DUS-Spot2
Düsseldorf Intl. Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on September 25, 2026
Düsseldorf Airport is the fourth busiest airport in Germany with 19 Mio. passengers in 2023. Due to Covid 19, DUS lost nearly all of the first class long-haul routes, but is slowly recovering. If you are looking for variety of airlines Düsseldorf is a nice place. Eurowings has a big hub Düsseldorf. TUI, SunExpress, Corendon and Condor offer a high amount of touristic destinations. Emirates, Etihad, Qatar and Condor (Winter) offer long-haul flights on regular basis. The airport is restricted in its operations from 06:00AM to 23:00PM.
Düsseldorf was used to be one of the spotter friendliest airports in Germany, but unluckily this changed during the last years: no regularly opened terrace, no phototours and no super easy spotting along the fence anymore as some spotters misbehaved and since then security and co are not as tolerant with us as some years back.
Written by Daniel Kramm, Severin Hackenberger and Marcus (some pictures provided). Last change: September 2026 – 6 updated
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety | |
| Photo Locations | |
| Weather |  |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 05R/23L | 3.000m (9.842ft) asphalt |
| 05L/23R | 2.800m (9.240ft) asphalt |
| Terminals | |
| Terminal A | Star Alliance, Asian-Carriers, Eurowings |
| Terminal B | Schengen |
| Terminal C | Non-Schengen |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Needed especially at the summer evening spots. See descriptions below. Ladders are tolerated by the airport authority but don’t put it too close to the fence and don’t touch the fence. Detectors are installed and otherwise security will join you… |
| Car/Public Transport | Car is needed to get to the summer afternoon positions but almost all positions are within walking distance from the terminal or train station. |
| Restrooms | Only inside the terminal and train station |
| Drinks/Food | McDonald’s, several restaurants and REWE supermarket are located inside the terminal. Around the airport there are some supermarkets, gas stations and another McDonald’s. Only reachable by car. |
| Hotels | Maritim Hotel and a Sheraton are directly at the airport terminal. But there are dozens of other hotels around the airports boundaries. |
| Season | March to October suggested. In winter all nothern positions will be unusable because of backlit |
| Runway Usage | |
| General Info | Since the COVID pandemic, runway operations changed majorly. These days, DUS operations are only handled on the southern runway, the northern one is closed for now. From SFP 24 on, the airport will decide monthly again and may open the northern runway again. The “Airport CDM” App for Google and Apple provides the exact departure runway in advance for each flight. |
| 05R/23L | Arrivals and departures. |
| 05L/23R | Arrivals only – closed since the COVID pandemic. |
Observation Deck Terminal B - All runway moments, taxiway, ramp
| WHERE | +++ As of September 2023, the terrace at Düsseldorf Airport remains closed until further notice. As per airport company, it needs new installations such as glass or similar to meet the latest safety regulations. However, there is severe cost involved and hence nothing happens at the moment. Please check the official website. +++ |
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| TIME | |
| MISC. | |
| FOCAL LENGTH | |
Carpark P7 - 05R/23L all movements
| WHERE | When you are coming from inside the terminal proceed to the very end of terminal A and follow the signs to carpark P7. Take the elevator to the upper deck, level 8, and walk to the other end of the garage. The barrier is lowered from some point and no ladder is needed. You can also enter the carpark with your car but you have to pay around 25 Euros a day. Please stick to the closure and don’t leave waste since its a rising problem at every position.
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| WHAT | The spot is best for all runway movements on 05R/23L as you are almost in the middle of the runway. Also taxiway photos to and from 23L are possible. Runway 05L/23R is in sight but very far. Furthermore you can photograph the apron where most Eurowings planes are parked.
