TLS Spot 1
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September 24, 2014Toulouse-Blagnac Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on October 13, 2025
Toulouse-Blagnac Airport (TLS/LFBO) is situated in southern France and only a short hop away from the wonderful city of Toulouse. The lovely southern-French city is not just a destination for many northern African carriers, it’s also home of Airbus and ATR. Astonishingly large hangars, filled with masses of brand-new Airbuses and new Prop-liner are all along the airport.
Toulouse is France’s fifth busiest airport with more than 7.8 Mio. passengers by 2024. The airport offers two runways which are slightly displaced. EasyJet, Volotea and Ryanair clearly dominates the Low-Cost traffic if not the entire traffic at Toulouse by linking the southern-french city with the capital or surrounding cities as well as the UK and Italy.
Flight schedule for the highlights can be found here.
Written by Marlin & Jonas Lehmann, Jérôme Viconneau, Ramon Jordi. Last update: October 2025, Spot 1 updated
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety |  |
| Photo Locations | |
| Weather |  |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 12L/30R | 4.000m (13,120ft) |
| 12R/30L | 4.000m (13,120ft) |
| Terminals | One terminal for all flights splitted into check in halls A, B, C and D. |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | 1-2 steps are needed at spots 2, 4, 5 and 6. |
| Car/Public Transport | Recommended. No infos about public transport. |
| Restrooms | Available at all publicly accessible buildings like restaurants or inside the terminal building |
| Drinks/Food | There are supermarkets nearby the airport and food is available inside the airport’s terminals |
| Hotels | There are many hotels nearby the airport belonging to all classes of categories. |
| Season | Toulouse Airport is best to be visited during spring or autumn. Please not, that Airbus suspends production and delivery during a certain time in August when the company has a short rest during few weeks in the summer. Airbus also recesses on national holiday days like Christmas or All Saints’ Day. Only Beluga aircraft are active on these days. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 14L/32R | Flights departing from terminals and freight flights (As long as they are parked up on the civil aviation ramp) are departing on this runway due to shorter taxi time. Flight arrivals differ on ATC’s order. |
| 14R/32L | Airbus and ATR test flights are departing and landing on this runway |
 |
Spot #1 – Spotting hill |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This is TLS most popular spotting location. The hill is located between spots 2 and 3. Follow the course of the road “Av. Latécoere” until the hill is visible. Update October 2025: they turned the hill into a parking and from now on you can park directly at the spot. View is still the same. |
| WHAT | Flight arrivals of runway 14R/32L can be observed from here as well as line-ups of the other runway which begins a few hundred meters beyond 14R. Airplanes being towed from the paint hangar to the main Final Assembly Line are coming along here and can be photographed perfectly. Airbus flights are taxiing right in front of the hill when RWY14s’ are in use. This hill offers an overview onto the Delivery centre as well. |
| TIME | From noon to sunset |
| MISC. | Heat haze can be a problem on hot days. A supermarket is not far from this point. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-400mm |
 |
Spot #2 – Delivery centre |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This spot is located at a lay-by of Av. Latécoere. Please note that parking is not allowed at this point but stopping for short time is possible of course. Google Maps: 43.636298, 1.346268 |
| WHAT | You can take photos of aircraft being parked up at the Final Delivery Centre or airplanes towed from the Deliver hangar to the gate. |
| TIME | Best light conditions are from at around sunset or during the afternoon. |
| MISC. | Spot 1 is right next to this lay-by. You can easily walk from Spot 1 down to the lay-by. It is safer to park the car at Spot 1. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18-200mm |
 |
Spot #3 – Approach path 14R |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This spot is at the roadside of Av. Latécoere. Check the map for its location or google maps at: 43.643732, 1.339033 |
| WHAT | This spot is suitable for ATR planes coming into land as your focal length at spot 1 might be not enough for smaller aircraft or heat haze destroys the picture. |
| TIME | From noon to sunset |
| MISC. | Aplenty of facilities are nearby such as supermarkets or petrol stations |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm |
 |
Spot #4 – Line-up 14R |
|---|---|
| WHERE | By following the course of Route de Toulouse from the terminals and you’re going along the runways, a stop at this point is it definitely worth. It is located on a former taxiway which is nowadays used as a lay-by. |
| WHAT | From this spot you can take pictures of all runway 14R movements. |
| TIME | Best light conditions are from sunrise until mid-morning or noon |
| MISC. | A small step is needed to clear the fence but latter is not really high. A mall is nearby.
AUG 2025: the airport fence is getting replaced by a higher metall fence. You cannot shoot thru the barbed wire anymore, you need a higher ladder to shoot above the wire now. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18-300mm |
 |
Spot #5 – Runway 14L Spot |
|---|---|
| WHERE | There is a fire rescue path or something like that right at the line-up bay of runway 14L which offers a good view onto Runway 14R and 14L. You are able to park directly at the location but there are “no passage” sings installed at the street from the terminal so it is up to you if you use a car or not.there are restricted. Otherwise park at the Ecopark 6 or take the bus from the terminal to Ecopark 6, where you can walk from to the spot. |
| WHAT | Arrivals of runway 14R as well as line-ups of runway 14L. |
| TIME | Best light conditions are from sunrise until mid-day |
| MISC. | Nothing around here.
