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September 24, 2014Toulouse-Blagnac Airport Spotting Guide
- last modified on December 1, 2021
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 9 Mio. passengers by 2019. The airport offers two runways which are slightly displaced. EasyJet 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 July 2021.
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| 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 |
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Spot #1 – Spotting hill |
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| 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. You can´t park your car right on top of the hill anymore, instead leave it at the restaurant Le Vingtième Avenue or at spot 2 and walk up the hill. |
| 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 |
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- Way up from parking.
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- View of the runway/taxiway (car parking below)
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- View to the right
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Spot #2 – Delivery centre |
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| 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 |
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Spot #3 – Approach path 14R |
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| 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 |
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Spot #4 – Line-up 14R |
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| 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. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18-300mm |
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Spot #5 – Runway 14L Spot |
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| 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. | A small step is needed to clear the fence but latter is not really high. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18-300mm – Airbus A330: 160mm; Airbus A320: 260mm |
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Spot #6 – Impasse Santos Dumont Crash Gate |
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| 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! The former parking location next to it is inaccessible now (July 2021). |
| WHAT | All aircraft taxiing for departure in runway 32R. 32R Line up. All private aircraft and business jets. 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. | A small step is needed to clear the fence but latter is not really high. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-150 for taxiing 150-400 for landings |
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Spot #7 – Runway 32L Arrivals |
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| 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 |
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Spot #8 – Runway 32R Arrivals |
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| 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 |
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Spot #9 – Meadow – 32L arrivals |
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| 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!
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 🙂
Hello,
Is there test flights in weekends or absolute calm?
From what was said this week on an Airbus tour, it seems Sunday is the only day there is nothing going on.
Can you park near the Hill?
Hi John,
Please see description of spot #1 (“Where”). Those are the only ones we currently know off. If you find parking options closer to the hill during your visit, we’d be happy to hear about it!
Thanks,
Thomas
Was up there today, and you can still park on the side of the road near the radar tower just before the place you used to turn on to the rough ground.
Hello and good morning to you all. Gonna stop for 2.5 days in TLS bound to NTM2019 at Mont de Marsan. Any news about the spots? Is the hill really closed? What is your oppinion for the best morning spot when the rwy in service is Rwy32? Thank you in advance. See ya 😉
Hi Carlos, we have no infos that the hill is closed. The only thing that have changed that you can´t drive up with the car anymore. Walking is still possible.
-Julian
I confirm that. Hill is possible by foot 😉
Hola! Voy a ir los días 18 y 19 (sábado y domingo). Que día es mejor? El domingo hacen pruebas?
I have seen on forum’s that the hill is no longer useable. Can anyone tell me if that is true?
Thanks
What we know is that you can’t drive up the hill with your car anymore but its still possible to get up there.
-Julian
Hope to visit Toulouse in early December, and I have a few questions concerning the spotting conditions.
1) At what hour does the sun set in Toulouse in December?
2) Is the aviation museum near the airport open in winter?
3) What are the chances to catch some helicopter landing/takeoff operations at Toulouse Blagnac? (I assume spot #9 would be suitable for that?)
4) Maybe someone is aware of any other places in or around the city of Toulouse where there are active helicopter movements? (right now I have only found the medical helicopter station at Purpan hospital, I wonder if it is accessible to photograph parked and/or landing/taking off helicopters over there)
Any hints on the above items would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Venom I can help you with the sun set only. For the exact time use https://www.sunearthtools.com. In our FAQ you can see how it work https://www.spotterguide.net/useful-tips/
Keep in mind that the light begins to be okay from noon in December.