ZTH-Spot1
Zakynthos Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on July 12, 2026
Zakynthos Airport Dionysios Solomos (ZTH/LGZA) is located 6 Km south of Zakynthos town and 1 km from the famous resort of Laganas on the south east coast of the Ionian island of Zakynthos, in Greece. With over 1.2 million passengers a year, the Airport is served by Olympic Airlines with frequent flights to Athens, as well as by other European low-cost airlines and seasonal charters. Planes are not permitted to land or depart during the night. This is due to the endangered loggerhead turtles or “caretta caretta” which lay their eggs on the beaches at night.
The airport has lot’s of flights, especially from the UK but also lots of airlines from the Netherlands. There are not a lot of flights from Germany.
Busiest days in terms of movements is friday (info from the airport), while the weakest traffic is on saturdays. A detailed timetable can be found on the official airport website.
Written by Cornelis Boersma, Markus Mainka, Werner Verbogt and Chabada György. Last change: July 2026, Spot 9 added, Spots 3 and 7 updated
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety |  |
| Photo Locations |  |
| Weather |  |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 16/34 | 2.228 m (7,310 ft) |
| Terminals | One for all operations |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not needed. |
| Car/Public Transport | If you have a hotel near Kalamaki Beach you can easily walk for all runway 34 arrivals (mainly in use). But a car is absolutey needed in case of runway changes or if you like to visit other spots! |
| Drinks/Food | Plenty of hotels, restaurants and the airport itself around. |
| Hotels | Best to book a hotel near Kalamaki Beach at the 34 approach. There are plenty of options! We have tested the Bitzaro Grande Hotel.
|
| Season | Zakynthos is busy in summer (May till the end of September). In winter you might only see interisland traffic or the scheduled flights to/from Athens. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 16/34 | Runway 34 is mainly in use for all landing and departures. Runway 16 is in use occasionally. |
Rental car parking - 16/34 movements
| WHERE | This spot is in a car park area for rental cars (probably Enterprise should be located here as well) Update June 2025: douple fence has been installed on the north side. |
| WHAT | From here you can see all movements on the runway. |
| TIME | From sunrise till ~12.00. |
| MISC. | Food, drinks, restrooms inside the terminal building. Be aware of taking pictures of aircraft to/from Israel. People might ask you to delete your photo’s. Other aircraft is no problem. Be aware when there is an aircraft parked on the most northern parking spot, you can have APU exhaust as most aircraft use it during turn-around! There can be a lot of ground equipment in the way, plus the ramp which the passenger buses use to/from the terminal can get in the way. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | ~50-200mm |
Terminal airside - 16/34 movements + ramp
| WHERE | Inside the terminal, arrivals, or on departures (both airside) you can easily take pictures from inside the building, but it is behind glass. Now and then a bus will stop in front of you to pick-up or drop off passengers. |
| WHAT | Ramp and full runway view. |
| TIME | From sunrise till ~12.00. |
| MISC. | Food, drinks, restrooms inside the terminal building, but be aware of APU exhaust thus heat haze. Keep in mind, that you need a VALID BOARDING PASS to reach this spot, which is located AFTER SECURITY CHECK, so it’s AIRSIDE. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | ~50-200mm |
Farm road - 34 Movements
| WHERE | From Kalamaki Main Road drive northwards from the cafe along the 34 threshold. Before the house turn left in the small farm road whit a small red house at its end. Stay anywhere along the fence, one step is enough. |
| WHAT | Good for 34 arrivals and line-up. |
| TIME | From sunrise till ~12.00. |
| MISC. | Nothing close but plenty of restaurants and supermarkets along the main road. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 738 = 90mm A321 = 80mm |
Airport café - 34 Movements
| WHERE | On the road from Kalamaki to Laganas. You can park your car directly at the cafe. It offers a terrace on the roof which can be reached via a disused airport stairs. Runway view is obstructed by trees and a neighboring house but there’s a small gap where you can take shots. |
