Fort Dauphin or in Malagassy Tolagnaro is a small regional capital with roughly 100.000 inhabitants in the south of Madagascar. The city’s airfield (FTU/FMSD) some kilometers west of the “centre” is connecting the south of the island to the capital Antananarivo and thus the world. There are daily flights by the local carrier Tsaradia which are used by locals, but also tourists and workers – especially Chinese, South African and Canadian employees of Rio Tinto which runs a mine north of Fort Dauphin.

For the time of our visit, the flights were flown at different times of the day each time, which allows you to try out various position and angles. In addition, back in Spring 2025 Tsaradia operated 5 ATR72s with 4 different liveries, which one can collect nicely here day by day.

During COVID19 the airport closed for roughly two years before resuming operations to Antananarivo and also St Denis (La Reunion), however latter connection was closed lately.

Written by Severin Hackenberger. Last Update: April 2025

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
08/26	1800m / 5906ft
Terminals
T1	There is one small terminal handling the flights.
Spotting Information
Ladder	A ladder might be useful at spot 2, but you can also shoot thru the mesh.
Car/Public Transport	A car is useful to get to spot 3, but you can also walk from the main street/terminal to spot 1 and 2.
Drinks/Food	You should bring water and snacks, there are only some small streetside shops selling freshly fried stuff and similar.
Hotels	There are no hotels around the airport.
Season	During the season from April to September the weather is nicely warm and sunny with sunshine from the north all the time. From October to March the weather is quite hot and humid with lots of grey and rainy days, plus the sun is very harsh.
Security	Spotting is no issue here normally. But take care to stow your camera while being around the military area. Also stow your camera as long as possible as Madagascar is one of the poorest countries to avoid attention. However, make sure to take water and bring insect repellent plus sun protection with you at all times!
Runway Usage
General Info	Runway 08 is in use most of the times.

	Spot #1 – White Statue – Apron + 08/26 Movements
WHERE	Just nearby the airport there is a school, church and monestry complex: Collége St Vincentien Marrillac. Make your way up to the white building (the monestry) where the padres/lazaristes live. Behind that building there is a small basketball court and just next to that you will find a small dirt path leading up the hill to the white christian statue, which can be seen from the bottom/street as well aready. Make your way up to the top zick-zack, pass the ten white crosses which are placed along the way (shown below) and then position yourself at the statue’s plateau.
WHAT	From here you can nicely see the apron with the runway in the back thus all 08/26 movements.
TIME	Apr-Sep: actually all day, but it will be hazy around noon. Oct-Mar: light would be only good around noon, but it will be hazy then.
MISC.	The walk up to the hill from the monestry takes about 15 minutes. Make sure to wear propper shoes and take care on wet days as it can be quite slippery. Also bring water and insect repellent! If possible, wear long trousers due to the insects in the grasses. During noon/the day it can be quite hazy, in the morning the air is still nicely clear.
FOCAL LENGTH	300-500mm ATR72 on the apron = 270mm

FTU-Spot1

FTU-Spot1

FTU-Spot1

FTU-Spot1

	Spot #2 – Airportparking – Apron + 08/26 Movements
WHERE	This spot is located along the fence just outside the terminal. Just walk along the fence front at the parking and the nearby meadow here to search your favourite position depending on the subject and movement.
WHAT	From here you can see the apron and taxiway in front plus the runway with all movements in the back.
TIME	Depending wether the aircraft is parked or on the runway, then noon-afternoon is best, or taxiing, then either morning or evening is best.
MISC.	There are normally also locals hanging around at the fence watching planes. But keep a low profile as military and police passes by to/from the terminal for checking the passengers. There is a small shop in the terminal, which is only opened when the daily flights arrives/leaves. Haze can be an issue here, especially on the runway.
FOCAL LENGTH	24-200mm ATR72 rolling onto the apron = 80mm / Cessna 172 on the apron = 50mm

FTU-Spot2

FTU-Spot2

FTU-Spot2

FTU-Spot2

FTU-Spot2

FTU-Spot2

	Spot #3 – Dirt road – 08 Arrivals
WHERE	Just next to the terminal and monestry driveway, there is a small street leading to some houses and past the Madapes basketball court. Continue till you reach the Hotel des Finances of the Anoys region/county. Turn left, pass the landing lights and make your way up the hill along the road. From here you should have a nice view onto 08 arrivals.
WHAT	From here you should be able to spot 08 arrivals.
TIME	Work best during the morning hours, best from October to March.
MISC.	There are no shops around here. Spot only reachable by car or tuktuk, bring water! The area here is a bit elevated as the terrain forms a little hill here, so you have a nice view!
FOCAL LENGTH	Should be 100-400mm

Due to the timing of our visit, we couldn’t check the spot as it was backlighted all day. But during approach and takeoff we recognized the street to be a good spot.