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June 8, 2018Rhodes Diagoras Intl. Airport Spotting Guide
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- last modified on October 10, 2020
Rhodes Diagoras is the fourth busiest airport in Greece with 5.5 Mio passengers in 2019 and the gateway to one of greeks most popular holiday destination. The sun always shines, the variety of traffic is awsome and there are great spots for photography. There is just one runway 07/25 and 25 is used for the vast majority of the time due to the prevailing winds what makes spotting pretty easy. The movements start from around 8am and the mornings tend to be busiest with traffic dropping off after lunchtime. Weekends tend to be busier although Tuesday is busy with German flights. The main travel season is from June till August. In winter the airport is almost dead except some flights to the mainland.
The mix of traffic is very good with the usual holiday charter and subcharters from northern Europe, plus quite a few from Italy and Eastern Europe eg Travel Service/Smartwings/Enter Air/Aviolet. Local schedules are mainly Aegean A320, Olympic DHC8 and Sky Express J41/AT42 plus Ellinair . The bonus though is regular flights from Russia with 2 or 3 per day including Royal Flight 738/757, S7 A320, Rossiya 738/744/773, Nordwind 738 and Israel with 5 or 6 per day including Arkia 753/E190, Israir A320/AT72, Tus Air SB20/F100, ElAl/UP/Sun D’or 738. There are also visits by airlines such as Wings of Lebanon, Fly One, AlbaStar and Air Horizont which are not often seen elsewhere. Add the occasional military flight (E145/C130) and the odd biz jet, plus hardly any EZY/RYR flights and it all makes for great variety. Almost all flights don´t stay longer as 1-2 hours on the ground so there is always an opportunity to take a picture from the plane you are looking for, especially if something special is coming in.
Like many other airports in greece, the ownership of Rhodes was taken over from the greek state by the FRAPORT AG which is going to renovate the whole area. This includes the installation of new barbed wire or closing of photos holes which already happened.
A detailed schedule can be found on the official airport website, even 24 hours in advance. On flightradar24 not all flights are shown so you should rely on this website instead!
Written by Julian Mittnacht and Federico Tombarelli (last update Aug 2020). Thanks to Helmut Schnichels for pics of spot #7.
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety |  |
| Photo Locations |  |
| Weather | |
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| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 07/25 | 3.305 m (10.844 ft) |
| Terminals | Single Terminal for all operations |
| Airport Chart |  |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | A few steps recommend for #2 and #4, necessary at #5. For the rest without problems. Don´t use a huge ladder, just 1-2 steps. Especially if a flight from Israel arrives and you stand with your huge ladder at the fence the Mossad will be not amused and you will be in trouble! Be also aware that if the grass is not cut and after a rainfall the wheels might be obstructed so a small ladder would be recommended. |
| Car/Public Transport | You can walk from the terminal to 1 , 2 and 4 in a few minutes. But car is recommend as usual as there is no public transport. |
| Restrooms | Just inside the terminal |
| Drinks/Food | There are some supermarkets and tavernas in the small village of Paradeisi, next to the terminal. The “Airportview Restaurant” at the runway 06 offer the best view while having a drink (spot 7). |
| Hotels | Nothing directly at the airport. Most hotels are on the southern side of the island as there are the more beautiful beaches and the sea is calmer than on the northern side. |
| Season | High season is from June till August with most (charter) flights taking place. Pre- and after season is in May and September/October with less flights. Almost no movements except to the main land and surrounding islands during the winter season. |
| Security | When an Israeli flight is descending you will get visits from (Israeli) security 30 minutes in advance. But they don’t mind spotters/photographers and are quite friendly once you’ve seen them a couple of times. And don´t use a ladder if a flight from Israel is descending!
Be careful when military is moving. Keep extremely low profile. A fellow spotter was arrested by military police recently! |
| Runway Usage | |
| 07/25 | Used in all directions but 25 is most times in use. |
Due to “security concerns” the greek government told google to pixelize the satellite images of all airports in greece with military presence. That is why you don´t see all positions as clear as usual. A good alternative is Microsofts Bing Maps where the airports in Greece are still visible…
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Spot #1 – Dry Cleaners – 25 arrivals and departures |
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| WHERE | From the terminal drive on the main road Epar Od eastwards and at the next junction of Epar Od Pastidas and Epar Od Ialisou-Katavias there is a Dry Cleaners with an empty shop next to it. You can park (alternative is at #2, next to Sixt) by the empty shop and walk round the back where you are right next to the holding point for runway 25. There is a newly installed double barbed wire fence and there are some possibilities to take photos. First there is a yellow wall to the other building right of the Dry Cleaners from where you can photograph over the fence but you have still have parts of the barbed wire on it except ATR42 and smaller (see sample photos below). Don’t climb on the new wall next to new house!