Since a hangar has been torn down, you can spot aircraft from stand Alpha 01-09 without any obstruction. Nightshots of aircraft taxxing to Runway 05/23 are also possible but the apron is rather dark and far away. |
| TIME | You can start shooting here from sunrise, but turns backlit from afternoon on. Due to the distance, heat is a serious problem here and we recommend this spot only in the morning hours. During hot and calm summer days its almost impossible to photograph from here without distortion. But in winter you will have less problems. |
| MISC. | Facilities available inside the terminal. The garage is run by APCOA and it is private property. Behave properly and don’t left any rubbish there or destroy anything. Otherwise this location will be a no go area in the future! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100 – 400 mm |
View onto Apron A after the destruction of the old hangar:
Skytrain Stairs / Police Hangar - taxiway for departures 23L
| WHERE | Follow the Frachtstraße to the very end. You will find a stair next to the skytrain station. You can park your car here if you are only staying for a short time. For longer visits please us the official train station parking lot. If you are arriving with the skytrain from the terminal take the elevator to the lowest floor. Leave the building until you reach the mentioned stairs Spot 3A. DON’T ENTER THE STAIRS THROUGH THE EMERGENCY DOOR AT THE END OF THE SKYTRAIN PLATFORM!!! You can also spot from the fence Spot 3B. From the stairs go ~200 meters on the Frachtstraße until you see the building of the police helicopters, where you have to go right between the bushes to the fence. To spot over the fence a little 2 step ladder is needed, without a ladder, you can climb up a tree next to the fence. |
| WHAT | Spot 3A: it is a great spot in the morning for planes taxiing to runway 23L. Apart from this some aircraft departing runway 05R lowly can be spotted as well. Sometimes you might also be lucky, so you can spot late vacators of runway 05R. Be prepared, that you can’t see any approaching airplanes till touchdown on 23L. This spot is also very attractive for nightshots. Special visitors will be parked just in front of the spot. Spot 3B: this one is better than spot 3A to photograph the 23L arrivals. It’s a nice spot for late vacators of Runway 05L and 05R, for Arrivals and Departures on Runway 23L and for Aircrafts taxiing to Runway 23L and 23R. |
| TIME | Depends on what you photograph but you can start shooting here from sunrise, but turns backlit from afternoon on. In winter its fine all day long. |
| MISC. | Restrooms are avaliable in the train station on the mezzanine floor, which is acessable by the same elevator or staircase, where you came from. Food and drinks are avaliable in the Terminal, where you can get by the SkyTrain from the train station. Like everywhere, do not touch the fence, otherwise the airport security may join you because of detectors attached to the fence. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 777 (Landing 23L)~160mm 737 (Taxiing 23L)~190mm A340 (Late vacation 05R)~120mm |
Spot 3A “Staircase”
Spot 3B “Police Hangar”
Tiefenbroicher Weg - 23L arrivals
| WHERE | Park your car as marked on the map on the left at the “Lichtenbroicher Baggersee” directly after the tunnel of the autobahn or enter the footpath from the railway station. Follow the path Tiefenbroicher Weg until you reach t-corner at the perimeter fence. Due to ongoing constructions in this area, parking is limited but still possible. You can either use the offical parking lot at the railway station for a fee. Otherwise there is free parking for 24h available along the Tiefenbroicher Weg, next to the office buildings. Just look for the parking signs. During weekdays difficult to find an empty lot. |
| WHAT | Landings on runway 23L only. There are gaps between the trees where you can take the photo, but you will have just 1-2 seconds. |
| TIME | You can start shooting here from sunrise, but turns backlit from afternoon on. |
| MISC. | A 2 step ladder is recommend (especially for heavies) to avoid the fence in your photos but put it on the path and not on the fence, otherwise you will get the airport securities attention. The nearest facilities are inside the railway station. There’s nothing at this spot, bring with you what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 125 mm for A320, 70 mm for B747 |
Tiefenbroicher Weg - 23L arrivals
| WHERE | Same as Spot 4, just follow the perimeter fence until you reach your favorable position on the opposite site. Shortest way with car is from parkspot at the “Kalkumer Schloßallee”. |
| WHAT | Landings on runway 23L only. |
| TIME | In the summer only from afternoon to sunset |
| MISC. | You need a ladder but don’t put it right next to the perimeterfence, otherwise you will get the airport securities attention. Here is absolutely nothing so bring what you need and take it also back with you. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 125 mm for an A320, 70 mm for a 747 |
Railroad Tracks - 23L/R arrivals
| WHERE | Park your car at an entrance to the forrest next to the “Kalkumer Schloßallee”, but the lots are limited.Follow the path through it, cross the bridge and at the crash gate turn left. Keep on the crushed stone path until the railroad tracks. |
