Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (IATA: ZNZ, ICAO: HTZA) named after the island`s first president is the main airport in the Zanzibar Archipelago in Tanzania. It is approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of the capital of Zanzibar. The island is a popular tourist destination for Europeans and you can see carriers like Eurowings, Condor, Air France, LOT or TUI from there as well as all major carriers from the Middle East bringing tourist to Zanzibar. But the traffic is dominated by regional airlines with turboprops aircraft like the ATR72, EMB120 and the Cessna Caravan, serving mainly smaller nearby airstrips and the capital of Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam. The african mainland is well connected to almost all major hubs.

Be aware that spotting here is very unplanable: most flights on FR24’s boards or even the airport website are not accurate. They either do not come at all or somewhen completely different. Also flights shown on FR24’s radar inbound ZNZ are not always coming in the end, sometimes end up flying to Dar-es-Salaam instead. 

Written by Gerrit Griem, Philipp Schütz and Zoltán Péter Pásztor. Last Update: April 2026 – Spot 2

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
18/36	3.007 m (9.865 ft) Asphalt
Terminals
Domestic	An old and small terminal, used by the regional carriers.
International	New big terminal, used by the international airlines.
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not needed. A huge wall around the airport prevents any sight from the outside.
Car/Public Transport	A rental car is highly recommend to get to the spots!
Drinks/Food	There is nothing at the locations, so be prepared.
Hotels	The 4star Golden Tulip Zanzibar Airport is directly at the terminals and from the uppermost rooms you might be able to watch the traffic.
Season	The temperatures and sun hours are consistent throughout the year. Rainy days are especially in Nov-Dec and March-May but nothing to worry about.
Security	We had no problems during our stay. The island in general is very safe compared to other african countries as it is a popular tourist destination.
Runway Usage
General Info	Used in all directions. There isn’t a preferred side.

	Spot #1 – School – 36 arrivals
WHERE	This location is not easy to find so we recommend to use a car and a GPS to reach it. It is on a field next to a school building, south of the airport terminal. Park the car in front of the school building and step a few meters on the field to see the planes approaching.
WHAT	36 arrivals
TIME	From late noon until sunset.
MISC.	There can be some friendly farmers at work with machetes but not really to something to worry about.
FOCAL LENGTH	180-190mm for a Dash 8-Q400

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	Spot #2 – Wall – 18 arrivals
WHERE	The next spot is on a dirt road that runs parallel to a huge wall. It is located north of the airport and we recommend to use a car and a GPS to reach this place. To avoid a longer drive on the bumpy dirt road is to approach this spot from the north, from the asphalted road that runs from the airport and passes the airport on the east side.
WHAT	18 arrivals only. The gap between the power lines and the wall is big enough to photograph the planes properly.
TIME	From late noon until sunset.
MISC.	This is a lot of pedestrian traffic so be polite to the locals. Also animals like chickens and goats run around.
FOCAL LENGTH	Around 200mm for a 737

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	Spot #3 – Private House – 18/36 Movements
WHERE	This is a small private house with a small sort of shed in front where some locals put together a sort of terrace with some chairs. Just make your way here by car/motorcycle or similar, knock and friendly show them your camera and what you want to do. Once coming by car, be aware that the road is quite bumpy: a small jeep or similar is helpful!
WHAT	From here you can see 18/36 Movements.
TIME	From sunrise till later morning.
MISC.	They know us spotters and are very friendly and welcoming. They do not speak englisch, but if you show your camera, they will understand what you wanna say. Please leave a small donation (5€/5USD) after leaving! Heat haze can be an issue here. As you are elevated, the wall will be in the bottom of the picutres, but the gear should be clean.
FOCAL LENGTH	B788 = 150mm / Dash8 = ~300mm

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