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August 12, 2013Hamburg Fuhlsbüttel Airport – Spotting Guide
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- last modified on August 4, 2022
Hamburg Airport Fuhlsbüttel (HAM/EDDH) is located approx. 8 km north of downtown Hamburg. In 2019 the airport handled 17,3 million passengers. HAM is the oldest German airport still located in the original place. It was opened in 1911. The current runway system was completed by 1964. After plans to construct a new airport outside the city near the village of Kaltenkirchen were stopped, the airport was expanded since the 1980s with the new control tower (1988), Terminal 2 (1993), the completion of the pier (2004), and Terminal 1 (2005).
Eurowings/Lufthansa and Ryanair are the major airlines at HAM. Besides, most other German and major European airlines serve HAM. Overseas operators are Emirates (normally daily with 777 to Dubai), Iran Air (two flights per week, aircraft types vary), and Tunis Air (with various aircraft types on various days according to the season to Tunisia).
Besides the regular visitors, nice surprises appear quite often. On one hand, Lufthansa Technik maintenance facilities are located at HAM which means VIP customers sometimes send their jets for maintenance or overhaul jobs. On the other hand, Airbus production facilities at Finkenwerder are in the same city, so sometimes new Airbus jets make low approaches at HAM during their test flights. However, the chance to see such a low approach is significantly lower during weekends or holidays.
Written by Maximilian Ono, Maximilian Kramer, Severin Hackenberger, Johann Stürken and Marcus. Some pictures provided by Dirk Gorthe and Matthias Düber. Last Update: July 2022 (Spot 22)
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| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 05/23 | 3.250 m |
| 15/33 | 3.666 m |
| Terminals | |
| Terminal 1 | Eurowings, Turkish Airlines and most others |
| Terminal 2 | Lufthansa, Ryanair, British Airways and some others |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Although there are plenty photoholes in the fence around the airport, it is always recommended to take a big ladder (~5 steps) with you to be safe as the holes are quickly blocked (especially when there is a highlight comming). Apart from this, the fence is otherwise quite high and not a typical meshfence, rather one consisting out of metal strings, so it is hard to shoot thru. |
| Car/Public Transport | Public transportation infrastructure with busses and subway is well established around the airport, but a car is still useful to get around as some spots are located a bit off the typical transport lines. |
| Drinks/Food | Inside terminal buildings and at some other locations (mentioned below). |
| Hotels | Several hotels around the airport, but none offers a special view onto the airfield. |
| Season | Traffic is more interesting and the chance for good weather is higher during the summer season (April to October), but in general the weather is often cloudy and wet here, but less hot in summer and less cold in winter compared to other German cities. |
| Runway Usage | |
| General Info | Most often you will see 23 Arrivals and 33 Departures and rarely you will see 15 Arrivals and 23 Departures. Other combinations are rare and quite random. |
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Terminal 1 Oberservation deck - Overview of Apron 1
| WHERE | From Terminal 1 departure level go two levels upstairs and you’ll find the entrance onto this terrace next to a restaurant. |
| WHAT | You can mainly spot planes taxiing/parked on the main apron. You can also spot 23 movements, but this is a bit difficult. |
| TIME | Best light conditions are in the morning, but the spot stays useful until the early afternoon. Nightshots can be done here as well. |
| MISC. | Pictures have to be taken through glass and using a ladder is forbidden. The least refexion problems occur on sunny mornings. On cold days the glass might be steamed up, that you are forced to use the fence for taking pictures – you might have dark corners then on your pictures. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Depends on how distant the aircraft taxies past: usually 50-250mm |
Terminal 2 Oberservation deck - Lineup 33 + Overview of Apron 1
| WHERE | Similar to the previous facility, just in the other Terminal. So from Terminal 2 departure level go two levels upstairs and you’ll find the entrance to the terrace next to a restaurant. |
| WHAT | You can mainly spot planes taxiing on the main apron and lining up on Runway 33. |
| TIME | Best light conditions are in the morning, but the spot stays useful until the early afternoon. |
