Martyn Cartledge offers a rundown of his top ten spotting locations in Europe, but are they Europe’s best planespotting airports?

Air Caraïbes Airbus A350-941, F-HNET (c/n 091), arriving on runway 06 at Paris/Orly as seen from Rue du Berger

PAUL TOMSON

Any form of ‘top ten’ is always likely to spark debate and this may be no different, being a personal preference of the best spotting airfields in Europe. It should be taken for granted that every airport listed fulfils the requirement of welcoming interesting visiting aircraft. Other criteria include excellent viewing areas which are hopefully free of obstructions, nearby facilities, and good airport Wi-Fi to save using personal data abroad and offering ready access to a preferred flight tracking app. Rather than mentioning every spotting spot at each airport, this list highlights the best bits at each of Europe’s top ten.

#10 Paris/Orly

The French capital’s second airport is the nation’s second busiest and has a viewing terrace on top of Terminal 4. It offers great views across the airfield towards aircraft providing services to French overseas territories and Africa, including numerous Air Algérie and Royal Air Maroc flights, plus French Bee and Air Caraïbes heavies not often seen elsewhere in Europe. For viewing and registration taking, this is a great location, particularly with the facilities the terminal has to offer. For photographers, the case is the opposite as it necessitates shooting through glass and into the sun. However, there are a number of sites around the airfield where it is possible to get shots of aircraft in all phases, many without the need of a ladder. Rue du Berger to the west of the airfield is an all day spot, excellent for runway 06 arrivals and 24 departures, but check if a photographic permit is required.

From the rooftop terrace on top of Terminal 1 at Cologne, MNG Airlines Airbus A300B4-622RF, TC-MCG (c/n 739), approaches the touchdown point on runway 14L

MARTYN CARTLEDGE

#9 Cologne/Bonn

Although there are numerous spotting sites around the airfield, in common with many German airports, Cologne has an observation terrace, albeit on a different level. This multi-level facility atop Terminal 1 has uninterrupted views across the majority of the airfield, from the rows of UPS and FedEx Express cargo haulers, to the technical and military aprons on which it’s possible to see Luftwaffe and government aircraft. It’s obstruction free, meaning that photos of aircraft on the freight ramp to the south and passenger aprons to the northwest can be easily taken, as well as line up and landing shots on runway 14L. It’s also possible to see aircraft on the crosswind runway 06/24, despite the impression they appear to land among trees. This is Germany’s third busiest freight hub and because of this, the viewing deck is open until midnight which enables viewing of late night freight operations.