Newark Airport is one of the busiest airports in the United States, also being part of the three airport, together building the mega hub – New York City. Different to the other NY airports, Newark is located in New Jersey. Despite its location out-of-state, the airport is well connected to the Big Apple. Trains run all the way from Newark Airport to NYC Penn Station. The Interstate 95 and 78 link KEWR with New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvanian metropolitan areas.

Newark Airport is mostly inhabited by United Airlines representing as the largest carrier at EWR. JetBlue using the airport as a focus city and Spirit is also offering a dozen of destiantions from EWR. Besides the Asian carriers Singapore Airlines, Air China, Emirates and Air India, almost all major european carriers flying to Newark on a daily base. La Compagnie offers flights with their A321NEO in an all business class configuration.

The airport was set up in early years – first official operation was on October 1, 1928. It was the largest airport worldwide in these days, until LaGuardia Airport commenced operations just about 10 years later. Funny thing, that JFK is New York’s busiest airport nowadays! Newark today serves more than 36 million passengers.

Written by Thomas Okaty, Tyler Lorenz and Martin Rogosz. Last change: November 2024 (Spot 2 updated)

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
4L/22R	3,353m (11,000ft)
4R/22L	3,048m (10,000ft)
11/23	2,073m (6,800ft)
Terminals
Terminal A (new)	Domestic flights (incl. from/to Canada). Alaska, American, Air Canada, United Express
Terminal B	Foreign carriers and some UA intl. flights. Delta, Allegiant, Spirit.
Terminal C	United Airlines and United Express only.
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not needed and not recommended.
Car/Public Transport	Advisable, however all spots can be reached by local public transport.
Restrooms	In every publicly accessible building like restaurants or hotels and inside of the terminal building.
Drinks/Food	There are aplenty of restaurants, shops and food courts nearby the airport.
Hotels	There are several hotels right at the airport as well as in in the airport’s vicinity and neighboring towns.
Season	The traffic at Newark Airport does not show any significant changes during the year except a slight increase of passenger and traffic volume in summer months. Winters in New York City can be tremendously cold and icy.
Security	Spotting in the United States is not always tolerated. There have been several reports from fellow spotters that police checks were performed. Especially in the NY area, police is ubiquitous. Spotting at some places is not tolerated. Please be also aware of following facts: The police is quite harsh of endangering the streets safety. If you are standing beside a street and you are visible to drivers, police may ask you to leave as you may distract drivers from keeping their attention onto the road traffic. Some police officers may react rude to our hobby as they suspect terrorism by photography of airplanes, especially in the NY area. Always stay polite and stay in car when a police officer stops for a check. Do not leave your car unless you are told to do so! The spots underneath are believed to be safe but check the MISC box for further info. Spotterguide.net is not liable for any inconvenience and misbehavior towards the police of fellow spotters.
Runway Usage
4L/22R	When 04-runways are in use, 04L is used by departing aircraft, however it can occour that some few planes land on this runway in times of high traffic volume. When 22-runways are in use, same procedure applies – planes are departing on this runway, whist arrivals mostly come in on 22L.
4R/22L	When 04-runways are in use, 04R is used for arrivals only. Departures are rare on 04R. When 22-runways are in use, same procedure applies – planes are usually landing on 22L. It is likely that airplanes also depart from here. That happens quite often.
11/23	When winds are blowing from the west or east stronger than usual, EWR defaults to this short runway which is mostly being used by smaller planes during peak times also, however larger jets land here on exceptional windy days only. Arrivals AND departures are operated via this runway.