| WHAT | Runway 34 arrivals and Line-ups/backtracks. |
| TIME | From sunrise till ~12.00. The hazy air making spotting to/on the ground impossible if it’s hot. |
| MISC. | Cold and hot drinks at reasonable prices inside the cafe. Please order something if you stay here for spotting! There is also some shadow available on the cafe’s terrace. From Macedonia hotel you have approximately the same views as from this spot. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | ~50-400mm E190 arrival = 100mm / Aircraft on runway = 400mm |
Beachfront - 34 Arrivals
| WHERE | Relax at the Kalamaki Beach and take your photos! You can park your park on the side road (next to spot 6) or you can drive up to the beach (Kalamaki Beach Taverna) where lots of parking places are available. The further you walk down the beach, the better the angle becomes and you can get the mountains as a background. |
| WHAT | Runway 34 arrivals only. |
| TIME | Actually all day: you can start at sunrise and just walk yourself into the spot you like all the way till sunset. |
| MISC. | Some hotels offer facilities. In morning you are close to the hotles, but for the afternoon/evening its easy to bring water/food so you don’t have to walk all the time. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Depends on your angle and postion, but 24-200mm should cover everything |
Roadside south - 34 Arrivals
| WHERE | This spot is located by the roadside of the street leading from Kalamaki to Laganas. You can park your car along the road or by the roadside and just spot from here directly. |
| WHAT | Runway 34 arrivals only. |
| TIME | Light conditions are good from early afternoon until sunset. |
| MISC. | There is a small van, selling cold drinks, small bites, icecream. You can relax in the shade as well. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-200mm |
Gravel Hill - 16 movements and 34 arrivals
| WHERE | Drive into the small farm road from the Zakinthou Keriou road, next to the LIDL supermarket. Drive till the end to the airport fence and stay there. A small gravel hill provides a higher point of view to clear the fence.
UPDATE JULY 2026: there aren’t constructions anymore and the area is accessible. |
| WHAT | Best for all 16 movements as well as 34 arrivals which will use one of the turning pads in front of the location. |
| TIME | Light conditions in the summer are perfect from early afternoon until sunset. |
| MISC. | You can park your car at the LIDL’s parking lot where you can buy food. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A320 sideshot = 90mm |
Lidl - 34 departures
| WHERE | Park your car at the Lidl supermarket north of the airport at Zakinthou Keriou Road and start spotting. |
| WHAT | Departures from runway 34. 16 arrivals can be seen but the sight is partially blocked by trees, power lines and houses. |
| TIME | Light conditions in the summer are perfect from early afternoon until sunset. |
| MISC. | You can park your car at the LIDL’s parking lot where you can buy food. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | ~100-200mm. |
Crash Gate - 34 movements
| WHERE | From the Kalamaki turn into the small dirt road at spot 6 and drive northwards. When the road turns hard left, continue straight until the crash gate. Get rid off your vehicle before the gate by the roadside. There is plenty of space. |
| WHAT | Best for departures on 34, but arrivals are possible too. Stay a bit back from the fence for 16 take offs. |
| TIME | Light conditions in the summer are perfect from early afternoon until sunset. |
| MISC. | One step is needed to clear the fence. In the past there was a gipsy camp but this is no longer there as of summer 2026. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | ~100-200mm. |
Hallo! Ich war vor einer Woche auf der Insel. Die meisten Orte sind nicht mehr zeitgemäß! Punkt Nummer 1 ist nicht mehr erreichbar, die Deponie darf nicht betreten werden und dort arbeiten schwere Maschinen! Die Hügel auf Nummer 8 wurden entfernt und an dieser Stelle steht ein Zigeunerlager, es ist gefährlich, dorthin zu gehen, sie erpressen Geld von Menschen. An Punkt Nummer 2 nördlich des Terminalgebäudes gibt es einen doppelten Zaun. An Punkt Nummer 4 müssen Sie die Straße nach rechts gehen und dann können Sie Fotos machen. Am Punkt 9 ist eine große Baustelle, ein Gebäude wird gebaut.