Second you can shot between the top of the fence and the first row of barbed wire (see photo below). The problem is that there is some grass which may cut off parts of the aircraft. Best solution is to use a ladder, but this will attract attention sooner or later as the airport security pass by frequently. |
| WHAT | Best for aircraft taxiing on A making their left turn for a departure on RWY25. Arrivals on 25 are also no problem. |
| TIME | In the summer: for taxiway photos the light is perfect from sunrise till 1100, when the aircraft slightly turn in on the runway. Move to #2 later the day. For arrivals on RWY25 light is okay from 0900-1400. |
| MISC. | The buildings do provide shade which is a bonus. For food/drink there is a kiosk on the road towards the airport. There can be heat-distortion on the runway. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Line-Up Taxiway: 738=40mm; 752=30mm; ATR42=70mm Arrival Runway: Dash8=200mm; A321=110mm |
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Spot #2 – Sixt – 25 arrivals and departures |
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| WHERE | It is just next to the dry cleaners spot, at the entrance of the car rental company sixt. You can park your car there and walk a little bit along the fence, heading to the airport. A ladder is recommend here but you should be able to shot through the mesh if your lens has a small diameter or you hold your camera between the top of the fence and the barbed wire for the runway if you have a live display. |
| WHAT | This spot is good later on, when the light is on the top and #1 is no longer good for the taxiway when the planes turn in. From here you can take photos of aircraft directly on the taxiway A and if they are on the runway 25 for take off and landings. From afternoon you can also take photos when they line up and turn on the runway 25. But be aware of the possible heat distortion on the runway. |
| TIME | From later on (go to #1 before), around 1100 till 1400 for the taxiway and runway. For the turn from A on RWY25 from afternoon till sunset. |
| MISC. | Absolut nothing nearby and you are standing directly at the road. Take the photo and then return to your car. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Taxiway: E135=60mm Runway: 744=110mm |
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Spot #3 – Hill – 25 arrivals |
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| WHERE | The entrance to this location is on the opposite side of #2, next to the gold car rental building, on a hill. You can even see the location from the street but you need to drive around the hill on a gravel road which is not in the best conditions (big holes in the road) to get on the top. It takes 2-3 minutes and is usually no problem but it is a bit tricky to turn your car as its a dead end road. If you don’t wanna drive just park below at spot 2, cross the road and walk up the road to the hill.
SEP 2020: The road up the hill now became very bumpy and thus almost impossible to use by car properly. So take care and rather walk up to the spot! |
| WHAT | Its a very nice scenery as you can photograph all arrivals on RWY25 with the blue sea on the back. Departures from 07 may be possible too but we did not test it. Ground photos are almost impossible due to the distance and the heat distortion (see 737 sample photo). |
| TIME | In the summer light is okay from 0900-1400. |
| MISC. | Absolutley nothing nearby. We can´t tell if this is private property as there were absolutley no signs at the entrance. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A320=300mm; 738=250mm |
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Spot #4 – Corner – Ramp |
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| WHERE | The location is just next to the terminal. When leaving get on the main road, take the next right and drive all the way down to the perimeter fence. You can park you car along the road. |
| WHAT | There are two opportunities from here. First you can photograph planes directly on taxiway F which arrived on 25 or rolling to 07 by holding your camera over the fence between the top of the mesh and the barbed wire if you have a live view. But its better if you have 1-2 steps available. Second you can shot aircraft that coming from the runway exit C or taxiway F and heading south to their parking position.
