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July 11, 2026Klagenfurt Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on June 16, 2026
Klagenfurt Airport (KLU/LOWK), also known as Kärnten Airport, is a regional airport situated in Carinthia, Austria. Founded in 1914, it handled about 175,000 passengers in 2025. The airport’s traffic is dominated by General Aviation, with approximately 6,100 movements compared to around 2,100 scheduled commercial flights.
The airport is served year-round by Austrian Airlines ERJ-900 (Vienna) and Ryanair 737 (London-Stansted). During the winter season, there is an additional route to Hamburg, while the summer schedule expands to destinations like Skiathos (Avanti Air DHC-8), Palma de Mallorca (Ryanair 737), and Rome (SkyAlps DHC8).
If you are lucky, you might spot Austrian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons. The Air Force occasionally uses the airport for training, including flybys or touch-and-go maneuvers.
Written by Onni Podyachev (follow him on Instagram). Last Update: May 2026
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety | |
| Photo Locations |  |
| Weather |  |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 10L/28R | 2.720 m (8.924 ft) Concrete |
| 10R/28L | 710 m (2.329 ft) Grass |
| Terminals | One terminal for all flight operations |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | 2-3 steps ladder is recommended for a couple of spots to avoid shooting through the fence mesh. |
| Car/Public Transport | A car is recommended but all spots are reachable by bus. Spots 1-3 are in walking distance from the terminal. |
| Drinks/Food | There are some shops next to the spots, on the south side there are BILLA, MixMarkt and LIDL, and on the east side there is METRO and IKEA. In IKEA there is a restaurant. |
| Hotels | There aren’t any hotels around the airport. |
| Season | Most traffic is in summer especially around national holidays. Heat Haze can be a problem in summer. |
| Security | Spotting is tolerated and no issues. Do not take photos from military equipment parked on the apron. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 10L/28R | Used for almost all movements. RW 28R is mostly used for landings and 10L for take-offs. |
| 10R/28L | Grass used rarely for gliders, light GA, and occasionally military exercises. |
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Spot #1 – Visitor Terrace – Apron |
|---|---|
| WHERE | The terrace is on the second floor of the terminal. It is BEFORE security and open to the public. Just walk up the stairs next to the security check in the departure area. There will be signs saying “Terrasse”. Paid parking spaces are in front of the airport.
By public transport: To get to the terminal you have to use Bus 4. |
| WHAT | Apron and taxiway, landings to 10L and line-ups for 10L. It’s prohibited to take photos/videos from military equipment parked on the apron. |
| TIME | Not the best place for photography as the terrace face the sun for almost the whole day. |
| MISC. | Restaurants and restrooms are in the terminal building. The terrace has just a railing installed. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 24-105mm |
 |
Spot #2 – Fence – Apron |
|---|---|
| WHERE | From the terminal just continue southwards on Flughafenstraße. You can walk along the fence to find your favorite spot. By car: Either leave the car at the Airport parking or drive to the spot and leave your car next to the road.
By public transportation: You have to take bus line 4 to the terminal building and then walk from there. |
| WHAT | This spot is very nice to get some close-up pictures of airliners standing in the parking position. It is also very good for pictures of GA planes standing next to the fence. If you continue along the fence to a parking, you can see the police helicopters standing there. |
| TIME | Best in the morning hours. Backlit from noon until sunset. |
| MISC. | Toilet is found in the terminal building. Nothing around here. Ladder needed to avoid shooting through the fence mesh. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-170mm |
 |
Spot #3 – Hill – 28R/10L whole runway |
|---|---|
| WHERE | If you continue the little road from spot #2, you will see a hill on your left. Just go up there and find your favorite spot. Parking is available a by the roadside as marked on the map. |
| WHAT | The whole runway, taxiways, and the police helicopter. There is another helicopter hangar for Christophorus 11, east of the current location. The helicopter is normally standing in front of it. |
| TIME | Only usable in the summer mornings for the runway, taxiway is fine until noon. Backlit for the rest of the day. |
| MISC. | Toilet is found in the terminal building. Nothing around here. No ladder needed. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 150 – 250mm, for small GA aircraft like the DA42, a very long telephoto lens (up to 600mm+) is required due to the distance. |
 |
Spot #4 – Autobahn Tunnel – 28R landings |
|---|---|
| WHERE | The location is in between some fields, next to a tunnel below the Autobahn A2. From Graz direction: exit the highway at exit “Klagenfurt Ost” and drive straight until you reach Pokeritschstraße and turn left there. Drive under the Motorway and leave your car on the greenery. A2 from Klagenfurt direction: exit the highway at exit “Klagenfurt ✈️” then turn right and continue the road until you reach Pokeritschstraße and turn right there. Drive under the Motorway and leave your car on the greenery. You can just stay at your car or walk along the little road to the fence.
