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November 29, 2015Salzburg W. A. Mozart Airport Spotting Guide
- last modified on March 14, 2022
Salzburg Airport is extremely busy on the weekends from December till March as the airport meets lots of charter flights in the winter time to and from the UK. But for the rest time of the year, there are only few flights operated by Austrian, flyDubai, Lufthansa, Eurowings and Turkish. Few years ago there were lots of Russian charter flights but there are almost gone now. Therefore you’ll sometimes have nice business jet surprises at Salzburg like Abramovich’s bandit B763 or Kuwaiti Government B748 – those are mostly parked infront of the tower, can be spotted from spot #1 (e. g.: the B737 BBJ example picture) quite well and can be seen on the WEBCAM.
There is just one runway and it’s offers many pictures opportunities. There is also an observation deck open on the roof of the terminal. Weather depends but there is usually snow in the winter time in this area, you must have luck to get sun. There is also the “Red Bull” museum with some interesting flights operated in the good days. The airport consists of a terminal located west of an oriented runway 15-33. There are no cargo flights but many business jets. In preparation of your upcoming trip you can download the timetable (including charterflights) at the homepage of the airport.
An important commercial centre just 10 minutes walking from the terminal buildings to the west offers food, shopping opportunities and also cheap motels.
Written by Cédric Valence, Severin Hackenberger, Daniel Sinn, Patrick Weis, Christoph Plank. (Last Update: March2022)
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| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 15/33 | 2.750 m (9.022 ft) |
| Terminals | Single Terminal for all operations |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | You need a huge ladder at many spots, check the particular MISC box to each spot below to receive detailed information. |
| Car/Public Transport | A car is advisable at Salzburg Airport, however, some spots are in easy walking distance from the terminal buildings or from a bus station which you can reach by public transport. |
| Restrooms | Restrooms are limited at Salzburg Airport, there are some publicy accessible buildings nearby some spots. |
| Drinks/Food | There is a McDonald’s in easy walking distance from the terminal buildings, it is located next to the Designer Outlets Salzburg Airport. |
| Hotels | There are a few hotels situated nearby the airport, the closest to the terminal are Hotel Salzburg, Airport Hotel Salzburg or ibis budget Hotel Salzburg Airport for example. |
| Season | Salzburg is definitely best to visit around New Year’s Eve, the winter schedule is full of ski charters from the UK, Russia, Germany, France or the Netherlands e.g. whilst the summer’s traffic is rather off-peak time. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 15/33 | Sometimes subject to the winds but very often, air traffic control directs planes into the airport, regardless of the wind’s direction. It is likely that airplanes take of and land from/to northern direction – mostly 15 arrivals and 33 departures as long as possible. |
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Observation desk on the roof of terminal
| WHERE | The spot is located on the official observation deck of the terminal. Its open from 9 till 10pm and is free of charge. There are now windows. |
| WHAT | It gives very good views on the ramp, taxiway and runway. |
| TIME | Light is good from noon till the evening. Fantastic night shots are possible there too. |
| MISC. | It’s possible to buy some food and there are toilets in the terminal. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Use 18mm for A319 at the front and 200mm on the runway. |
Long-term parking P3 at DC-3
| WHERE | Spot 2 is situated directly near the displayed DC-3 of Austrian Airlines. It is right on the large parking lot for holiday parkers. Please note that this long-term parking is not free of charge so you either have to pay for it to park directy on site or you have to park your car a bit off the beaten track. This spot is not far from Spot 3 but it offers a completely different angle |
| WHAT | From here you have a good view onto the airport’s apron and this spot also offers a nice runway view. However, the runway view is blocked at some parts with some obstacles disallowing a complete view onto the landing and take-off strip. Airplanes will taxi past this spot very closely so you might need a short lens if larger traffic comes past you. |
| TIME | You can use this spot from about 11am until sunset on winter days for runway views. However, due to different angles possible, spotting from here is actually possible the entire day. |
| MISC. | You must either have a ladder to take a look over the fence or take your photographs through the airport’s perimeter fence. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | B744 on apron = 38mm / B738 on runway at 90° = 210mm / parked B737-700 infront of you = 70mm |
Spotter mountain - all movements
| WHERE | At the corner of the taxiways and parking, there is a spotter isle where it’s possible to get fantastic shots. You’ll join by foot from the terminal along the fence, it takes about 10 minutes. With the sand mountain, you may take pictures over the fence. By car park at spot 2 or 4. |
| WHAT | You have a great view on the runway, the taxiway and the parking. |
| TIME | To the parking the light is good from the morning till 2PM, to the runway and the taxiway from noon till the evening. |
