CPH-Spot1
Phoenix Sky Harbor Spotting Guide
January 1, 2013Copenhagen Kastrup – Spotting Guide
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- last modified on November 14, 2022
Copenhagen Kastrup Airport, the home of SAS, served 30 Mio. passengers in 2019 and is always worth a visit. You get some interesting airlines, which you won’t get this easy at any other airports in Europe like Air Greenland A330, Widerøe Dash or Atlantic Airways. Also Norwegian, DAT – Danish Air Transport are regular visitors in CPH, with Norwegian operating a large hub and the 2nd most flights after SAS. easyJet also has a strong presence and Ryanair has just started to start several routes from here.
It’s a little bit tricky to get to the spots because they are far apart from each other and a car can be very helpful here. Sadly parking is very difficult at some locations and public transport (or walking by foot from the terminal) is also a possibility. And keep in mind, Denmark is not the cheapest country to live and everything is pretty expensive.
Written by Julian Mittnacht, Marcus, Severin Hackenberger and Jan Seba. Last change: November 2022 (Spot 9 updated)
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| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 04L/22R | 3.600 m (11.811 ft) |
| 04R/22L | 3.300 m (10.827 ft) |
| 12/30 | 2.800 m (9.186 ft) |
| Terminals | |
| Terminal 1 | Domestic flights from Norwegian & SAS |
| Terminal 2 | International Flights of all carriers not in terminal 3 |
| Terminal 3 | International Flights of SAS and Star Alliance partner airlines |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not really needed. 1-2 steps are recommended at a few locations for ground photos but not mandatory as the fence is only 2 meters high. |
| Car/Public Transport | Car is recommended as locations are far apart and switching RWY will take very lon. But public transport is possible to spots 3,8,9, 10 and locations 1,2 and 6 are in walking distance from the terminals. |
| Restrooms | Gas stations and restaurants around the airport (see map) |
| Drinks/Food | McDonalds/Gas station (see map) and the Flyvergrillen (spot 3) |
| Hotels | All around the airport but very expensive. |
| Season | Best time is between May and September with more sunny days. Also due to the RWY direction summer is a favorable season, as there are great locations for the early morning and late evening. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 04L/22R | With 04 in use, this is the main landing RWY and with 22 in use it is the main departure RWY. |
| 04R/22L | With 22 in use, this is the main landing RWY and with 04 in use it is the main departure RWY. The A380 always use rwy 22L if this direction is active and not 22R as all other aircraft, except it is closed due to constructions or checks. |
| 12/30 | Not often in use. Mostly it is used for landings on 30 with strong NE winds and also if ships are blocking the 22 approach sector. |
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Parking Lots - 22L Arrivals (morning)
| WHERE | This spot is located on the north side of the airport and is next to the Long Term Parking Lots P17 (morning – afternoon) and P15 (evening). Its easy to find as there are signs showing you the way if you use the car. If you don’t have a car just use the shuttle bus to get to these spots. If you wanna walk (15 Minutes), exit Terminal 3 and follow the signs to Parking P12. Pass these until you will reach a roundabout. On the left hand side is a Statoil gas station and a McDonalds. Follow the ‘Kystevjen’ road along the SAS hangars to the right until you will reach the Parking Lot P15 first. You will see the planes on the left passing the ocean. Follow the road until you will see the signs for Lot P17. Cross the road and find a place along this unamend, dead end road. |
| WHAT | You will get 22L arrivals only. The location is pretty close to the threshold, so you don’t need a long length. There are many light poles, so you have to struggle with these a little bit. You can stay at the mainroad as well but IMO you are too close to the aircraft and you will get more belly like shots. |
| TIME | The parking lot is perfect for spotting in the morning until noon. |
| MISC. | There are no restrooms, benches, shops at this location. So please visit the facilities at the Statoil Station before you go to this location. You can use the shuttle bus to get there and return to the terminal if you need a restroom. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 130mm for an A320 and 85mm for an A343. |
Parking Lots - 22L Arrivals (evening)
| WHERE | Later the day, when the sun has turned, go back to parking Lot P15, which you passed before. Alternatively you can also spot directly from the street (2b) in the evening or the grasshill above (2a). |
| WHAT | You will get 22L arrivals only. The location is pretty close to the threshold, so you don’t need a long focal length. There are many light poles, so you have to struggle with these a little bit. The sample pictures below were taken from the pathway next to the street. |
| TIME | The location is perfect in the evening from around 5 PM. |
