DMK Spot2
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June 1, 2014Bangkok Don Mueang Spotting Guide
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- last modified on February 11, 2020
Besides Suvernabhumi, Bangkok’s Don Mueang Intl. Airport is an important gateway for Thailand’s capitol city. The airport has been closed closed in 2006 but has been reopened just one year later to handle the upcoming low cost traffic. Thai Air Asia, Thai Lion Air and Nok Air are the main carriers and due to its colorful liveries its always worth to make a stop at this place.
Before it’s closing in 2006 the Bangkok Don Muang International Airport (later renamed Don Mueang) was the main international gateway for the city and handled all of the traffic, which then moved over to the new Suvernabhumi Airport. After its reopening in 2007 for some domestic flights the airport became really busy again in 2012 when all of the low-cost carriers moved over from Suvarnabhumi to reduce congestion there. As of 2017 the airport handled almost 38.3 million passengers. Due to the airline separation between the two Bangkok airports you will not find any of the flag carriers with long-haul flights here, but only a handful of low-cost airlines. Most of the traffic is generated by Thai Air Asia, Thai Lion Air and Nok Air. Furthermore you will find occasional flights by Orient Thai, AirAsia and Scoot. Especially Thai AirAsia brings in quite a few specials colour schemes, which are very easy to catch here.
Additionally the Royal Thai Air Force has their headquarter at the premises and that means that most of their fleet is based here. They always operate from the military runway (see below) and if you are a bit lucky you can catch a few of their planes. You should be warned about two major disadvantages about spotting in Bangkok, but the traffic definitely makes up for these shortcomings.
Furthermore the Royal Thai Air Force Museum is located on the eastern side of the airport in walking distance to Spot #4. The museum is open daily (except national holidays) from 9 AM to 4 PM (as of 2014) and entrance is free. You will can find a same smaller airplanes, but also bigger ones like the Fairchild C-123 or Boeing 737-200 in the museum. Most of them can be shot quite well, but there are also a few which a too crammed in.
As Bangkok lies in a tropical dry and wet climate zone you will very rarely see clear blue skies here. It is very common that the sun is only comes out 30 minutes or even an hour after sunrise and it also disappears way before sunset in the haze. Furthermore the spotting locations at this airport are a bit far from the action, so you will need a good lens for shooting here.
Written by Jan Seba, Marko Siepelinga and Marco Dotti/Andreas Traxler (Spot2) / Last update January 2019
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| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 03L/21R | 3.500 m |
| 03R/21L | 3.700 m |
| Terminals | |
| Terminal 1 | All international flights (including AirAsia) |
| Terminal 2 | Domestic Flights Only |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not necessary |
| Car/Public Transport | Car is not required, always use a taxi to get around but make sure the driver uses the taximeter. We can recommend the App GRAB to get around. Fixed priced and paying by CC is possible.
There is a FREE shuttle bus connecting the two Bangkok airports. You just need to show a flight ticket and you are good to go. If there is no congestion on the roads it took only 50 minutes from DMK to BKK. It runs every 12 minutes from 8h to 11h and 16h to 19h and every 30 minutes in the meantime from 5h to 24h.In the case you don´t own a flight ticket there is a bus connecting the airports for approximate THB. The way from DMK to BKK: And the way back you will take exit No.1 at the ground floor at DMK and go right (North). 150 meters to the north at the end of the big parking place are the busses. The busses are driving every day from 4:00am to 8:00pm. The busnumber is always 555 and always around 50 Barth. A taxi in between the two airports is around 500 Baht and needs 30-60 minutes. |
| Restrooms | Inside the terminal building. |
| Drinks/Food | Inside terminal buildings and at some other locations (mentioned below). |
| Hotels | There are a few hotels around the airport, but it is advisable to stay near BKK and just do the trip to DMK from there. |
| Season | It is best to visit during the winter as the sun is too high during the summer. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 03L/21R | This is the preferred runway for the scheduled traffic because it is closer to the terminal. |
| 03R/21L | While this runway is the primary runway for the military base located on the east side of the airport, it is also occasionally used for scheduled traffic. When the other runway is busy with departures, landings will also come in on this runway. During peak times it can happen that there are even more arrivals on this runway than on the other. |
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Spot #1 – Glassed Viewing Terrace – Taxiway, Runway 03L/21R Arrivals & Departures |