| MISC. | Pictures have to be taken through glass, but walking with a ladder across the terminal might be a bad idea. The least refexion problems occur on sunny mornings. Nightshots can be done here as well. On cold days the glass might be steamed up, that you are forced to use the fence for taking pictures – you might have dark corners then on your pictures. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Depends on how distant the aircraft taxies past: usually 50-250mm |
Carpark P5 - 33 Arrivals and Apron
| WHERE | You can walk from the terminal buildings to carpark P5, then take the stairs/elevator to the top level. Now just choose your favourite position on the floor there… |
| WHAT | In the rare case of Runway 33 arrivals, you are perfectly right here. Besides, you have a nice view onto (parts of) the main apron. |
| TIME | From sunrise till early noon. |
| MISC. | Restrooms and restaurants can be easily accessed as the Terminal buildings are very near. The car park is actually reserved for visitors who parked their car here. So if you only come for spotting without a car, staff might contact you. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-400mm A319 = 180mm |
Easy Airport Parking - Apron + 33 Arrivals and Line-Ups
| WHERE | This spot is located on the top floor of “Easy Airport parking” parking at the western end. Simply just walk in and come up here. Parking here isn’t possible without reservation and made for people, who are on holiday than, so quit expensive. It’s cheaper and easier to park your car somewhere here along the roadisde in one of the parking bays. |
| WHAT | All activities on the apron infront of you and arrivals + Line-ups on runway 33. |
| TIME | For arrivals from sunrise till early midday; apron/line-ups from sunrise till early afternoon. |
| MISC. | Everything you need is inside the terminal or the nearby hotels. No ladder needed, keep a very low profile in general!
Update Fall 2018: You may not be allowed to enter it by foot without a car anymore as some parkers complained about damages on their cars like scratchs or bumps. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-400mm A320 on ramp = 270mm |
Umlaufstrasse - 33 Line-Ups + 23 Heavy Touchdown
| WHERE | This spot can be found just along the airport fence by the roadside of a so called “Umlaufstrasse”. Parking is difficult in this area, try to find a spot by the roadside somewhere and then come back here by foot roughly to the arrival lights for runway 33, but you can position yourself freely here along the fence. |
| WHAT | 33 Line-ups can be seen here perfectly plus heavies touching down on runway 23 are also a nice sight. If you walk a bit more eastwards along the fence, you can also spot aircraft parked on the southernmost stands of ramp 1 (usually Condor, Eurowings, but sometimes also others). |
| TIME | Roughly morning till later noon, depends on what sight and direction exactly. Heat haze is a huge issue fast, even in winter due to the high distance – that is why small 23 movements are not good from here. Ladder needed in order to be able to shoot comfortably and also to clear your view of the bushes behind the fence. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-500mm B748 on 23 = 325mm / B747SP line-up 33 = 185mm |
Carpark P8 - 33 Arrivals + Line-Ups
| WHERE | You can park your car on one of the parking areas around the terminal or simply somewhere by the streetside around here. You can also just take the car park shuttle bus to “Lufthansa Basis Haupteingang” or “carpark P8”. Enter the carpark P8 and walk up onto the top level – choose your favourite position along the front there. |
| WHAT | In the rare case of Runway 33 arrivals this is the perfect place to be. Besides, you have a nice view of the main apron and can perfectly use it as background for nice 33 Line-Ups A nice sideeffect here is that thanks to the new cargo center under the approach having a white roof you’ll get the shots with light on the bottom of the planes as well. |
| TIME | Good light conditions from about noon. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-400mm A319 arrival = 135mm |
GAT/Cafe Himmlschreiber - 33 Line-Ups + GAT/Cargo Apron + 23 movements
| WHERE | This spot is along the fence somewhere around the Cafe Himmelschreiber and GAT. Just park your car infront of the cafe or along the fence, and choose your favourite position. The cafe can easily reached by car and bus. Once you are around here, just search your favourite position: Spot #7A: You can either shoot from the Cafe Himmelschreiber terrace (only for guests) as well as outside along the fence south of the cafe. Spot #7B: You can also shoot from the other side of the GAT along the small fencepart there (marked on the map exactly). Spot #7C: From the street, a few meters before arriving at the café, you can also spot 33 lineups (4-6 step ladder needed) as there is no double fence.