| MISC. | There are no restrooms, benches, shops at this location. So please visit the facilities at the Statoil Station before you go to this location. You can use the shuttle bus to get there and return to the terminal if you need a restroom. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 130mm for a B738 and 90mm for an A343 from the walkway next to the street, but you can also move closer or a bit further away. |
Pictures taken from 2a:
Pictures taken from 2b:
Flyvergrillen - 22R Departures, 04L Arrivals
| WHERE | This is the most famous spot in Copenhagen. The Flyvergrillen is a small restaurant, with some benches and tables outside. Its a popular place for the locals and you will find not only plane spotters there. If you don’t have a car use Bus 35 from the airport. If you have a car, use this address for your GPS: Amager Landevej 290, 2770, Kastrup Parking is available directly at the Flyvergrillen. |
| WHAT | Sadly this spotting location is only good in the afternoon but you will get enough action here as 04L/22R is one of the main runways in use. Either you get the planes taking off on 22R, or you see them passing by on the taxiway if 04L is in use for arrivals. The spot is pretty close to the Taxiway, so its a little bit tricky to catch the big birds while they are rolling by. Then a ladder can be helpful as the bushes are pretty high, otherwise you can see them on your pictures. You can also get the 22L arrivals at this place as the planes exit the runway usually exactly opposite of the grill. But a long lense is needed and you have to struggle with heat distortion and this ist probably only good for the heavies. With 04 in use you can also shoot the departures on the taxiway very late in the evening when the heat haze is gone. |
| TIME | Only okay in the afternoon (depends on the time of the year) |
| MISC. | You get everything you need at the Flyvergrillen! No ladder needed as the terrace here clears your view (take a look at the overview linked below to get some visual evidence). |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 20-300 mm, 140mm for the B738 on the RWY. 300mm for an A320 on the taxiway between the runways and 240mm for the B773 on the RWY 04R on takeoff. 250mm for the GRN A330 turning after landing on 22L. |
Tømmerupvej - 04L Arrivals
| WHERE | This one is placed next to the approach lighting system of 04L. If you start at the Flyvergrillen, make a left turn into the ‘Tømmerupvej’ and stay on this road for 4,5 km until you have reached the end of the runway, so follow it until you see an empty area on the left (check the map). Do not park your car in the area, as this is private property and will cause problems with the police. There is a small grass strip in front of one of the ‘Parking prohibited’ signs, on which it is still allowed to park. There is space for about 3-4 cars here. For shooting you can move along the road, but stay close to it and do not go onto private property. For those who know the location from the past: The overhead power lines are gone! You can get to the location by bus, but the bus only comes every 1-2 hours. |
| WHAT | Only good for Arrivals of 04L. |
| TIME | Light is good in the morning until noon. |
| MISC. | Its in the middle of nowhere so you will get nothing here. Try to use the facilities at the Flyvergrillen before you get here or visit one of the supermarket or gas stations which you have passed before. Behave and smile to others who live there that spotting remains tolerated at this point. Danish always say ‘hej’ by courtesy and in deference to you – greet them back. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 180mm for an A320 and 85mm for a B773. |
Tømmerupvej - 04L Arrivals
| WHERE | The location is found along the Tømmerupvej right next to (or behind) a bus stop. It is prohibited to park anywhere along the street, so turn into the side road Nøragersmindevej and park on the left side of the road between the road and walkway. Alternatively you can also go a bit further and park in the Tillburg Alle. From there just walk to the bus stop and you can spot from here. The bus only comes every 1-2 hours, so you won’t disturb anyone here. This also means that this it is difficult to get to and from this location with public transport and you would need to plan your journey in advance. |
| WHAT | Only good for Arrivals of 04L. |
| TIME | Good photo location in the evening from around 5:30 PM. |
| MISC. | Its in the middle of nowhere so you will get nothing here. Try to use the facilities at the Flyvergrillen before you get here or visit one of the supermarket or gas stations which you have passed before. Behave and smile to others who live there that spotting remains tolerated at this point. Danish always say ‘hej’ by courtesy and in deference to you – greet them back. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 180mm for an A320 and 110mm for an A343. |
Cargo Area - 04R Departures
| WHERE | Its located pretty close to Spot 1 and Parking Lot P17. Just follow the road until you will see an big, empty parking area. Turn right here and park in the middle of the place. Stay next to your car as its private parking. |
| WHAT | If you don’t have a ladder and want to get the 04R departures, this is the place to be. Smaller aircraft are already a little bit too high at this spot, but its okay for the heavies. You will see the aircraft very late as the cargo building is on your left side and obstructs a view of the runway. So be always ready to make your picture and listen to the aircraft sound. |