| WHAT | Best for 23L arrivals and head up shots for all 23R. |
| TIME | In the summer only from afternoon to sunset |
| MISC. | No ladder needed, Here is absolutely nothing so bring what you need and take it also back with you. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50 – 200 mm |
Crash Gate - 23R arrivals and 23L/05R
| WHERE | Use the same direction as described above but continue right at the crash gate/bridge on the crush stoned path for a couple of meters. |
| WHAT | Best for planes on short final for 23R or lining up for departure (rare). 05R/23L arrivals and departures can also be seen with longer focal length (see (WOW A321, OS A320 and IA 738). |
| TIME | In the summer only from afternoon to sunset. Be aware of heat distortion on the southern runway. |
| MISC. | For 23R arrivals no ladder needed and you can use the gaps in the crash gate. Otherwise you need a huge ladder because of the razor wire on top of the fence, but don’t put it right next to it, otherwise you will get the airport securities attention. Here is absolutely nothing so bring what you need and take it also back with you. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70 – 500 mm |
Weather Station - 05L/23R movements
| WHERE | Get to the Edmund-Bertram Rd and park next to a horse barn. From there continue the path to the airport, cross the bridge and turn left at the fence. The path continues along the whole runway, so make you choice for the best position. The authorities installed solar panels in 2025/26 along the fence. We recommend to use the gap as marked on the map, between the weather and fire station. You can also walk from spot 6/7 to this position. |
| WHAT | Best for all actives on runway 05L/23R. Departures on the southern runway only with more focal length, too (see TK 330, EW 320 below). |
| TIME | In the summer only from afternoon to sunset. Be aware of heat distortion on the southern runway. |
| MISC. | You need a huge ladder because of the razor wire on top of the fence, but don’t put it right next to it, otherwise you will get the airport securities attention. Here is absolutely nothing so bring what you need and take it also back with you. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70 – 500 mm |
Purification Plant - 05L arrivals and 05R
| WHERE | Same direction as described above but turn right at after the bridge and follow the path small path after you have passed the purification plant. The authorities installed solar panels in 2025/26 along the fence. We recommend to use the gap as marked on the map, between the plant and fire fighter training area. |
| WHAT | Planes on short final or during landing for 05L can be seen here. 05R arrivals and line-ups departures can also be seen with longer focal length (see EK 380, LH 320, NH 788). |
| TIME | In the summer only from afternoon to sunset. Be aware of heat distortion on the southern runway. |
| MISC. | You need a ladder but don’t put it right next to the perimeterfence, otherwise you will get the airport securities attention. Here is absolutely nothing so bring what you need and take it also back with you. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 200 – 500 mm |
Sunnys Corner - 05L arrivals
| WHERE | Coming from Highway B8 and Autobahn A44, exit at Düsseldorf Stockum and follow Niederrheinstraße to Lörick. After you turned onto Niederrheinstraße, follow the street for about 1,5km. Then you should see a Jaguar car dealer on your right. Park your car nearby and choose your favourite position, this depends on the angle you like the most! |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 05L only. |
| TIME | In the summer only from afternoon to sunset. |
| MISC. | There is a pizza shop nearby (Sunnys-Corner), where you can find something to eat (toilets of corse, too). |
| FOCAL LENGTH |
70 – 200mm
A319 = 165mm / B737 = 115mm / B767 = 90mm
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Mound/Dike - 05R lineup and arrivals
| WHERE | As of 2021, it is more difficult to reach this location as a long walk is necessary. There is no parking space available nearby and you cannot access it from the south side anymore due to constructions. We recommend to park in the north at “Kittelbacher Straße” and then walk all the way down until the fence. From there follow it southwards until the mentioned position below the approach path of 05L. |
| WHAT | Arrivals and Line-Ups on runway 05R and head to head landings on runway 23R. You won’t need a ledder here, as a small mound offers enough height to watch over the fence. |
| TIME | Afternoon to sunset (summer), noon to sunset (winter). Heat haze can be an issue if there is less wind. |
| MISC. | If you use a ladder don`t put it right next to the perimeter fence, otherwise you will get the airport securities attention. Here is absolutely nothing so bring what you need and take it also back with you. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100 – 300 mm |
Spielberger Weg - 05L arrivals
| WHERE | Option A: This spot is at the end of “Spielberger Weg” and can be reached easily from “Niederrheinstrasse”. Just follow the street till its end, where you’ll see some parking possibilities on your right. Then choose your favourite position, because this spot is no exact position, rather the area round here.