By public transport: You must take bus 5 to Klagenfurt Pokeritsch and the walk to the spot marked on the map along Pokeritschstraße. |
| WHAT | From this stop you can see all 28R landings. 10L take-offs are already a little bit too high. |
| TIME | Only usable in the summer mornings. Backlit for the rest of the day. |
| MISC. | Nothing around here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-200mm |
 |
Spot #5 – Metro – 28R Landings |
|---|---|
| WHERE | The spot is on a sidewalk between the IKEA and METRO Klagenfurt. Access is via Autobahn A2/A92 and and follow the METRO signs to the parking lot. You can stay anywhere on the sidewalk as preferred.
By public transport: You must take Bus 5 from the city center and DO NOT EXIT AT IKEA but stay in the bus, when it goes back to the direction of the city, exit at METRO (the first stop). |
| WHAT | All 28R landings. 10L take-offs are too high here. |
| TIME | Only usable in the summer mornings. Backlit for the rest of the day. |
| MISC. | Toilets in IKEA. You can buy food in the METRO. There is also a nice restaurant in IKEA. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-250mm |
 |
Spot #6 – Pischeldorfer Straße and Pokeritschstraße – 28R Landings |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This spot is no exact location as you can stand anywhere in this area, next to Pischeldorfer Straße or Pokeritschstraße as marked on the map. We recommend to leave your car at the METRO parking and follow the footpath to the spot.
By public transport: Take bus 5 and exit at the stop Klagenfurt Pokeritsch. Then follow the road to the direction of METRO and turn left to Pokeritschstraße. Take the first track left and walk until the fence. |
| WHAT | All 28R landings. 10L take-offs are too high here |
| TIME | In winter usable the whole day. During summer from early noon until late afternoon. |
| MISC. | Toilets in IKEA. You can buy food in the METRO. There is also a nice restaurant in IKEA. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm |
 |
Spot #7 – Kastrowitzer Straße – 28R Touch Down Zone |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This spot is along the airport fence at Kastrowitzer Straße, south of the runway. It’s a dead end road in an industrial zone. Parking is available by the roadside.
By public transport: take bus 5 and exit at Klagenfurt 1.-Mai-Gasse. Walk along the 1.-Mai-Gasse and turn right at the end. |
| WHAT | In general all runway movements can be spotted but best for 283 arrivals and departures. |
| TIME | In winter usable the whole day. During summer from early noon until late afternoon. |
| MISC. | Many shops and restaurants are at the interception of Pischeldorfer Straße and Kastrowitzer Straße. 2-3 steps ladder needed or shooting through the mesh. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-200mm |
 |
Spot #8 – Strauchgasse – 10L Touch Down |
|---|---|
| WHERE | The spot is in a corner at Strauchgasse, south of the airport, directly at the fence. Access is via Finkstrasse and parking is available just by the roadside. Pretty similar like the previous spot but for the other runway direction.
By public transport: Take bus 5 and exit at stop Klagenfurt Kastrowitzer Straße. Then walk along Pestalozzistraße and turn left ant the end. Then turn right to Strauchgasse and turn left again. |
| WHAT | In general all runway movements can be spotted but best for 10L arrivals and departures. View to the right is blocked by a noise reduction hill and a wooden watch tower. |
| TIME | In winter usable the whole day. During summer from early noon until late afternoon. |
| MISC. | Many shops and restaurants are at the interception of Pischeldorfer Straße and Kastrowitzer Straße. 2-3 steps ladder needed or shooting through the mesh. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm |
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