| TIME | Best in in the morning hours until noon (depends on the time of the year). |
| MISC. | There are no restrooms, benches, shops at this location. So please visit the facilities at the Statoil Station before you go to this location. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 200-400 mm |
Dortheasmindevej - 22R Departures
| WHERE | If you come from any direction, go the same way as set out at Spot 3 just follow the street course for about 600m and turn left into Dortheasmindevej. Follow the street for about 300m and a horse ranch will appear on your left. Choose a suitable and comfortable place for you. |
| WHAT | Heavy departures from runway 22R are visible from here, we can recommend this spot for the Air Greenland A330 departures which is at 09.00am every day. Air Greenland is usually on time so do not bid for delay if you are late. The runway is visible as well in the distance making it possible to prepare for it. |
| TIME | From sunrise until noon. |
| MISC. | There is nothing to mention at this spot. Behave and smile to others who live there that spotting remains tolerated at this point. Danish always say ‘hej’ by courtesy and in deference to you – greet them back. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300 mm – Airbus A330: 280mm; Boeing 737-800: 310mm |
Magleby - Line-up 04R, 22L deparutres (rare)
| WHERE | To get here, you have to drive into the town Magleby and turn left at the big crossing (if you are coming through the tunnel). Follow the road almost until the end and turn left before the road turns to the right. Park your car next to the airport fence here or on the small grass area on the left side. Do not drive straight through to the spot, as driving there is prohibited. Instead take your ladder (3 steps should suffice to shoot through the wires, 4 steps to shoot over) along the paved path until you reach a convexity in the fence.Take up location here. When the sun goes around more, you can also go further along the fence to have better light on lineup.
By public transport take bus 250S from Amagerbo Station (city center) or bus 35 from the Airport Terminal and exit at Store Magleby station. From there it is a 8 minutes walk. |
| WHAT | You will get the line-ups using the last taxiway onto RWY 04R. These are mostly heavy aircraft or those flying a long distance (for example to the Canaries). Around 30% of the aircraft would enter the runway via the entrances before the final two, including all turboprops, half of the European narrow-bodies, and even some wide-bodies flying long-haul. Sadly sometimes even heavies like Qatar can take a taxiway earlier onto the RWY, but this is rare as well.
Sometimes also smaller aircraft flying short distance come here in (arriving on runway 04R as the SAS ATR example shot), but that’s a rare occasion. In the rare case 22L is in use for departures you can also photograph them from here but move a bit back towards Amagermuseet to avoid a belly shot so close to the aircraft. But A380 always departure on 22L if southern winds! |
| TIME | Runway: Sunrise till later noon. Line-Up: Late morning till afternoon. |
| MISC. | There is nothing here. 1-2 steps recommended to use but the fence is only around 2.2m high, so you can hold your camera high and view from the foldable LCD screen. You might face strong heat haze at this location, especially in summer around noon and if the winds are too calm. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 150mm for a B738 and 75mm for a B773 from the marked spot. |
Fence - 22R Departures
| WHERE | This spot is located right along/at the airport fence. It can easily be reached from “Englodsvej”, where you can park your car by the roadside. Then just follow the dirtpath into “tunnel-direction” for about 100 meters By public transport take bus 250S from Amagerbo Station (city center) or bus 35 from the Airport Terminal and exit at Store Magleby station. From there it is a 20 minutes walk. |
| WHAT | Good for 22R departures. |
| TIME | From sunrise until later noon/2:30 roughly. |
| MISC. | There is nothing here. No snack posibilities nearby, therefore visit Dragor or similar villages. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300 mm |
Field - Touchdown 04L
| WHERE | The spot is at the airport fence along the Tømmerupvej, a dirt road in the fields. Unfortunately it is strictly forbidden to enter the dirt road with your car. Police passes by regularly, so it might be clever to park your car in the village of Store Magleby at the Strøbyvej and walk to the spot at the fence. In general you can stand anywhere along the fence between this spot and number 9. Don’t park at the riding club as your car might be towed.By public transport take bus 250S from Amagerbo Station (city center) or bus 35 from the Airport Terminal and exit at Store Magleby station. From there it is a 20 minutes walk. |
| WHAT | You can get all touch downs on 04L. Nothing else. |
| TIME | From early morning until noon. |
| MISC. | There is nothing here. 1-2 steps recommended to use but the fence is only around 2.2m high, so you can hold your camera high and view from the foldable LCD screen. There is absolutely nothing here, so bring whatever you need. Sometimes police will approach you. So carry your ID and smile.. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 80 mm for A330 and 150 mm for A320 |
New info regarding spot 9!
