Southwest Florida International Airport (IATA: RSW, ICAO:KRSW) as the name already suggests is the gateway to the southwestern region of Florida, which is very popular among tourists and snowbirds and includes the cities of Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Bonita Springs and Naples. Currently, it is the second-busiest single-runway airport in the United States, only trailing San Diego International Airport. In 2019, the airport served 10,225,180 passengers, which to date was the highest number in its history.

The airport has one terminal with three concourses: Concourse B (Gates B1-B9), Concourse C (Gates C1-C9), and Concourse D (Gates D1-D10). Customs and Immigration services for international flights are located on the lower level of Concourse B. “Concourses A and E” designations have been reserved for the planned future expansion of the terminal. Also, a second (parallel) runway is going to be built on the southside. With Delta and Southwest leading the pack, all major US based airlines (exception of Allegiant) serve RSW. Eurowings is the only airline which connects Fort Myers with Europe (DUS) all year long. Cargo carrier Western Global has its base here, and Fedex and UPS are regulars as well.

Spotting at RSW is only possible when runway 06 is active as the area around the runway 24 threshold is restricted.

Written by Martin Rogosz and Thomas Okaty. Last visit and update: March 2021.

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
06/24	3.658m/12.000ft
Terminals
Concourse B	Air Canada, Eurowings, Frontier, Southwest, Sun Country
Concourse C	Delta Airlines, United Airlines (and some arrivals and early morning departure in Concourse B), WestJet
Concourse D	American Airlines, JetBlue, Spirit Airlines
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not really needed.
Car/Public Transport	Car is needed to get to spot #4. For spots #1 and #2 it is recommended to leave the car in the long-term parking lot and then to walk over to the locations as there is no designated parking area. Police frequently patrols along this road, so be prepared to be approached and questioned.
Restrooms	In the terminal. Alternatively, at the gas station on the access road to the airport.
Drinks/Food	There is a gas station and a fast food place on the airport access road. More options are available on Alico Rd next to I-75 (southwest of the airport).
Hotels	No hotel with an airfield view. A few hotels cam be found at the junction of the I-75 and Highway 876.
Season	Best time is from November to March, when temperatures are still enjoyable. From May through October the chance of thunderstorms and hurricanes increases significantly and heat haze will likely become an issue.
Runway Usage
06/24	Runway 06 is the preferred direction and the best direction for taking photos.

	Spot #1 – Air Cargo Ln – Approach RWY06
WHERE	This spot is located on the airport perimeter road (Air Cargo Ln) near the runway 06 approach zone. Unfortunately, there is no designated parking available, hence it is recommended to leave the car in the long term parking lot (when staying for a few hours, then this is the cheaper option versus the short term parking garage) and to walk over (15 minutes). It’s about a 25 minute walk from the terminal. Make sure to stay on the roads to avoid extra attention from airport security and to avoid any encounter with an alligator (there are several water basins in the area).
WHAT	Runway 06 arrivals.
TIME	From sunrise until early afternoon.
MISC.	Nothing nearby, bring what you need.
FOCAL LENGTH	Depending where you stay 70-150mm (A320: ~160mm)

RSW Spot1

RSW Spot1

RSW Spot1

RSW Spot1

RSW Spot1

RSW Spot1

	Spot #2 – Service Rd – Line up and arrivals RWY06
WHERE	This spot is located on Service Rd near the runway 06 threshold. Same as spot #1, there is no parking available. Accordingly, t is recommended to leave the car in the long term parking lot (when staying for a few hours, then this is the cheaper option versus the short term parking garage) and to walk over (10-15 minutes). It’s about a 20 minute walk from the terminal. Make sure to stay on the roads to avoid extra attention from airport security and to avoid any encounter with an alligator (there are several water basins in the area).
WHAT	Runway 06 arrivals, departures and line-up.
TIME	From sunrise until early afternoon.
MISC.	Nothing nearby, bring what you need. Ladder not required as the road is elevated.
FOCAL LENGTH	Taxiway: 70-130mm, Runway: 100-300mm (A321: ~105mm)

RSW Spot2

RSW Spot2

RSW Spot2

	Spot #3 – Terminal view
WHERE	In a public area inside the main terminal are big windows (but tinted) on the check-in level. Easy to find and directly visible from the entrance.
WHAT	You can take photos during taxi inside concourse area and at gate.
TIME	From around 11:00h till 17:30h, depending on season
MISC.	No issues with police or security reported. All what you need is inside of the terminal. For the first 20 minutes, parking is free of charge in the short term garage.
FOCAL LENGTH	50-300mm (B737: ~90mm)

RSW Spot3

RSW Spot3

RSW Spot3

	Spot #4 – Official Viewing Area
WHERE	This is the only official viewing area at RSW. Continue from spot #1 along Air Cargo Ln and pass the 06 approach to the opposite side of the airfield. When the road makes a sharp left turn you will instantly see the entrance to the viewing area on your left. The viewing area is a gravel parking lot, which is fenced off, so you have two fences in front of you. You can clear the top of the fence if you stand on the roof of your car, however, the airport fence will still be visible in the lower part of the frame for traffic on the ground.
WHAT	Nice place to just hang out and watch the traffic. Taking photos, especially runway 06 departures and arrivals, is a bit of a challenge as the only way to clear the top of the fence is to climb on your car’s roof. Departures on runway 24 are possible without this exercise as they will already be in climb above the fence, but they are rare.
TIME	From late afternoon until sunset between March and September. Backlit during the rest of the year.
MISC.	Nothing nearby, bring what you need.
FOCAL LENGTH	757-300 (taxiway south of rwy): 150 mm 737-700 (landing on rwy 06): 130 mm BD Global (taxiway north of rwy): 100 mm

All sample images taken while standing on the roof of the white van in the overview picture (“View of the location”, 2nd car from the right).

RSW-Spot4

RSW-Spot4

RSW-Spot4