The „Blue Danube Airport Linz“ (LNZ/LOWL) is a small regional airport as well as a military airbase, situated in Upper Austria. In 2017 the airport was frequented by about 400.000 passengers. Linz airport has in the past also focused on air freight and has become the largest regional airport in Austria in that regard.

Traffic especially during the winter months is somewhatlimited with mainly connecting flights to the large hubs of Frankfurt, Vienna and Düsseldorf. The flights areoperated by Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines with smaller aircraft (mostly Embraer, CRJ, Dash 8). Ryanair operates a flight to London the whole year around. Cargo flights are also operated the year round (DHL), but mostly in the early morning or late in the evening. Traffic picks up in spring and during the summer months with holiday flights to different destinations in Europe and Northern Africa. Carriers typically include Austrian Airlines, Eurowings and Lauda Motion as well as other smaller airlines. Expect to see mostly A319/20/21 and B737 and only very rarely wide body aircraft. The airport is also regularily visited by private traffic, ranging vom C152 to business jets. As the airport is owned by the military and used as an airbase, there are also different military aircraft to spot (Saab 105, C 130, Agusta-Bell 212, sometimes Eurofighter Typhoon). Between April and October, Turkish Cargo runs flights on Thursday (A330) and Sunday (777).

Written by Jürgen Bollhorst and Daniel Sinn. Last Update: April 2020

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Airport Information
Runways
08/26	3.000m Concrete
Terminals	Handles all incoming and outgoing traffic, including scheduled flights or general aviation.
Spotting Information
Ladder	There are spotter holes in the fence all around the airport. A ladder is nevertheless recommended for most spots (check spot descriptions below).
Car/Public Transport	Some spots are in easy walking distance from the terminal building. A car is advised, although public transport is available that will at least get you in the vicinity of most of the spots.
Restrooms	Available inside the terminal or nearby restaurants.
Drinks/Food	Available inside the terminal or nearby restaurants/snack stores as well as inside the supermarket (near spot #4).
Hotels	There are a few smaller Hotels available mostly to the south of the airport but not directly at the airport – car highly recommended.
Season	The best time to visit is from April/May to October; not a lot of traffic from November to March. Details are available on the airport homepage.
Runway Usage
08/26	Used in both directions for all traffic.

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	Spot #1 – Airport terrace
WHERE	This spot is the Airport terrace, which offers a great view without any glass and is located on the rooftop of the terminal. It can be reached easily via the stairs from inside the terminal. If you’re coming by car, you can park it directly in front of the terminal (take care not to use the lanes reserved for busses and taxis). Opening hours daily between 6:00 and 23:00, no fee. The terrace is usually closed during winter if it is icy or snowy.
WHAT	Aircraft taxiing to and from the gate, take-off and landing-shots are possible. Nightshots are also possible from this position.
TIME	Morning and late afternoon/evening; backlighting during the day.
MISC.	Heat haze is a problem in summer months! Snacks and toilets are available inside the airport facilities.
FOCAL LENGTH	70 – 400mm

	Spot #2 – Lindenlacher Strasse
WHERE	Leave the car at the airport as driving is prohibited for the general public. “Lindenlacher Strasse” can be reached by foot from the airport terminal (about 5 to 10 minutes, depending where exactly you wanna spot on “Lindenlacher Strasse”). Along the fence there are several spotter holes available, but a ladder is nevertheless recommended – especially if you’re coming for a highlight.
WHAT	Arriving and departing aircraft taxiing on the apron or along the taxiway. Nightshots are possible from this position (through spotter holes in the fence). All in all, you can see all activities on the apron and the western taxiway from/to the apron.
TIME	From sunrise till late morning, depending on the angle. Nightshots of course all the time in the dark.
MISC.	Terminal nearby, where you can find restrooms and stores to buy some food/drinks. Ladder might be useful.
FOCAL LENGTH	24 –  300mm

	Spot #3 – Fence
WHERE	There are four photo holes installed in the south/east corner of the perimeter if you follow down the farm track from #2 in ~5/10 minutes. Cars aren’t allowed here, too.
WHAT	All arrivals on runway 26 as well as backtracks before departure on runway 26 and after arrival on runway 08. Sometimes you can spot “late rotaters” on runway 08, too.
TIME	In the early morning hours or in the late evening hours. Spot isn’t really useful from November till February, but this depends on your exact position.
MISC.	Terminal is the nearest possibility, where you can find restrooms and stores to buy some food/drinks. Ladder not needed as there are three photo holes.
FOCAL LENGTH	70 – 300mm

	Spot #4 – Dead end road
WHERE	Situated at the south side of the airport, it is about a 15 minutes drive from the airport terminal. Parking is no problem, as there is no traffic. There are again several spotter holes in the fence, but a ladder is recommended – especially if you’re coming for a highlight.
WHAT	Landing aircraft runway 08 (photos of aircraft in the air and touching down are possible). Departing aircraft runway 08 (head on shots of aircraft taxiing on to the runway and side shots while backtracking and accelerating). Landing aircraft runway 26 (side shots of aircraft while leaving the runway via the opposite taxiway). Departing aircraft runway 26 (photos of aircraft in the air – take care to move away from the fence, especially if aircraft are backtracking, in order to get a good angle and avoid belly shots).
TIME	In winter all day, in summer from late morning till early evening – depending on the exact time of the year!
MISC.	Ladder might be useful. Snacks can be found in the nearby “Almi” or the villages around the airport as well as at the marked Snack stores a bit to the east from here (see the map for exact information).
FOCAL LENGTH	70 – 500mm (if you are interested in small GA traffic)

	Spot #5 – Field
WHERE	About 5 minutes drive from the airport terminal. Cars have to be parked at the intersection to the main road, as there is no traffic allowed. Parking space is limited. You need to walk around the new DHL building to the location as marked on the map.
WHAT	Landing aircraft runway 08 (photos of aircraft in the air and touching down are possible). Departing aircraft runway 08 (side shots while backtracking and accelerating). Landing and departing (photos of aircraft in the air – take care to move away from the fence, especially if aircraft are backtracking, in order to get a good angle and avoid belly shots) aircraft runway 26.
TIME	In the early morning hours or in the late evening hours. Spot isn’t really useful from November till February, but this depends on your exact position.
MISC.	Terminal is the nearest possibility, where you can find restrooms and stores to buy some food/drinks. There are five photo holes in the fence but a ladder is recommend to have a better sight. Parking possibilities (as said) limited! Please don’t step on the nearby field as the farmer is everything else than spotter friendly.
FOCAL LENGTH	24 – 300mm