Hello! Yesterday I was informed kindly by the farmer who owns the field just by the fence that we unfortunately can’t use the field for spotting. The reasons is, it is private property and the farmer also hunting on the field so that may disturb when all of the spotter is on his field. So unfortunately it’s forbidden ): He told me that we can use the dirt road just outside of the field and spot 10.
Regards Victor
It sucks. That was a top notch spot for the Air Greenland and sunset departures. Certainly will be spotters continuing going there but hope the farmer doesnt hunt them ahhah
Yeah it was an awesome spot, but the dirt path works fine tho, just requires a longer focal length
Thanks for the feedback Victor. I have updated the Spot 9 on the guide. Is it possible that you send us some photos from the dirt path please.
-Julian
Awesome! Yeah i’ll send you some pictures from the dirt path next time i’m around 🙂
Regards Victor
Hi Julian!
Do you have any info regarding the usage of the runway in front of spot 3 (The Flyvergrillen)? I had a look over Flightradar these days and I saw it was very rarely used or not used at all.
Thanks much!
That sounds strange? This runway is statistically the most used runway for takeoffs (as 22R), and in addition it is the default runway for landings (as 04L) when there are northerly winds.
For example, 69.2% of all takeoffs in January were from that runway and 22.4% of all landings (there were quite some days with northern winds). The airport provides a lot of such statistics at https://cph.flight-analyzer.casper.aero.
Thank you so much for the info. Will have a look.
Hello!
i am a spotter here in Copenhagen and i have a bit of info about Winter spotting 🙂
Spot #9 works good until about 2:35PM after that you can still choose to stand there but the sun will be a little bit more in the favour for other side and the same with spot #1 and #6
Best Regards Tobias Green
Hi Tobias,
thanks, I just updated the guide.
-Severin
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so please just send an email if you are interested in helping me, it will only take like 5 to 10 min.
thanks for reading…👍
shit wrote my name in
and again hahahaha I am very dumb
Hi， What is the bus station’s of No.3 spot place. Does this place need ladder?
Hi there!
Bus stop is a bit to the west and named “Østbirk Allé (Tømmerupvej)”. Spot was added on the map now as well.
Spot doesn’t need a ladder as there is a higger terrace which clears your view: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Flyvergrillen/@55.6137557,12.6299332,3a,90y,150.8h,91.61t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipOl69G5h-w9FiBY-ua1koLpr8Hjpf_-bfYJ_LE!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOl69G5h-w9FiBY-ua1koLpr8Hjpf_-bfYJ_LE%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-10-ya10.999999-ro-0-fo100!7i7680!8i3840!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x4cfa823d741b22a0!8m2!3d55.613849!4d12.630012
Overview also added now.
Hope this helps,
Severin
Thank you so much! It’s really helpful!
Spot #8 is also good for takeoffs from 22L. Those are of course rare and normally only happen when 22R/04L is closed (such as for runway check) – but there is one significant exception: the A380 can only use 22L/04R and not 22R/04L. So with southerly winds, which is the most common wind direction at Kastrup, the A380 takes off from 22L – and from here you see it coming towards you while climbing and retracting landing gears. No zoom needed. You should perhaps move a bit back towards Amagermuseet to avoid a belly shot so close to the aircraft.
On days with northerly winds, the A380 will of course line-up here for a 04R departure just like all others.
Thanks for this useful info Daniel. I have left a note in the guide.
-Julian
Given the option which would be better for a day visit Copenhagen or Oslo? I live outside Europe so hope to see plenty of variety. Thanks.
Hi David!
Totally depends on your wishes (fav. aircraft and airline), but CPH might offer easier spotting and more different airlines due to its location.
Regards, Severin
Thanks Severin!
Thinking CPH might be better, especially as I won’t have a car.
Hey! My father is landing on his last trip 7 AM on Sunday. I would be greatful if someone can help capture his last landing. Spotter will be rewarded after closer agreement. Please reach out if you are available.
Going to Copenhagen Thursday Jan 5. Where is the best place to spot the A380? Arr 12:20, dep 14:20 – these are the correct? Thank you!