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| WHAT | Line-Ups on runway 33, runway 23 activities and also GAT and “Cargo apron”. |
| TIME | Depending on what you wanna spot! Line-Ups from the terminal on runway 33 are god from early midday till sunset, from cargo/GAT apron from sunrise till mid afternoon. Runway 05/23 has light from sunrise till mid afternoon as well. |
| MISC. | Everything you need is inside the cafe, apart from ladders, which are needed here as photoholes were closed in summer 2018 along the fence. On the terrace there were photoholes, but those were closed in summer 2018 and nobody knows till when. Update Summer 2018: The photoholes on the terrace were closed – their future is unknown. So take a ladder from now on with you, to be sure you will able to take pictures! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18-350mm |
Spot #7A – From the terrace/nearby fence:
Spot #7B – From the fence next to the GAT:
LHT Fence - Taxiway Tango
| WHERE | This spot is located along the LHT fence on the southern side. The easiest way to get here is to park at the end of “Borsteler Chaussee” or somewhere by the roadside in the area here. Then walk (as marked on the map) until you get to the fence from where you have a nice view onto aircraft using/standing (on) taxiway Tango. |
| WHAT | Only taxiway Tango and nearby parked airplanes. |
| TIME | Depending on the angle the planes are parked. |
| MISC. | High ladder needed here – at least 5 steps ladder needed! Nothing nearby and parking possibilities limited! Lots of foreground clutters, poles and similar, so your view may be disturbed. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18-200mm B744 = 50mm |
Gate 112 - 05 Arrivals and Taxi for Departure + 23 Departures
| WHERE | This spot is located infront of Gate 112 next the taxiway to/from runway 05/23 and can be reached easily on Borsteler Chaussee. Once you are close to the gate, you can just park your car by the roadside at some points. |
| WHAT | Apart form this arrivals on runway 05 and taxis to runway 05 departures. You may also see heavy/late departures and arrivals on runway 23. |
| TIME | Light is good from sunrise till late midday. |
| MISC. | High ladder needed, we recommend at least 5 steps. You can only shoot from the gate directly as there is a double fence next to it. So the space here is a bit limited and more than 10-15 spotters will not fit here! Plus there is nothing nearby and parking is also limited. Beware of joggers and children on your way to the gate as the paths around there are very narrow and people might turn around the corner suddenly. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18-300mm B748 approach = 130mm |
Photoholes - 05 Arrivals and Taxi for Departure
| WHERE | Turn off Haldenstieg east of Tarpenbek into an unnamed street between some gardenhouses. At the end you will find some spacs to park – if they are full, search somewhere else for a spot by the roadside. However, then just come back here to the marmed position on the map as you will find some holes in the fence here. |
| WHAT | You can spot 05 arrivals here as well as aircraft taxiing to runway 05 prior departure. |
| TIME | Good light conditions until later noon/early afternoon. |
| MISC. | There are some holes, so no ladder needed at all times. Mostly, the holes are blocked early if a highlight comes though, so maybe take a ladder with you to be safe. Your view may be disturbed by high grass sometimes (which can also cause haze). |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-300mm A345 = 75mm |
Fencecorner - 05 Arrivals and Line-Ups
| WHERE | You can park your car somewhere in the area along the roadside (possible spots we used marked on the map). Then just head for the western end of Haldenstieg and the fencecorner along the footpath there (marked on the map exactly). Public transportation access is possible: Take the car park shuttle bus to “Lufthansa Basis Haupteingang”, then change to Bus line 23 towards “Niendorf Markt” and leave at “Bekstuck”. Follow the small river northbound until you reach the airport fence. The walk takes about 10 minutes. |
| WHAT | You can spot Runway 05 arrivals from here. You can spot Runway 05 lineups as well from the fencecorner. |
| TIME | Good light conditions until the early afternoon. |
| MISC. | Ladder needed for 05 line-ups/taxi-movements. Arrivals are also easier to shoot with a ladder if you do not wanna climb trees. Nothing around. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-250mm Arrivals -> 100mm = A320 Line-Ups -> 70mm for B737/A300 |
By the fence for Line-Up shots:
Soccerfield - 05 Arrivals