Option B: You might also take pictures from car dealer along Ikarusstrasse down south offering a better angle. |
| WHAT | Only arrivals on runway 05L. |
| TIME | You can start shooting here from sunrise, but turns backlit from afternoon on. |
| MISC. | No ladder needed. You can find some supermarkets at this area and a small restaurant as well (Zur alten Töpferei). |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50 – 250 mm |
Option A – Spielberger Weg:
Option B – Ikarusstrasse:
Ikarusstrasse - 05R arrivals
| WHERE | Coming from Highway B8 and Autobahn A44, exit at Düsseldorf Stockum and follow Niederrheinstraße to Lörick. Turn right into Ikarusstraße. There are a few parkstands here. However, it’s recommended to stay close to your car as they might belong to a local company.
We stood next to a drink storage (or similar) to have a better angle. Exact position marked on map and can be seen on overview shot. |
| WHAT | Only arrivals on runway 05R. |
| TIME | In the summer only and then from late afternoon till sunset. |
| MISC. | No ladder needed. There are no known facilities in the near. You can find some supermarkets at this area and a small restaurant as well (Zur alten Töpferei). |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70 – 250 mm |
Bridge - 05L/R arrivals, 23L departures
| WHERE | Same direction as for spot “05L Mound” but just stay on the bridge over the railroads and the highway. |
| WHAT | All arrivals on runway 05L/R and departures from 23L. |
| TIME | You can start shooting here from sunrise, but turns backlit from afternoon on. |
| MISC. | No ladder needed. There are no known facilities in the near. You can find some supermarkets at this area and restaurants. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70 – 300 mm
Eurowings A343 = 130mm / flyEgypt B738 = 185mm |
GA Terminal - ramp
| WHERE | Same way like described for the spots before, but this time continue straight ahead after you passed the bridge until you reach the GAT Terminal on your left. |
| WHAT | You can take pictures trough the mesh of planes parking on the General Aviation apron or walk up the stairs as marked below.
The General Aviation apron itself is rather dark but you can take nightshots of the General Aviation traffic taxiing to the apron and the renewed eastern apron. |
| TIME | In the summer only from afternoon to sunset |
| MISC. | No ladder needed, but might be useful, if stairs aren’t useable. There are no known facilities nearby – the closest are inside the terminal or over the bridge. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50 – 300 mm |
Angerbach - 23L arrivals
| WHERE | Besides Spot #4, where the sight is limited, this is a another option to take photos of the 23L approach. To get there by car exit the A52 at “Dreieck Düsseldorf-Nord” and follow the signs to Ratingen. Once inside the city, take the third left into “Im Rott” an drive till the road turns left. Park there on the side and cross the Angerbach (creek) and postion yourself along the farm road infront of the field (Spot 16A). The advantage of this spot is the free sight of the aproach and the better parking options. The worse angle and higher distance are the disadvantages. Because of latter, heat haze is a serious problem! If this is the case you can go closer to the approach, for example on the footbridge over the Autobahn. (Spot 16B) |
| WHAT | Arrivals on 23L only. |
| TIME | You can start shooting here from sunrise, but turns backlit from afternoon on. |
| MISC. | Nothing except some trees spending shadow. There are some Fast Food chains if you continue on the main road. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | From 16A: A310 = 300mm |
Spot 16A
Spot 16B
Hi there, can anyone confirm that spot 3a and 3b are good for seeing the apron? I expect the last LH A340-600s to park in front of the hangars (the parking apron southeast of the runways). Thank you!
Hello everybody. Unfortunately I had to realize at my last visit that spot 6 on the mound isn’t available, because the mound got reduced to ground level. I would now advise Spot 7 or you just go on the bridge at Kalkumer Schlossallee for 23R arrivals
Thanks for the hint. I removed the mound info but still possible to use it. Of course angle will be worser.
-Julian
Stairway 3A is unavailable. We reached the area from ground level, and that location is constantly monitored. A security officer asked us to leave and informed us that the stairs are strictly for emergency use only. He warned us that if we used them again, he would call the police
You must met a very sad person, saying that to you… I’m there pretty every time i visit the airport and never had any problems. Police and Security see us several times a day
Parkspot Runway 05L/23R Is not available anymore
Hello everyone. Is observation deck (terrace) still closed? Thanks
Hi, just click on the link to the official website provided at spot #1.
-Julian
Closed. I suspect it won’t reopen. Anyway, the traffic at DUS isn’t as good as it once was
Hi all,
Going to DUSS from Dec 19th till 21st.