AUG 2025: the airport fence is getting replaced by a higher metall fence. You cannot shoot thru the barbed wire anymore, you need a higher ladder to shoot above the wire now. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18-300mm – Airbus A330: 160mm; Airbus A320: 260mm |
 |
Spot #6 – Impasse Santos Dumont Crash Gate |
|---|---|
| WHERE | Follow “Aviation d’affaire” road signs and continue the main road till the end of the Impasse. The address is 21 Impasse Santos Dumont, 31700 BLAGNAC. At the end of the road there is a crash gate. Park somewhere close without blocking the gate! |
| WHAT | All aircraft taxiing for departure in runway 32R. 32R Line up. Landings on 32L and 32R |
| TIME | morning up to noon. During winter it is also possible to have Airbus aircraft line up in 32L but during summer, sun haze is too high. |
| MISC. | Nothing around here. No ladder needed as you can photograph through the gate. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-150 for taxiing 150-400 for landings |
 |
Spot #7 – Runway 32L Arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | Spot 7 is located at a big parking lot. It is the very same way until Spot 8, just exit the roundabout at its second exit and follow the street course until the big parking bay appears. Google Maps: 43.612619, 1.375174 |
| WHAT | Airplanes gliding down to runway 32L are perfectly visible from here. A fence prevents a view to the line-up bay. |
| TIME | Best light conditions are from noon until sunset. |
| MISC. | There is nothing special to mention at this spot. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm – Airbus Beluga: 75mm; Boeing 767: 100mm; Boeing 737: 105mm |
 |
Spot #8 – Runway 32R Arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | If you follow Chemin de la Crabe until the roundabout near the company Moog Sarl, a sandy parking bay will appear on your right. Google Maps: 43.612001, 1.378899 |
| WHAT | Approaching aircraft aiming landing for 32R. |
| TIME | Best light conditions are from noon until sunset. |
| MISC. | Park your car immediate at this spot. It is legal to park here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-300mm – Falcon Jet: 230mm |
 |
Spot #9 – Meadow – 32L arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This location is on an meadow next to the Route de Bayonne and a roundabout which is just before the A624. Park your car next to the entrance to a dog park and cross the road to reach that grassy area. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 32L only which is the major runway for the Airbus movements. |
| TIME | From morning up to noon. |
| MISC. | There are some trees spending shadow. A Carrefour supermarket and McDonald’s is just behind the position. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A320 = 190 mm; 757 = 140 mm |
Hello, I live in France and my son, age 13 loves watching planes, he follows them on flight radar and watches livestream videos on youtube from plane spotters. As a surprise I want to drive to Toulouse/Blagnac airport in the near future, my question is what’s the best spot to see planes?
I think spot 1 is the best to see appraoches or takeoffs. You can move back on slopes of the hill.
The whole area north of runway 14 is getting a new fence. You can no longer shoot through barb wire, since it has become the same material like the metal fence. So you will need a much higher ladder now, since you have to shoot over the new style of barb wire. Unfortunately no picture, but the whole area near the Aeroscopia is finished (Rue Franz Joseph Strauss) upto Rue Jacques Grangette. South of the Rue Jacques Grangette, new buildings are under construction as well.
I also used spot 6, no ladder needed here for air shots, when using the parking lot, you can stand on concrete blocks. For ground shots it is adviseble to use a ladder (i assume, since runway 32R was under maintenance 2 weeks ago.
Thanks, hint added.
Hello spotter-friends,
The latest update of Toulouse Blagnac is July 2021 (see above). Has there not been spotter-changes taken place since 2021? What about parking at the spotting hill? Are there new parking spaces (allowed?) near the hotel/restaurant) along the road? And what about new c.q. closing spotting- areas? Is spotting location no. 7 still existing?
It would be nice if local spotters could make/give an update of airplane-spotting around Toulouse Blagnac. Thanks a lot.
The parking spot on the Hill at Number 1 opens at 10 AM we noticed today..
Hello, do I have to request a permit to do spotting in this airport? I’m Spanish and I’ve heard that in France you have to request a permit or tell security what you are going to do and your name, ID… beforehand, Is it required here?
Thank you in advance
Hi ! No need for TLS/LFBO.
Amazing, thank you very much! 🙂
Hi,
Just recently visited TLS, Spot 5 & 6 i had issues with security/police moving me on. One person checked and was fine with me, the next person was not and moved me on, No consistency. Spot7 & 8 are almost useless currently as there is contruction work going on here.
Hi Mike, what exactly do you mean with spots 7&8 are “almost” useless? Are they completely gone or not?
Maybe you can clarify it 🙂
-Julian
So Spot 7 the parking is closed by a Wall idk why but u cant really take good pictures anymore there Spot 8 there is a fence and a Gate now where u cant get in.
Hello!
How about the weather in March? I’m planning a trip to TLS. Thank you!
Bonjour,
Je pense venir mi-octobre (du 14 au 15 octobre pour faire des photos d’avions mais est-ce qu’il y a beaucoup de vols test à ce moment là ?
Je viens de Belgique en avion exprès et j’ai pas envie de venir et qu’il n’y aie aucun mouvement 😅
Un grand merci à vous, bonne journée
Hello , spotting impasse santos dumont is now closed , its now an Airbus parking for airbus buses
Is the whole area closed for public or just the parking lot? Maybe you can stay at the crash gate instead?
-Julian
you can spot to crash gate but the parking is closed they will install barrier at parking and the acces is only for airbus
Good morning and thank you for this great guide.
Considering Spot #4, I took a look at googlemaps and I am asking myself, how can I use this spot without a ladder? As the road has a fence directly on both sides. Where is the “sweetspot”?
Thank you very much for your help 🙂