	Spot #1 – Elizabeth Center Parking Lot
WHERE	Pretty safe spot which is located east of the airport, on the big parking lot of the “Elizabeth Center”, which includes an IKEA and a Floor & Decor store. Easiest way to approach the location from the Terminals is via North Ave E, which runs below the 04 approach. Follow the streets course for just about 0.6 miles (950m), Then, turn left again onto IKEA Drive. Don’t be surprised, the road swerves. After 0.4 miles (650m) turn left onto the parking lot. The route from the airport’s terminals to this spot will take you about 10 minutes at normal traffic conditions. We recommend to use the Floor & Decor parking lot and not the Ikea. You can also travel here by public transport, check the map above for nearby bus stops, routes and destinations.
WHAT	Best for all landing aircraft into 04R. 04L (rare) possible but, distanced and heat pops up! Take-offs from 22R and 22L (very rare) can be photographed as well. If you have a pickup truck you can use the bed to clear the fence for 04L line-ups. However this is possible in the early morning hours only. After that the photos will be full of heat.
TIME	From sunrise until early afternoon for runway arrivals. This refers to summer months, spotting in winter from here is comfortable from sunrise to approx. 12/1pm the latest only.
MISC.	Spotting from here is quite safe as long as you stick to some rules which are easy to follow. Don’t block the way of others whilst you park your car right on the road, so park your vehicle appropriated as Police Elizabeth and a Safety Administration checks this area regularly. You can also take pictures while you stay in your car. There is free Wi-Fi close inside the IKEA and the Floor & Decor buildings. IKEA also offers food and restrooms.
FOCAL LENGTH	Depending on use of runway (04R arrivals / 22R departures): B777-300: 90mm / 155mm B737-700: 155mm / 260mm ERJ-175: 190mm / 320mmLine-Up: at least 400mm for a 737

EWR Spot 1

EWR Spot 1

EWR Spot 1

EWR Spot 1

EWR Spot 1

EWR Spot 1

Elevated view for 04L line-ups:

EWR-1b

EWR-1b

EWR-1b

	Spot #2 – Former Terminal A Smoking Deck/Patio
WHERE	This spot is at the eastern end of the old terminal A, facing the ramp between former terminal A and B. It is accessible by walking from the Departures level of Terminal B, towards the south past the Employee bus terminal. A set of stairs outside will become visible. Walk up these stairs to the patio. +++ UPDATE November 2024: The terminal building is closed but the patio is still accessible. The Satellite has been demolished and is used as a ramp now. Maybe you get questioned by security and they tell you to leave the place. Situation might change daily! +++
WHAT	Since the demolishion of the satellite, runway and taxiway movements shots are better now, but shots for planes taxing to/away Terminal A are disaster because El Al parks RIGHT IN FRONT OF the smoking deck ALL TIME
TIME	Summer and winter both work, haze can be an issue in the summer. Anytime in the winter after around 1pm and in the summer after 3pm have good lighting for this spot.
MISC.	Food, drinks and restrooms are all available in the terminal. AA aircrafts tails may sometimes obstruct shots but there are ways around them.
FOCAL LENGTH	For taxiing aircraft a 70-300 is recommended. For takeoffs a heavy 767 or A330 is usually between 220-260mm when rotating and 400mm plus when in the air except for seconds after takeoff. For smaller A/C types 270mm and up is advised to really get nice shots. Airbus A330 (Alpha) = 180mm – Boeing 737 (Bravo) = 330 mm – CRJ900 (Alpha) = 300mm

photos can be seen here and here

	Spot #3 – Economy Parking Lot P6 – 22L/R arrivals
WHERE	This spot is a parking lot on the north side of the field. It can be reached by car by putting “P6 parking EWR” in a GPS. Parking in here is the best as you seem like a regular passenger with a car, however the fee as of August 2022 is 29$. The easiest and best way to get to the lot is to take the free shuttle from the terminals. Go to the lowest level of terminal C and walk to the far end on the bottom level, cross the crosswalk and look for the signs saying “Economy parking P6” and Newark Airport buses. When you reach the parking lot, lookout for a spot around A10/B10.
WHAT	Runway 22R and 22L landings are the primary movements here. Some 22R/L lineups that use the full length can be shot through the fence (but shooting through the fence is greatly discouraged).
TIME	All times of day can be shot here (just position for best lighting positions). The winter is even better as the sun moves further south the planes arriving on the 22s get even better lit.
MISC.	Food and drinks can be accessed by taking the free shuttle to the terminal, restrooms as well. If security asks you what you are doing be honest and kind, usually they are ok with photographers but if asked to leave go to another spot.
FOCAL LENGTH	B738M=180mm

