rd directly from the terminals. If you overnight at the hotel you can stay at one of the many stairwells or on the parking lot, depending on which runway you wanna photograph.
WHAT	All aircraft landing on 22L and R.
TIME	Sunrise until noon for 22R and afternoon until sunset for 22L
MISC.	You should have booked a room there to use their property. Food options are further up the main road.
FOCAL LENGTH	100mm for A330 on 22L

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	Spot #8 – Big Blue Deck Garage – 03L and 21R departures, FBO ramp
WHERE	The parking deck near the Evans Terminal on the airport’s north side is known as the “Big Blue Deck.” To reach the parking deck upon entering the airport grounds, keep to the right side of W. G. Rogell Drive and follow the signs to the long term “Big Blue Deck”. You will veer left to enter the parking deck designated for long-term parking.
WHAT	Excellent views of line-up for Runway 21R. Departures on 3L present fantastic photo opportunities as they rotate directly in front of the parking deck. Movements to and from the Signature Aviation FBO can be spotted as well. Parallel runways can be seen but too far for adequate pictures.
TIME	Afternoons to sunset for the best lighting.
MISC.	No issues with law enforcement. Parking deck is generally empty. Terminal is available for food and bathroom use.
FOCAL LENGTH	C-32A on Signature – 220mm; C-32A departure – 150mm; B717 departure – 190mm; CRJ-900 departure – 230mm

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