UPDATE APRIL 2020: There is now a staff gate at the position so we recommend not to shot directly at the fence anymore. Look out for an elevated position to photograph over the fence. There is one just behind you… You can photograph take offs on the runway too, but as usual heat distortion is an issue for that. |
| TIME | In the summer: for aircraft heading south to their parking postion from 1300 until sunset. On taxiway F from 0900-1400. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby. Food/Drinks available in the village of Paradeisi or the airport view restaurant if you follow the road along the perimeter fence. Be careful when military is moving. Keep extremely low profile. A fellow spotter was arrested by military police here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 20-200mm should be fine for everything |
Photos taken from the elevated position:
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Spot #5 – Perimeter Fence – Taxiway D |
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| WHERE | The spot is next to the runway exit D. Continue from the spot before on the road that runs parallel to the runway. In the morning hours stay next to a small football stadium where you can also park your car. In the afternoon continue for hundred meters park your car in one of the side roads, don´t stay on the main road as its very busy and tight. You can park at the stadium as well and walk to this location. |
| WHAT | This location is for aircraft that arrived on RWY25 and use exit D to enter taxiway F to the ramp. Approximate 50 percent of the 25 arrivals use this exit. |
| TIME | From sunrise until early noon and then 1400 till sunset in the summer. |
| MISC. | Two steps are useful to get over the mesh at the afternoon positions, in the morning you can get on some stones to get over the mesh with your camera (see pic below). Nothing nearby. Keep a low profile especially if you use a ladder. Some bushes and grass may cut parts of the aircraft off if its not cutted properly. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A332=50mm; 738=100mm; 773=50mm |
Morning position:
Afternoon position:
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Spot #6 – Hill – 25 departures |
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| WHERE | Continue on the main road from the terminal westwards, pass the small village of Paradeisi and turn left at the next big junction (the airport view restaurant is to the right). Pass a church to your right and drive up the hill for approximate five minutes. The road is in superb conditions and its no problem. Drive until the position as marked on the map and park on the side. |
| WHAT | Another beautiful location with the sea as background and an overview of almost the whole airport. Taking pics from take offs on RWY25 is the only real thing that you can photograph from here. Ground shots of taxiway-D are possible but heat distortion is a big issue due to the distance. |
| TIME | In the summer light is okay from 0900-1400. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby. Food/Drinks available the village of Paradeisi or the airport view restaurant. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 767/A330=280mm; A321=360mm |
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Spot #7 – Airportview Restaurant – 07 arrivals and departures |
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| WHERE | From the airport drive westwards on the main road, pass the village of Paradeisi and turn right at the next bigger junction. There is a sign to the Airportview Restaurant where you can easily park and have a seat for a snack and something to drink. |
| WHAT | Only useful when RWY07 is active. Arrivals and the final line up turn on taxiway F for 07 departure are possible. RWY25 Departures are too high and the angle is pretty bad too. If you go out of the restaurant and walk a few meters down along the fence until a small gap between the bushes you can photograph planes directly on the runway (see third sample photo). Just place your camera over the fence or between the mesh. |
| TIME | From 0900-1400 in the summer for the arrivals and runway. Line-up-turn from F later from afternoon till sunset. |
| MISC. | This is a snack bar/restaurant so please order something to drink while staying there. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | unknown but 20-200mm |
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Spot #8 – Beach Road – 25 arrivals and departures |
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| WHERE | There is a road that running parallel between the sea and the runway on the opposite side of the airport. You can access it from both sides. Its a little bit difficult to explain but if coming from #1 take the next right to Pastida, just to turn immediatly sharp left to drive under the road that you were before. Now drive all way on this small road, turn left and right and then your are already under the approach path. Continue until you see the wooden fence and the runway to your left. Park on the side as marked on the map. There is a wooden fence which is big enough to put your lense through so feel free to find your prefered spot where the grass is not cutting parts of the aircraft off (see photos below). If RWY07 is active its a bit more easier. From the junction at the Airport View Restaurant continue on the main road and turn right into the next “bigger” road. From there continue all the way until you have reached the other side. But you can also continue on the sea-road that if coming from the RWY25 position. |
| WHAT | Arrivals and departures on RWY25. Line up for 25. |
| TIME | For the summer only: light is okay from 1700 until sunset and for the line up a bit earlier. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby. Just a beach and the sea if you need to cool down. Some bushes and grass may cut parts of the aircraft off if its not cutted properly. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 738=90mm; 752=70mm |
16 Comments
Hey,
Things have changed on spot 4… On the corner of the fence there is a new gate now with a guardhouse where the airport staff can enter the apron. Therefore only the elevated spot is still an option but keep in mind it’s the roof of a private house and we never know how future residents could react to spotters. In October last year I didn’t really have any problems there…
My recent photos, including some taken at spot 4: http://www.lha-spotter.de/rhodos2019.html
Hi Kevin, thanks for the update. Sad to here that. Hope the house will remain for a long time! Nice photos btw!