EWR Spot 3

EWR Spot 3

EWR Spot 3

	Spot #4 – Frontage Rd – 22R arrivals
WHERE	This spot is located right off I-78 West (Exit “Frontage Rd”, 2nd exit after toll plaza). Best way to get here is by car, however, it’s a bit of a challenge to navigate to this location as the routing can be slightly confusing. It’s definitely beneficial to have a smart phone with Google Maps installed, just drop a pin on the map and follow the directions. There is a gravel area where you can park your car. Alternatively, when coming from the airport, you can take the shuttle bus to one of the hotels close by.
WHAT	Runway 22R arrivals (rare).
TIME	From mid afternoon until sunset.
MISC.	There are a couple of fast food restaurants nearby, but otherwise food options are scarce.
FOCAL LENGTH	772: 130mm A320: 160mm

EWR-Spot1

EWR-Spot1

EWR-Spot1

	Spot #5 – Corbin St – 29 arrivals
WHERE	This spot is located in the Newark harbor area. From the airport, follow Hwy 9 towards “New York / Newark”, then follow signs towards “Port Newark”, which eventually will have you exit Hwy 9 onto Port St. After crossing I-95 take the first exit onto Corbin St and follow along until you have passed the harbor basin coming up on your left. The spot is just south of the end of that basin, there’s a small parking lot. Right at the lot is a gate to a road, which leads into the port area around that basin. If open, then do not go through as this is a restricted area (port property), but you can stand right at the entrance to take your shots. If the gate is closed, then you can walk back a little bit onto the grass area next to the main road and shoot over the fence, however, the fence as well as other obstacles will leap into the bottom part of your frame (see sample photo of UAL 737-800).
WHAT	Runway 29 arrivals.
TIME	From late morning until late afternoon.
MISC.	In general, it’s recommended to keep a low profile at this location, stay in your car and just get out to take a picture. During our visit we were approached by police once (after someone driving by had reported us), but the officer was appreciative of our hobby and did not ask us to leave. No food, no drinks, no restrooms close by.
FOCAL LENGTH	738: 120mm

EWR Spot 5

EWR Spot 5

EWR Spot 5

	Spot #6 – Truck Parking Lot – 22L arrivals.
WHERE	This spot is at Delancy St, which is far away from the airport, in an industrial complex, north of the airport. It can be reached from the terminal via highway 9 and 1. There is a direct exit to reach Delancy street. Pass the huge Amazon warehouse and drive till the underpass of the Interstate. But before the underpass begins, turn right into some kind of truck parking. Try to avoid this location on weekdays as this is private property and you might be send away. This is the only acceptable spot to photograph 22L arrivals in the morning!
WHAT	Runway 22L arrivals. 22R is too far in the distance.
TIME	From sunrise until early afternoon for runway arrivals. This refers to summer months, spotting in winter from here is comfortable from sunrise to approx. 12/1pm the latest only.
MISC.	In general, it’s recommended to keep a low profile at this location as it is private property and stay in your car and just get out to take a picture. There is absolutely nothing around except warehouses and cargo buildings.
FOCAL LENGTH	77W = 200mm; 737 = 320mm

EWR-Spot6

EWR-Spot6

EWR-Spot6

	Spot #7 – Rideshare Hold Lot – 04L/R arrivals.
WHERE	This spot is located at Earhard drive. Leave the airport and follow the sign to the “Rideshare Hold Lot”. When reaching the spot park the car at the rideshare hold lot for free for maximum 4hrs. Especially in the late afternoon the parking spot can be quite full. From the lot walk back to the road and stay on the sidewalk.
WHAT	Runway 04R arrivals. If you go just 100m back also 04L arrivals possible.
TIME	From around 3p.m. until sunset.
MISC.	We had no problems with police or security. There is nothing nearby, bring with you want you need.
FOCAL LENGTH	Depending on the position and aircraft type, A321=210mm

EWR Spot7

EWR Spot7

EWR Spot7

	Spot #8 – Parking Garage P4
WHERE	This spot is Parking Garage P4 on the north end of the terminals. You can go up with or without a car. The Newark Airport train stops directly at this parking garage
WHAT	Taxi in and out of Gates 130-136 (usually no US arrivals) and C17T-C17Y (parking for CRJ550)
TIME	Depending of the angle, from around 1p.m. to sunset.
MISC.	Keep a low profile, security came several time to check. We heard also reports that they asked planespotters to leave.
FOCAL LENGTH	B73M8 = 170mm

KEWR Spot8

KEWR Spot8

KEWR Spot8