Any tips for the best spotting places in winter times ?
I’m staying at the Holiday Inn Express hotel near the airport.
By foot I suppose I can go to spot 3A/3B and 4 ?
Unfortunately the observation deck is still closed ???
Thx for the support,
Greetz,
Jörgen
Hallo, braucht man für Spot 3B eine Leiter ?
Jein,
an dem Spot steht ein sehr stabiler Baum, auf den man, wenn man halbwegs fit ist, easy “klettern” kann (der letzte Baum in der Reihe, direkt vor dem Polizei-Hangar). Wenn einem das zu dreckig ist oder aber man nicht so fit ist, wäre eine Leiter sinnvoll.
Vielen Dank ! Hoffentlich ist er auch stabil genug 😂👍
Könnten sie mir irgendwie erklären wie ich auf diesen Baum klettern kann, am besten auf ein Bild bitte aufzeichnen ich weiß nicht wie hoch und von wo ich anfangen soll. Danke
Hallo, könnte mir jemand bitte ein Maps link schicken wo ich für Spot 11 parken soll und gibt es dort ein Damm (hab ich mal gehört und wenn ja wo ?).
Vielen Dank
Der Parkplatz ist mitsamt des Fußweges zum Spot auf der Karte eingezeichnet. Der Damm müsste noch da sein, wenn der nicht auch platt gemacht wurde (was ich auch nicht glaube, da der Spot weit genug von der Baustelle entfernt ist), somit wäre keine Leiter nötig.
Könnten Sie mir bitte auf einer Karte zeigen wo dieser Damm sich befindet
Die Bäume stehen auf einem Damm, also der Damm ist an der Stelle auf dem Satellitenbild quasi durch die Bäume zu erkennen. Er ist auch nicht besonders hoch, reichte aber immer aus, um im Stehen problemlos über den Zaun zu fotografieren.
Vielen Dank
Hi,
Can you walk from spot 14 to 11? Just on the east side of the Danziger Str. maybe?
Thanks!
Denis
Hi,
it was possible to walk to spot 11 on the east side of the Danziger Straße, because there were trees all over between the airport and the street. But right now, there was a new driveway to the Danziger Straße (B8) built and all the trees were felled. So right now, you would have to walk fully unprotected next to a street that is like a highway, which I’m not comfortable with. You can’t try it, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
Great, thanks for the quick reply Dominik!
Do you also know where I can find the operating hours for the runways? I know that the north runway is only used at certain times, but I cannot find what those hours are. (Also, it might be a good idea to adjust the “Runway usage / General Info” section, where it states the north runway is still closed from covid times)
Thanks!
Sorry, I’m not familiar with that🫤. You can find a lot of useful information at https://www.dusinfo.net/m.php and there’s also a button for “Rwy Ops” but I think that you won’t find information there anymore.
Hi, you can download the app “NOTAM Briefing” in the Play Store, there you have to type in the route from DUS-DUS. Then you have to tap on the tab that says “EDDL: Piste beschränkt” there are the times in zulu for the upcoming week.
Hi , does piste beschränkt mean that the runway is closing ?
Moin!
ist an Punkt 11 zwischen dem Damm der Bundesstraße 8 und Flughafenzaun eine Möglichkeit, Flugzeuge und Flughafen über den Zaun hinweg zu beobachten und zu fotografieren? Ist der Damm begehbar und kann man sich dort gemütlich hinsetzen?
Die Alternative wäre für mich dann P7, allerdings schein Punkt 11 schönere Perpektiven und ein wenig mehr Natur zu bieten.
Vielen Dank schon jetzt für die Hilfestellung 🙂
Gruß, Micha
Der Damm war auf jeden Fall etwas begehbar. Ich war nur sehr lang nicht mehr dort (Grund: siehe Kommentar hierüber) und kann es dir nicht versprechen. Die haben dort einiges gefällt und plattgemacht, um die neue Auffahrt zur B8 zu errichten. Weiter hinten Richtung 05L denke ich aber, dass dort alles so geblieben ist. Mit etwas Glück ist sogar an der 05R der Damm noch begehbar, aber kann halt gut sein, dass der dort platt ist. Ein wenig mehr Natur bietet der Ort wohl schon, nur hast du halt trotzdem eine Bundesstraße im Rücken. Mehr kann ich persönlich dir auch nicht sagen.