Take care
Julian
Hello,
I am going to holiday to Rhodes in September. I would like to ask you that Rossiya will fly in 744 or 773?
Hi, I think the summer timetable is not finished yet. Usually you can find the routes on the offical airport website but for the moment only the winter timetable is shown.
https://www.rho-airport.gr/en/flights–more/flights–destinations/destinations/destinations/dest_id-979/nd_id-979
Thank you. Last summer was something interesting big plane?
Currently I’m at Rhodos on vacation and yesterday I spent some time at the airport. Only spot 3 was used. It is a nice location. To update info on it, getting there by car is almost impossible. The first part of the gravel road is covered with a lot of grass and after a couple of meters you come across a big hole in the road. So getting there with a car, especially a normal rental car is not advised. We took the walk to the top, and parked the car on the bottom. We also couldn’t see any signs about private property, although you enter a gate. We did saw a pole with cctv cameras on it from the company which is behind the hill, it looks like the cameras are pointed to the gravel road you take to the top. But we die not encounter anyone during our time there.
Thanks for the update. I changed the description. Enjoy your holidays!
-Julian
Hi all,
Are there any spotters on here local to Rhodes, as I need to ask a few questions regards various movements.
Regards
Scott
Hi
I’m a regular at RHO and there’s some great spots away from the airport. Leave the airport to the left and follow the main road towards Rhodes Town. When you reach Kremasti Head down the beach road lots of parking and a small beach bar. Best in the afternoon/evening. Also from the beach road its possible to turn into the small back streets and find a good position in the morning although be warned there’s no facilities just standing in the street. There is also 2 great hotels in kremasti the Margeret and just round the corner the Anseli. I always stay at the latter and in the mornig can spot from poolside,balcony/room (even laid in bed with window open) and there is roof access too with views all the way to touchdown. It’s very easy to navigate the back streets around and I used to walk to spot #1 most days in about 25 minutes just be careful of the traffic. Along the route you’ll reach a bridge that offers views too. If anyone would like more info (hotel/car hire/directions) please contact and i’ll go into more detail.
Hi there
Many thanks for your guide which I found really useful. Just returned from Rhodes and I noticed when we landed that there was a white Metroliner on its nose parked up by a fence., looked like it had been there for some time. Has anyone made a note of its registration please? Thank you
Hi, it’s a former SkyExpress Jetstream 41. Reg might be SX-DIA but I am not sure.
-Julian
Yes is SX-DIA
Hello ! I am just back from Rhodes (end of august 2018) where i spent some time around the airport.
Spot 1 : no need to climb the wall, you cannot elude the barbed wire anyway. Instead it is easy to take pictures between the mesh and the barb wire.
Spot 3 : avoid ! When some airport security people sees someone up there, they get very nervous, and may call the police.
Spot 4 : most of the time, busses and/or trucks, even aircraft obstruct the view.
As for good food, it is easy ! Reach Deipnos restaurant ! From spot 4, go to the main road, and the restaurant is a few meters on the left. Also open all afternoon which is useful for hungry spotters. Chicken souvlakis are fascinating … and cheap ! I already miss that !
At the other side of the road a small shop sells refreshments, snacks, icecreams …
In general, if an elevation is needed, a two step ladder is enough. Avoid big ladders as it is not welcomed by some security airport guys.
Circulating around the airport can be done by car, but also by bike or foot. The airport is quite “small”.
Lodging around the airport is easy and can be close to spotter’s spots but beware being too close as some accomodations are located right under the flightpath. Night flights are allowed and you can have many movments on some busy nights (up to 30..40).
Also to note, things are changing at (and around) the airport since FRAport arrived a few years ago. Things may become more difficult. If you have informations, please share and post report.
Hi Lauren, thanks for the feedback.
At #1 an issues might be if you photograph through the mesh that you have some bushes within the frame. You can avoid that if you climb ut the wall.
For #3 I spent there some hours and know more photographers who went there. Usually they won’t see you and they are only outside if a flight from Israel arrives.
-Julian
Hi there, what about Athens Airport, are there any guides for it? Thanks!
Hi, nothing is planned so far.