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| WHERE | Getting to this location could not be easier, just let your taxi driver get you to the Airport terminal (which they will understand without a map). Inside the terminal there are basically two landside viewing terraces, which are both behind slightly tinted glass (which can easily be edited out during post processing). There is one area on the northern side and one on the southern side of the main departure area. As of now they are not connected, so you have to choose between them (more on the choice see below). UPDATE FEBRUARY 2020: No problems with security anymore. Enjoy the hobby! |
| WHAT | There is a large variety of traffic you can shoot here. First there are arrivals and departures on the runway and then most importantly the aircraft taxiing on the taxiway, as this is closer than the runway. This can be used both for 21 and also 03 ops. With 21 you will get them taxiing to the runway and with 03 taxiing to their gate after landing. Furthermore you might catch a few of the planes during pushback when their gate is directly in front of you. But this could also pose a problem, as they can cause heat haze and also obstruct the aircraft on the taxi- and runway, so you might have to switch between the two terraces based on gate occupancy. For 21 Ops I would suggest to use the northern side of the viewing terrace, because you have more opportunities to shoot the aircraft taxiing to the runway for departure. But if you want runway action the southern terrace would be best. Action on the other runway (03R/21L) cannot be shot as it is just too far away and also obstructed by trees on the golf court. |
| TIME | Best light conditions from afternoon till sunset. |
| MISC. | There are restrooms and several restaurants in the terminal. The glass panels are not being cleaned regularly, so you might have bad luck and the glasses will be dirty when you visit this spot! Air Condition can be very cold so be prepared. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 230mm for a B738 on the runway and 160mm on the taxiway. |
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Spot #2 – Unnamed Road/Field– 21R(21L) Arrivals |
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| WHERE | You have two oppurunities to enter this unamed road. It can be accessed from the Vibhavadi Rangsit Frontage Rd (west side) or from the Phahonyothin Road (east side) where the morning spots 3 and 4 are located. The big advantage at both locations is you have no disturbing wires or trees blocking the sight. There is a gate at the both entrance and a securityguard in a small building. But it dosn´t matter. Make a “wai” and pass the gate. (In the end I saw, everybody is using this street. Just some companies are inside.) 2A: If you come from the morning spots 3 or 4 (you do not need a taxi to change the side from pos 3 to pos2. It´s just 1 Kilometer to walk.) just follow the big Phahonyothin Road and pass the next bus stop. After the bus stop there is a street to the left. Pass the gate and follow the way as marked on the map until you reach another open gate. When you reach it do not pass it. Just go across the small wall at the left side from the gate where the fence is gone. Now you are infront of a huge empty field where you have a free sight without disturbing power lines. There is this small cabin what can give a little shadow. Don´t be afraid to go inside, because some people was coming to feed the dogs and they did go inside the big unused area and they told me it is no problem to go inside the gates.2B: If you don´t like the angle you can also continue for approximate 200 meters on the unnamed road, direction Vibhavadi Rangsit Frontage Rd. You have a higher distance there but a better angle and no disturbing power lines too. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on 21R and 21L. But latter is very far and just advisable to photograph from the field spot 2A! |
| TIME | The best light conditions are from afternoon around 15.00 till sunset. |
| MISC. | If you pass the gate, after 20 meters is a small kiosk on the left where you can buy small snacks and water. Don´t be afraid by the security guards at both entrances, the will let you continue! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | From the field spot 2A: B738 = 200 mm on 21R, Hercules = 400mm on 21L From spot 2B on 21R: 738 = 300mmm; A333 = 200mm; ATR72 = 400mm+ |
Pictures from the field spot 2A:
Pictures further down the road spot 2B:
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- Entrance at the west side (Vibhavadi Rangsit Frontage Rd)
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- Entrance at the east side (Phahonyothin Road)
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- Access to the field
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- Access to the field
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Spot #3 – Esso/Mobil Station– 21R Arrivals |