| MISC. | You will find everything you need inside the terminal. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | You‘ll use 18mm for B737-700 at the taxiway and about 150mm on the runway. |
Mehrgutweg/Perimeter Fence - 34 movements, taxiway
| WHERE | This is the most popular spot at SZG. From the terminal just walk along the fence to the left as to go to the small hill (spot #3). Continue along the perimeter fence until spot #4. You need 15-20 minutes. Possible access also by road and you can even park next to the location. You need a ladder to take pictures in optimal conditions. Otherwise it is possible to shoot through the mesh of the fence. Some stitches have also been widened in places. |
| WHAT | At spot #4 you see all runway 34 operations and you are just meters from the taxiway, so you’d be able to touch the planes! A wide angle lens is highly recommended for those kind of shots. |
| TIME | The light is ideal from noon till sunset. |
| MISC. | There is no toilet and no shop, if need go to the terminal. You need at least a 5-6 step ladder to clear the fence due to a new fence. Otherwise you can photograph with a smaller lense through the nearby crash gate. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Use 18mm for Dornier328 at taxiway and 120mm for a 320 on the runway. |
Kendlerstraße - 33 movements
| WHERE | The spot is located east of the runway, right the other way to Spot 4. It is very easy to get there: you can also quickly get there if you need to change your position. The spot is situation at the end of a small byroad from the Kendlerstraße. If you are coming from west and you pass the approach path of runway 33, the Kendlerstraße will slightly bend off left. There are aplenty of houses to the right of the street… Take the very first possibility to turn left (there are two traffic islands on this turn lane so just for your orientations). Drive down the street to its end and there you go. |
| WHAT | You can observe incoming planes into runway 33 as well as all departures on the same runway. Arrivals and departures onto runway 15 can be seen as well from here but not good for photography. |
| TIME | We recommend taking photos from here from sunrise to about 11am. |
| MISC. | You might need a ladder here. Please remember that you are in a residential area so behave appropriate. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | IL96: 180mm; Boeing 737 reversing: 180mm; A320 taking off: 90mm; Boeing 757: 165mm; Norwegian B738 taking off: 320mm; landing Fokker: 115mm |
Glannhofen - 15 movements, 33 deparutres
| WHERE | To get there from terminal, walk about 40min trough the runway’s tunnel or take the trolley bus to “Karolingerstasse”. Take the little street close of theOMV gas station and walk to the fence. If you arrive by car you can park in the gravel short before the meadow start or somewhere next to the neighbourhood (be aware of the “no parking” signs). You have a fence corner, one side is facing towards the approach sector for rwy 15, the other side is parallel to the runway. Bus Stop “Karolinger Straße” and then 5min walk. An Alternative is a bit further up at a crash gate. Update: March 2022: Parking is limited to 3 cars only! An alternative is the nearby OBI store. |
| WHAT | Touchdowns runway 15, Takeoffs runway 33 already in the air, long takeoff runs runway 33, taxiing aircrafts to runway 15, takeoffs runway 15 with the mountains in the background |
| TIME | The light is good from the morning till early noon. |
| MISC. | You need at least a 5-6 step ladder to clear the fence due to a new fence. OMV gas station is in 5min walking distance, there you can buy food and drinks. Dont’t park in the meadow or drive all over to the spot. Hangar 7 is a 12 minute walk. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 400mm for close-ups in the final and during touchdown. 120-200mm for the whole plane on touchdown. (A320, B737). 400mm for takeoffs rwy 15 with the mountains in the background. |
Kröbenfeldstraße - 15 movements, taxiway
| WHERE | The spot is located at the northern tip of runway 16. When you head up on Kröbenfeldstraße northwards, the road will snap off to the left once it is close to the taxiways. At this point, there is a lay-by right of the street, where you can stop your car. When coming from the terminal building, simply turn right from Christian-Doppler-Platz. Once you have done so, you have merged with Innsbrucker Bundesstraße. Take the next left immediately and you are on Kröbenfeldstraße already. Follow the street’s course for about 1km until the road snaps off. |
| WHAT | A good view onto taxying aircraft for a 15-departure as well as landing planes on runway 15. If you want to spot 15-arrivals with background you should stay here, but if you want pictures with just sky or sometimes mountains as background you should gonto spot #10. Furthermore, airplanes having landed on runway 33 usually vacate the runway at this point, coming along very close to you as well. You can also see planes departing runway 33 from here, however, smaller aircraft can already be high up at this spot. It actually covers all runway movements. |
| TIME | You can use this spot from about 10-11am until sunset. |
| MISC. | You can use the barrier to take yourself to a higher position (1,70cm bodyheight are enough to look through fence and barbwire). So at a little part of the fence no ladder is needed, but then just a limited part is “available” to spot from. If you want to take pictures from an other position at the fence you need at least a 5-6 step ladder to clear it.