| WHERE | Try to park your car in the neighbourhood and avoid the parking area in front of the supermarket itself as it is reserved to visitors of the local shopping mall and gym. Public transportation access is possible: Take the car park shuttle bus to “Lufthansa Basis Haupteingang”, then change to Bus line 23 towards “Niendorf Markt” and leave at “Niendorfer Strasse”. Cross the busy street in front and enter the parking area behind the gym building. The walk takes about 5 minutes. For spotting you can either stay on the Lidl Parking area, but the trees and lamps are disturbing your free view, so you can use the little wall behind the bins on the other side of the street, next to the football field a bit southwest of the parking. |
| WHAT | You can spot 05 arrivals from here. |
| TIME | Good light conditions later noon. |
| MISC. | Try to park your car in the neighbourhood and avoid the supermarket/gym parking area with your car. Shops nearby directly. Latter might be useful, if you don’t want to use the bins or the wall as a “ladder” (might look strange). |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm 165mm = A320 / B757 = 130mm |
Example shots taken from the wall behind the bins infront of the soccerfield:
Sootbörn path - 05 Arrivals and Line-Ups
| WHERE | You can come here by car and just park it by the roadside of “Sootbörn” or you can also use public transportation: Take the car park shuttle bus to “Lufthansa Basis Haupteingang”, then change to Bus line 23 towards “Niendorf Markt” and leave at “Voigt-Cordes-Damm”. Turn left into “Voigt-Cordes-Damm” street. This street leads directly towards the airport fence. Turn left again and follow the fence until you reach the benches just west of the southern end of runway 05/23. The walk takes about 10 minutes. |
| WHAT | This is a good spot is perfectly useable for 05 Line-Ups, but you can also shot aircraft on final approach to Runway 05. |
| TIME | Only useable in the summer (late spring-early fall) from later afternoon till sunset. |
| MISC. | Sit down and relax on the benches or talk to other spotters on summer evenings when Runway 05 is active. The ground is higher than the fence here, so you don’t need a ladder. Haze may be an issue on Line-Ups though. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-300mm 90mm = A320 |
Engerweg - 05/23 Movements
| WHERE | You can park your car in “Engernweg” and then just cross the Tarpenbek river via the little bridge at its southern end. A few steps along the fence on the eastern side of the river will lead you to an entrance forbidden sign – so do not continue, just shoot from here. You can also use public transport as described in the previous spot and just continue by foot northwards till this position. |
| WHAT | From here you can shoot all 05/23 movements, although some 23 departures may already be a bit too high. |
| TIME | Only useable in the summer (late spring-early fall) from later afternoon till sunset. |
| MISC. | There are very few photoholes, but rather take a ladder with yout to be safe. Haze may be an issue on hot days. Do not cross the sign and continue into the “forbiddenarea”! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-300mm |
Tarpenbek - 05/23 Movements
| WHERE | You can just park your car at the end of Hasenheide by the roadside and then walk a few steps southwest/towards the fence. But do not cross the river Tarpenbek as this is forbidden, just shoot from the walkway bbehind the river with a high ladder. |
| WHAT | From here you can shoot all 05/23 movements. |
| TIME | Only useable in the summer (late spring-early fall) from later afternoon till sunset. |
| MISC. | High ladder needed here (at least 5 steps) to clear the fence behind the little river. Haze may be an issue on hot days. Do not cross the Tarpenbek river as the other side (next to the fence) is forbidden to be accessed actually! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm |
Summer Parking - 15/33 Movements + 23 Approaches
| WHERE | This potting location is almost in the middle of the runway and on the opposite side of the “Coffee To Fly”. To get there by car follow the Ostfalenweg until you have reached the perimeter fence and a barrier to your right. You can park on the side of this dead end road or next to the dog park. Its a very calm spot and you should not have any problems there. We did not test the public transport to this spot but fastest way is to get to #12 and then walk all the way down. |
| WHAT | You are in the middle of runway 15/33 and its the ideal spot for all movements. You can also nicely shoot 23 (low) approaches. |
| TIME | From later noon till sunset. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby. There is a fence and a ladder (minimum 4 steps) is mandatory. Limited car parking facilities! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-200mm A319 = 100mm |
Dirtpath - 15/33 Movements
