The Spanish island Ibiza is one of the four balearic islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Besides Mallorca it is a major holiday destinations for Europans and with more than 8 Mio pax in 2019, the airport (IBZ/LEIB) is the ninth busiest airport of Spain. During the winter season the traffic is quite low, with only some daily flights, mainly to the Spanish mainland. But during the summer season, starting in may, the airport becomes more and more busy with flights to all major European airports. Carriers that dominating IBZ are the LCC’s  Ryanair, easyJet and Vueling, followed by the common charter carriers like TUI, Jet2 and Eurowings. Swift Air operates some cargo flights to Palma with propliner cargo aircraft.

Written by Johannes Wirl and Ian Parker. Last Update: September 2024 – Spot 2

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
06/24	2.800 m (9.186 ft) Asphalt
Terminals	There is one terminal for all passenger flights
Spotting Information
Ladder	A ladder is not needed at any of the spots.
Car/Public Transport	Public transport is not easy except for spot 3 where a bus stop is nearby. The best option is to stay in one of the nearby hotels/apartments and rent a scooter or something similar to reach the locations.
Drinks/Food	There is nothing available directly at the spots so be prepared with enough water. Nearest place to find food and beverages is in Play Den Bossa.
Hotels	Play Den Bossa is very close to the airport, offering dozens of options to stay at. Furthermore you can watch the traffic from the beach when 24 is active.
Season	Due to the amount of traffic we highly recommend to visit Ibiza during the holiday season.
Security	There are no reports of problem with airport security or police.
Runway Usage
06/24	No major direction. Used in both ways, depending on the wind direction.

	Spot #1 – Beach – 06 arrivals
WHERE	This spot is located on an old concrete structure next to the beach. It’s quite remote and can be reached via an unpaved which can be accessed from the PM-802, next to the “DC-10 Club”- Continue along the airport fence until the beach. When reaching the beach, park your vehicle next to the road and walk the rest of the distance. It is recommended to use a bicycle or scooter due to the large distance.
WHAT	The spot is good for RWY 06 arrivals only
TIME	From Sunrise until 3 PM.
MISC.	Bring your swim shorts to cool down in the beach. Otherwise the location is very remote so be prepared with enough sun protection and water.
FOCAL LENGTH	Focal length will be 100 – 300mm. B738 = 160mm

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	Spot #2 – Dirt Road – 24 arrivals and line-up
WHERE	The dirt road which leads to the previous spot offers several photo options. Access is from the PM-802, next to the “DC-10 Club”- Continue along the airport fence on but stop at the transition point from the metal fence to the concrete fence. It is directly at the piano keys of the runway. There is a small hole, just enough for one photographer, to shoot through the mesh (see red square in the photo below). Continue 400 meters further down for another option. At the touch down zone aiming point for runway 24 is a mound of rubble where you can climb on.
WHAT	Here you can shoot arrivals and lineups on RWY 24.
TIME	For arrivals it is good from 9 AM to 3 PM and for lineups from sunrise to 3 PM.
MISC.	The location is very remote so be prepared with enough sun protection and water.
FOCAL LENGTH	Focal length should be from 50 to 150 mm.

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	Spot #3 – Camí Aeropuerto – 24 arrivals
WHERE	This spot is located at a small road next to the airport fence. It can easily be accessed via the PM-801 to and from the airport terminal. You will reach a roundabout where you take the southern exit. Drive along the road till the location. To reach over the fence, a small ladder (2 Steps) is recommended, or just use your car / moped if possible.
WHAT	You can shoot RWY 24 arrivals as well as RWY 06 departures here, although the latter ones are already quite high here.
TIME	The spot is good from 5:30 PM until sunset.
MISC.	Nothing nearby so be prepared with sun protection and water.
FOCAL LENGTH	ATR72 = 270mm

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	Spot #4 – Carrer des Codolar 06 arrivals and 06 line-up
WHERE	This spot is located at a road next to a ditch with the airport fence on the other side. From the airport just drive westwards and turn south into the Cami des Còdols. Continue on this road until the end of the runway and park by the roadside. To reach over the fence fir the arrivals from the road, a small ladder (2 Steps) is recommended, or just use your car / moped if possible. hooting RWY 06 departures/line ups is a bit more difficult. First you have to climb through the ditch and due to the concrete structure. You can’t place a ladder directly at the fence so the only chance therefore is to shoot under the fence which is possible due to a small gap. But if the grass is too long, it will obstruct the picture.
WHAT	You can shoot RWY 06 arrivals here. Planes on the taxiway for line-up/departure shots is possible too.
TIME	The spot is good from 5:30 PM until sunset.
MISC.	The location is very remote so be prepared with enough sun protection and water.
FOCAL LENGTH	100 – 300mm for arrivals and 20-50mm for departures on the taxiway. A320 = 130mm

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