Travelling there by public transport is possible limited only, you can use bus lines 180, 260, 913, 914 and 918 and dismount at Salzburg Airport (Kröbenfeldstraße) from where you have to walk another 11-15mins. Nothing nearby. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18-250mm B738 taxiing = 20mm / B738 on runway = 110mm |
View from the barrier:
*Newly installed holes in the new fence – MAR 2020 (thanks to Moritz Klöckner, who provided this picture)*
Siezenheimer Strasse - 15 Arrivals
| WHERE | This spot is located at the roadside of Siezenheimer Strasse around 50m just before crossing the A1 with a tunnel. Park your car inside the residental area or if you just stay here for a few miutes by the roadside. |
| WHAT | All arrivals on runway 15. |
| TIME | From sunrise till 10am in winter months and 12:30pm in summer days. |
| MISC. | No ladder needed. You’ll find a Lidl a few houndred meters away, but apart from that nothing here – take everything you need with you! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70 – 300mm A320 = 150mm |
Höglstrasse Hill - All activities on Runway 15/33
| WHERE | The spot is located east of the runway, nearby Spot #5. The spot is situated on a little dirthill just next to Höglstrasse. The easiest way to get here is to use Kendlerstrasse and to exit it to Höglstrasse, then follow this little street for about 200m. If you see the above mentioned hill on your left just park your car by the roadside and climb this hill. |
| WHAT | You have a good view onto runway 33 arrivals and departures. Bigger planes arriving/departing runway 15 are spotable, too. You can also see the taxiway behind the runway. |
| TIME | From sunrise till early midday. |
| MISC. | Nothing directly here except a restaurant called “Edelweiss”, which is located a few meters away (marked on the map); no ladder needed. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70 – 300mm B738 – taxiway = 250mm / A321 -Line-Up = 290mm/ B738 – runway = 120mm / B735 – runway = 140mm |
How the hill (you have to climb) looks like from the street:
View from the hilltop – you can shot between the bushes easily:
Dirtpath - Arrivals on RWY 15
| WHERE | The spot is located wst of the runway, nearby Spot #7. The spot is situated on a little field just next to Kröbenfeldstrasse. The easiest way to get here is to follow the A1 till exit 295 Siezenheim, then turn onto Kröbenfeldstrasse (underpass the A1 with a tunnel). After around 100m you can see a gate on your left and just next to it you can park your car (at the “parking area” the grass is already gone) . Then you can find your preferred position, this depends on the angle you like and the background (just the sky or with mountains in background). |
| WHAT | All arrivals on runway 15 and late rotates on runway 33. |
| TIME | From late afternoon/midday till sunset. |
| MISC. | Nothing really nearby and no ladder needed.
Travelling there by public transport is possible limited only, you can use bus lines 180, 260, 913, 914 and 918 and dismount at Salzburg Airport (Kröbenfeldstraße) from where you have to walk another 11-15mins. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 150 – 300mm |
Lilienthalstrasse - RWY15 line up and arrivals
| WHERE | Spot 11 is located directly along the fence on a field at the end of the Otto-von-Lilienthalstraße. Park your car at the end of the road and choose your favourite angle from there southwards along the perimeter fence. |
| WHAT | All arrivals for runway 15 and line up for the runway. |
| TIME | You can use this spot from about 11am until sunset on winter days for runway views. However, due to different angles possible, spotting from here is actually possible the entire day, especially for the line-up. |
| MISC. | A 2-3 step ladder is needed to clear the fence. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-200mm |
At Spot 6 south the parking spots are very limited due to material from the construction works next to it is stored in the meadow. There is space for a maximum of 3 cars now.
On busy days it´s better to park at OBI and walk the short distance to the spot.
Thanks for the hint, Tom. I have updated the guide.
-Julian
Is there a point accessible by bus where you do not need a ladder?For the morning.
Take a look on Spot Nr. 9. Bus Stop “Höglstraße” ist not far away and on the hill, you don’t need a ladder.
Thank you very much.I will go!
The new fence on spot 6 is the same as on spot 4 and 7, to clear the barbed wire, you need at least a ladder with 5-6 steps.
Thanks for the info Daniel!
-Julian
The new fence on spot 4 is so high, that you will need at minimum a 5 or 6 step ladder. Up to a medium lens diameter you can also shoot through the struts of the gate.
The shown parking space on the map for spot 6 is not legally reachable with the car. The road is closed for all traffic, except for acricultural vehicles and local residents. Parking in the neighbourhood is also not advisable as there are everywhere prohibitions for parking. You have to park somewhere further away and take a walk.
But I have also found a good spot slightly south of the spot “6”. You can park on the gravel short before the meadow begins and then walk about 1min to the airport fence. There a 2 to 3 step ladder is enough. The daytime for good light is similar to spot 6, but you will have a slightly more view from the front on the touchdown of the airplanes. About 150-300mm is enough for A320 and B737.
I am not able to attach a screenshot of that spot, but I would be happy if I can show it to the community.
Hi Daniel!
Thanks for the information and the update. Everything fine like this now?
-Severin
Hi Severin,
thanks for the fast update. Now it’s fine. I am already in contact with Julian
regarding photos from the “new” spot 6.
Greetings,
Daniel
Hello, good evening. I am the co pilot of N28ZD (GLEX). We landed yesterday at Salzburg and saw plane spotters clicking us. Is it possible if you could send me the photos. Thank you. Regards
Hello ajulian, thanks for your help. Keep up your good work.
Having visited SZG quite often in the past, but Not recently I want to go there in January. I know there was built a new fence. I am quite tall (1,90m) and sei myself if a 2 step ladder will be sufficient at spot #4. Thanks for your help and congrats to your great site.
Hi Mathias, our team member Severin was today at SZG and checked the new fence. Two steps should be fine.
Here is a photo of the new one:
-Julian