| WHERE | Try to park your car in the area/neighbourhood here although the space is a bit limited. Then just make your way to the little footpath starting at the end of “Bayernweg” and running along the fence/a row of bushes. You can then just shoot from there directly or walk to the fence behind the bushes and position yourself freely where you think your subjects will be in the air already. Public transportation access is possible, but rather difficult: Take Subway S1 to “Ohlsdorf” station, change to subway U1 to “Langenhorn Markt” station. There you change to bus line 24 and leave at the stop “Sperlingsweg”. Facing to the runway tunnel, turn right into the small street towards the runway, at its end turn left again and follow the walking path until you reach the benches. The walk takes about 5 minutes. |
| WHAT | Fence: All runway 15/33 movements. Walkway: Most runway 33 departures are high enough so you can avoid the bushes and trees in the picture. Runway 15 arrivals are already on the ground here, so you won’t catch them behind the bushes. |
| TIME | From later noon till sunset. |
| MISC. | Nothing around, parking possibilities limited. Ladder only needed for the option directly at the fence, the walkway option can be used nicely without. You cannot see the runway itsself from the walkway – not even with ladder. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-300mm A321 = 90mm |
From the fence in front of the bushes:
Behind the bushes on the walkway:
Krohnstiegtunnel West - 15/33 Movements
| WHERE | Park your car at Bayernweg at the kerbside or take bus 24 or 191 to “Sperlingsweg”. Then walk towards the tunnel on Bayernweg until you are above the tunnel entrance. Several official photo peepholes in the fence offer vaious positions, so just stand somewhere there. |
| WHAT | All movements on runway 15/33 can be seen, but be aware that some 33 take offs might be already too high. Most landings aircraft on 33 will leave the runway via taxiway E3. |
| TIME | From later noon till sunset. |
| MISC. | Ladder not needed as there are several official photo peepholes in the fence, but they are occupied quite fast. So a ladder is needed if the holes are blocked already. Parts of aircraft maybe cutted of if grass is not mowed. There is nothing around this spot, so take whatever you need with you. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-300mm A320 = 105mm |
Moor - 15 Arrivals and Lineups
| WHERE | Try to park your car in the area/neighbourhood here although the space is a bit limited. Public transportation access is possible, but rather difficult: Take Subway S1 to “Ohlsdorf” station, change to subway U1 to “Langenhorn Markt” station. There you change to bus line 24 and leave at the stop “Sperlingsweg”. Facing to the runway tunnel, turn left into the street “Lurchweg”, at its end turn right towards the fence, then again left along the fence next to the runway. After some 100 metres, approaching planes will be high enough to be seen above the fence and bushes. The walk takes about 20 minutes. |
| WHAT | Mainly approaches to runway 15. As aircraft will be passing over the piano stripes, this will give a nice effect for the lightning so try and remember where you have to click 😉 Rare 15 Line-Ups can be also shot nicely here. |
| TIME | From later noon till sunset. |
| MISC. | This is an area of protected landscape, so stay on the paths and don’t leave any litter. If you want to spot the rare lineups, you’ll need a ladder. Also beware of the insects around in the summer as then there are some nasty ones around. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-300mm A320 = 105mm |
Pictures taken from various positions along the fence as marked on the map – various angles:
Speckenbarg - 15 Arrivals
| WHERE | This spot isn’t an exact position rather an are along the street/forest depending on the angle and distance you wanna have for/on your pictures. The easiest way to get here is to exit the road 432 into the “Speckenbarg” street and to park your car along the roadside. Then walk down until the little peephole, where no trees are disturbing your view or easily go onto the other side of the treerow and search your favourite position. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 15 only. |
| TIME | From later noon till sunset. |
| MISC. | This spot offers enough shadow, but no retsrooms or snack possibilities. No ladder needed here, but easily reachable by bus (Using stop “Nordportbogen” on the other runway site). |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm B77W = 110mm |
Truck parking Norderstedt - 15 Arrivals