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| WHERE | This location is found directly on the big Phahonyothin Road. Show this name/printed map to your taxi driver but it is useful to follow the taxi drive on a smartphone using GPS. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on RWY21R only. The spot #4 for 21L is not far away and just a short walk away. You see the planes very late so be prepared by using a tracking tool. |
| TIME | Best light conditions from sunrise till noon, though the sun might already be a bit too high around noon. |
| MISC. | Food/Drinks in the gas station (Tesco/Lotus Express). There are plenty of restaurants next to you. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Dash8-400 at 230 mm |
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Spot #4 – Small Cabinet – 21L(21R) Arrivals |
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| WHERE | This location is found directly on the big Phahonyothin Road. Show this name/printed map to your taxi driver but it is useful to follow the taxi drive on a smartphone using GPS. Find a gap between the bushes and trees around this corner. |
| WHAT | The one major advantage of this location is that you can shoot arrivals on both runways and still have a good angle for the 21L, as it is also frequently used (see Runway Usage). The downside is that the 21R is very far away, but you should still be okay in terms of heat haze. Still the quality of the images will be way worse and the main reason to use this location is the 21L. For 21R go to #3. |
| TIME | Best light conditions from sunrise till noon, though the sun might already be a bit too high around noon. |
| MISC. | You can also use the cabinet for seating and sun protection. There is a 7-Eleven across the street. |
| OTHER | The Royal Thai Air Force Museum is located a short walk south of this location. The entry is free of charge and well worth a visit after a spotting session in the morning. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Close to 500mm for an A320 on the 21R and 200mm for an A320 on the 21L. |
32 Comments
I spent a full day of spotting at DMK last month. Runway 21 in use. 21L was never used for airliners to land, only military/Government airplanes. I didn’t exactly stay at spot 3 during morning. Just north of the petrol station there’s a pedestrian bridge and I stayed on it to take photos. Very few people use this bridge to cross the busy road, plus you will avoid a lot of electricity cables. And you can see traffic on final. Planes for 21L will pass right overhead you.
During afternoon I used spot 2A. You will have to “fight” a bit with the electricity cables to make photos but it’s allright. Spot 2B offers clear views, but movements on 21L are too far away. On spot 2A you can take photos of 21L with 400mm or more, and even though I’am not that much into military planes, I’ve to say I was amazed with the few planes I’ve saw landing here!
I don’t remember seeing any signs inside the terminal phorbidding photography. I did not tried it as I was very happy with all the photos I got the day before.
I spotted from spot 1 last month with a mate of mine a police man came up and he took photos of our passports and left us alone ,we were spotting there for 5 hours and encountered no problems .
Went to Spot 1 this morning, No Photo signs is still not there. Did about 2 hrs of spotting in the morning.Had no issues with light and reflect thru the windows. A great thing is you are with AC, which during this hot season is really a plus. Did about 22 nice pic of NOK 737, and Q400, and 3 or 4 Air Asia in different liveries.
Hi
Thanks for this useful site. I have been to the museum many times visiting every other year since 2002. We are going back in Oct/Nov and was keen to go and take some pics from point 4 but concerned if there are any issues from outside police ? If there’s too much risk will just go to museum and leave it at that. Can anyone provide guidance on this please ?
Kevin
Hi Kevin, we never heard that you get issues with security while taking pictures at any of the spots mentioned above. These are well known spotting positions so enjoy your stay.
-Julian
Do you Have Any Recomendation On Hotel that has Runway View/ Apron View?
Hi Marko, can you please use this form and send us some photos from the spotting positions so we can add it to the guide.
Thanks, Julian
Update 02/2018
Was at the spotting location Terminal 1, signs “no photos / Videos” still existing.
Used a low profile during spotting and was able to get some pictures without any problems. Stayed roughly 70 minutes hasslefree…
I transited thru DMK last week and had two completely hassle free hours taking photos airside at the end of one of the piers. Didn’t see any signs saying “No photography” and was approached by nobody.
Was there landside in March. There were no signs and I was undisturbed for about three hours. Looks like a food court is being built which will join the two viewing areas.
Just returned from a visit to DMK in Februaru 2019 and there are no “No photos / Videos” present at either viewing deck. Spent the whole day there with no issues.