Here is the translation. The guide needs to be updated.
I was on the island a week ago. Most places are outdated! Point 1 is no longer accessible; the landfill is off-limits, and heavy machinery is operating there! The mounds at point 8 have been removed, and a gypsy camp stands at that location. It’s dangerous to go there; they extort money from people. At point 2, north of the terminal building, there’s a double fence. At point 4, you have to cross the road to the right and then you can take photos. At point 9, there’s a large construction site; a building is being built.
Hi Dimitri, danke für deine Nachricht. Ich habe alles soweit angepasst und die zwei Spots komplett entfernt.
An Punkt Nummer 4 müssen Sie die Straße nach rechts gehen und dann können Sie Fotos machen.
Was genau meinst du damit? Soll man die Straße weiter Richtung Terminal laufen oder eher Richtung Süden?
VG
Julian
I was sent off from spot @8 by some passing by firemen who said it isnt allowed to stay or photograph planes here and told me to be careful. I kindly followed their advice, but I feel like the location shouldnt be forbidden for spotting, just be careful when you show your camera, I guess I just might had bad luck with timing.
Just got back from 3 days spotting here, great airport. I would like to mention that the ‘Abandoned House’ noted in spot 4 is no longer abandoned, and has people living there now. I took the risk of spotting departures from the plateau for a few aircraft, but the owner came up and politely told me to move off. I told him I would let people know on this website to change the status from abandoned to active, so that others would not use the plateau on their visits. The spot is still good for arrivals and you can attempt shooting through the perimeter fence, as long as you move away as soon as you finish shooting.
Thanks for the info Lewis, I have upated the guide for Spot 4.
-Julian
I would recommend a (better) spot for runway 16 arrivals in the afternoon. It’s just to the southeast of spot 1, on a road leading to the fence. Note: you’re not able to photograph departures due to the fence.
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/QcgNKtPbxFGowG2WA
Next to that one, I also found an other good spot just north of spot 6 where you are able to photograph runway 34 arrivals in the morning till 13:00. You can also photograph departing traffic if you climb on a raised plateau next to an abandoned house.
Location:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/kgbYpbPdotKLksU98
I’ve been here last year and I’m planing to spend some time this year again. I would recommend a spotting location, not showed on the map. It is north from #7 at the threshold of RWY 34 on the afternoon side. Available by car. Last year I could find some small hills made of construction waste, but it’s also possible to take great shots from the ground level (in case it will be dissapearing in the future). From this location the hills are in the background just like this: https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/9028286
It’s also good to mention that busiest days in terms of movements is Friday (info from the airport), while the weakest traffic is on Saturdays (my own experience)
Hi György, are you able to provide us some pictures and more infos by use this blank please: https://www.spotterguide.net/missing-photos-location/
Thanks, Julian
Hi
Just returned from a 10 day family holiday on the island. Spot 2 is fantastic and I spent a few mornings there. If they are using runway 34 most landing traffic will roll to this point and anything taking-off will just be airborne by here. If they are using runway 16 anything taking off will come close but landing traffic is a bit more difficult as there is a lot of thick vegetation at the top of the hill which prevents views to the west. I walked to the north side of the hill for runway 16 landing traffic but there may be better places. Also it’s worth mentioning that the hill is right next to a dump so it can be a bit unpleasant (smell/flies/rubbish)! I drove here but parked before the dump where there is shade and other cars were parked. You may be able to drive up the hill but I wouldn’t recommend it.
I also visited spots 3+5 which were ok although there can be a lot of ground equipment in the way, plus the ramp which the passenger buses use to/from the terminal can get in the way.
Cheers
Alan
Thanks for the infos Alan, I have added it into the guide.
-Julian
Do you know any radio frequenties for Zakynthos airport?