| WHERE | This spot can just be found at the northern end of runway 15/33 by the side Nordportbogen street where all the lorries park. You can just choose your favourite position along the roadside here. For public transportation take Subway S1 to “Ohlsdorf” station, change to subway U1 to “Langenhorn Markt” station. There you change to bus line 24 (direction “Niendorf Markt”) and leave at the stop “Krohnstiegtunnel”. Facing to the runway tunnel, turn right into “Niendorfer Strasse” street. At the next bus stop sign (approx. the 5th traffic lights / a walk of 10 minutes), turn left into “Nordportbogen” in front of the Casio facilities. |
| WHAT | Runway 15 approaches only. |
| TIME | From sunrise till early noon. |
| MISC. | Possibly one can eat in the small restaurant at the corner “Niendorfer Strasse” / “Nordportbogen”, but we don’t know when they open. So be prepared to bring your food and drinks with you as there is nothing else around. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm A319 = 135mm |
Nordport Towers - 15 Arrivals and Lineups
| WHERE | UPDATE JULY 2022: this location became unavailable because of a newly constructed parking garage which is private property. |
| WHAT | |
| TIME | |
| MISC. | |
| FOCAL LENGTH | |
Krohnstiegtunnel East - 15/33 Movements
| WHERE | Park your car at Krohnstieg close to the bus station or take bus 24, 191 or 193 to “Krohnstiegtunnel”. Walk towards the tunnel and take the footpath left of the street until you are above the tunnel entrance. Several photo official peepholes in the fence offer vaious positions, so just stand somewhere there. |
| WHAT | All movements on runway 15/33 can be seen, but be aware that some 33 take offs might be already too high. Most landings aircraft on 33 will leave the runway via taxiway E3. |
| TIME | Roughly from sunrise till early noon. |
| MISC. | Ladder not needed as there are several official photo peepholes in the fence. Parts of aircraft maybe cutted of if grass is not mowed. There is nothing around this spot, so take whatever you need with you. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18-250mm 40mm = A320 on Taxiway / A320 on Runway = 180mm |
Coffee To Fly - 15/33 Movements
| WHERE | By Car refer to the map attached (10 mins. from the terminal buildings). Parking facilities are very close to the shop. On cold days you can even sit inside your car and leave if a plane comes past.Public transportation access is possible, but rather difficult: Take Subway S1 to “Ohlsdorf” station, change to subway U1 to “Langenhorn Markt” station. There you change to bus line 24 or 193 and leave at the stop “Wrangelkoppel”. Turn left into the street “Wrangelkoppel” and walk along that street to its end, then turn right towards the hill.The walk takes at least 15 mins.! |
| WHAT | All movements on runway 15/33: Departures (~A320 normally rotate around here) plus Arrivals. Arrivals on runway 33/Departures on runway 15 (both are very rare) use taxiway D just in front, which is very close. You can also spot 05 arrivals (plus heavy 05 departures) vacating the runway after arrival on late summer evenings. |
| TIME | Roughly from sunrise till early noon. |
| MISC. | Take a cup of coffee or tea, a piece of cake or a hot dog at “Coffee To Fly” shop on top of the hill. Restrooms are located behind the shop. No ladder needed, but haze is an issue on hot summer days. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 24-250mm A320 on runway = 160mm |
Rüümk - 23 Arrivals
| WHERE | Leave Terminal 1 to the left and walk along the road until you come to a bridge across the perimeter road. Leave the bridge just behind the perimeter road down the stairs. Then go along the bicycle path. After passing the approach lighting system of Runway 23 you can choose the perfect distance to spot. You can also reach this spot by car (which can be parked easily by the roadside for free somewhere in the area) or bus (Using bus stop “Wischhofen” or the terminal stops). |
| WHAT | Runway 23 arrivals. |
| TIME | Good light conditions from late midday till sunset. |
| MISC. | Approaching planes can be seen very late, so be prepared to spot even if you still don’t hear a plane coming. Enough shadow, nothing else nearby. No ladder needed and parking is limited. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-200mm A320 = 95mm |
Holtkopppel - 23 Arrivals
| WHERE | This is an alternative to Ruumk spot: From here you have an better angle, which offers rather eye-level shots.The spot is located on a meadow, which can be found next to Holtkoppel street. Again this spot is no exact position, rather the area along the walkpath, which depends on your favourite angle. You can easily reach this spot by car, which can be parked nearby by the roadside, if you find a free place. Apart from this, you can reach this spot by bus (continuing by foot). Therefore take Line 292/606 and exit at stop “Wischhofen”. Walk down “Wittekopsweg”, which ends up into “Holtkoppel” and after some time you should see a meadow on your right. Then turn right into a little path (marked on the map). You can also take a bus to the terminal and then walk here. Then just continue walking onto “Holtkoppel” street and after 200 meters you should see the mentioned path on your left. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 23 only. |
| TIME | Good light conditions from late midday till sunset. |
| MISC. | Spot offers enough shadow, but no retsrooms or snack possibilities. No ladder needed here, haze may be an issue on hot summer days. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-400mm A318 = 200mm / B744 = 120mm |
Flughafenstrasse bridge - 23 arrivals
| WHERE | Leave Terminal 1 to the left and walk along the road until you come to a bridge across the perimeter road, there just position yourself somewhere along the front. You can also reach this spot by car quite well. Therefore just approach it from the other side of the perimeter road and park by the roadside of “Raakmoorgraben” for example (marked on the map). Then just cross the bridge above your head, walk up the stairs to the walkway and there you go as well… |
| WHAT | Runway 23 arrivals only. |
| TIME | From sunrise till late noon/early afternoon. |
| MISC. | There is a little kiosk behind the bridge (just look for a small hut with a chips logo on top). If it’s hot and you need shadow you can leave the bridge just behind the perimeter road and walk down the stairs to the left. From there you can walk under the bridge into the shadow. But make sure you won’t miss an aircraft there! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-300mm A223 = 125mm |
Carpark P1 - 23 Arrivals and late Line-Ups
| WHERE | You can park your car inside the building or walk from the terminals. Once you reached the top level for parking, you’ll find a kind of a terrace even another level higher – that’s the place for the spotters to be. If this should be too full though, you can also shoot from the front between the concrete “lines” (see overview below).
UPDATE JULY 2021: Actually the terrace is closed because of vandalism. Parking deck itself is still available. |
| WHAT | Runway 23 approaches and you can also catch runway 23 lineups. If Runway 05 is in use for departures you can try to catch the heavies from here, but most planes will be too high. |
| TIME | From sunrise till late noon/early afternoon. |
| MISC. | Restrooms and restaurants can be easily accessed as the Terminal buildings are very near. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-300mm A321 = 125mm |
Spot 22 is closed because they are building a parking house there.
Thanks for the update Simon!
-Julian
Hello,
I’m currently at Hamburg and have visited a few spots already. Will report possible changes of course after the trip. But I have now a little problem, I want to have some nice shots and in the evening I have been to spot 16 as the 15 is not good with a 4 step ladder.
But spot 7 is only possible for planes passing on the front taxiway and planes using the full runway length. At the gate there is a double fence and some smaller buildings which block view.
Is it possible to shot from the LHT apron also landing planes which vacate from RWY 23 or is too far and blocked?
Are there other options?
PS: Will also go to XFI tomorrow and hope for some nice traffic
Hi Stefan,
the LHT apron is not accessible to the public. During Runway 23 arrivals I generally recommend spots 27 and 28 in the morning and spots 25 and 26 in the evening. All these four spots offer unblocked views on approaching aircraft without using a ladder.
Have fun and enjoy your stay!
Spot 7 at the Lufthansa Gate isn‘t usable anymore as a second febce has been built airside, that completely obscures the sight on the apron.
Thanks, spot was removed.
-Severin
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I have booked a trip for G-20 as well. Not to the Summit but to see the planes especially arrivals I suppose 6 July.
I am a newbie spotter for Hamburg Airport. Some of us will be travelling a distance to be there.
I hope people will contribute/post information on the best places to be for photography and what accesses will be restricted and what not.
I hope security measures will not be too restrictive.
Thanks Maxi!
Hi, does anyone have any information on what spotting/photography restrictions will be put in place at EDDH for the forthcoming G20 in Hamburg (July 2017)? Is there any possibility of a WEF/Zurich type scenario or will the photography locations detailed here be off-limits? Thanks in advance.
Hi Tom, nothing is sure at the moment. Media say there’s going to be lots of blocked roads, so access to the spots will likely be restriced, too. I recently talked to fellow spotters at HAM, but obviously nobody has more detailed information at the moment.