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July 19, 2018Birmingham Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on July 24, 2026
Birmingham Airport (IATA: BHX, ICAO: EGBB) is located in Bickenhill (Solihull, also the home of Land Rover btw) and is 12.9 km East Southeast of the City Centre of Birmingham. The airport has had year on year growth, welcoming 11.5 million passengers in 2023 making it the seventh busiest airport in the UK. Ryanair, easyJet, Jet 2 and TUI are the big players at BHX besides other European carriers. Intercontinental traffic with heavy equipment is granted by Emirates, Qatar, Air India and TUI.
Written by Clive Grant, Luke Richards and Paul Denton. Last update: July 2026 – Spot 2 by Severin Hackenberger
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety |  |
| Photo Locations | |
| Weather |  |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 15/33 | 3.052 m |
| Terminals | One for all movements |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | May be handy at Spots 1 and 7, otherwise not needed. |
| Car/Public Transport | Useful to get to Spot 2. All others can be reached easily by public transport. |
| Restrooms | In the terminal landside there are free toilets. |
| Drinks/Food | In the terminal landside there are some restaurants as well as a Cafe Nero and Costa Coffee. Next to spot 2 there is a burger van, otherwise bring what you need. |
| Hotels | There are a couple of hotels with in the terminal area, a new Hilton Garden Inn Hotel is currently being constructed on the terminal site and is due to open in late 2018. There is a Holiday Inn and Travelodge next to the old terminal site and is handy for Spot 2. |
| Season | Saturdays and most days during the week are the best times to go during the winter and summer season. Most of the traffic appears in the summer as some flights are summer seasonal, however there are some interesting movements during the winter season. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 15/33 | There is only one runway in use and there are opportunities for photography of landing and departing traffic which ever end is in use. There is no preference for either Northerly or Southerly operations on Runway 15/33, so the runway end in use depends on the wind direction. |
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Spot #1 – Car Park 5 Viewing Area – Runway 33 arrivals and departures |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This first location is an official viewing area and a 5 minute walk away from the terminal and very easy to find. From the terminal exit at entrance A (follow signs to check in desks 101-130) and turn right following signs to car park 5. Follow the public footpath running parallel to remote aircraft stands and the fuel farm on the right. Past the fuel farm you will see a bus type shelter and three picnic benches that is the viewing area. You can go to the southernmost corner of the parking for arrivals photos as the perimeter fence is below you at this position, so you have a clear sight. But security will ask you to leave and told you to go back to the official viewing area. |
| WHAT | Runway 33 arrivals and departures as well as departures from runway 15, some R15 departures may be high. RWY15 arrival views may be obscured because of the fuel farm but heavy aircraft exit in front of you. There is a small fence so 1-2 steps are helpful but you can also hold your camera through or over the mesh especially for taxiway photos. For arrivals it may be handy to have one or two steps but some times people do stand on the benches depending on the aircraft some are over the fence. |
| TIME | Best from sunrise till noon in the summer. In winter there is no light on this side. |
| MISC. | You can find everything you need in the terminal building. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 200 – 300 mm for landing, taxing shots 100 – 200 mm depending on size of aircraft. |
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Spot #2 – Elmdon Multi-Storey Car Park – runway 15/33 arrivals and departures |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This spot is a well known location for spotters (and as an Uber waiting area) as the sun is behind you for most of the day and the top levels offer nice views. Located on the site of the old terminal it is best to get there by car or by local bus services from the airport, but parking is chargable: the best option is to drive in only for what you are aiming for and stay not longer then the minimum tarife of 90 mins for 2.40GBP (as of summer 2026).
By car assuming you are leaving from spot 1 follow signs to the A45 towards Birmingham City Centre and Cargo Terminal follow the A45 until you come to a cross road and make sure you are in the right hand lane, the Holiday Inn hotel is to your right, once on Terminal Road follow the road round past the old terminal and the car park entrance is on your left. Go up to the second from top floor as the top is roped off to cars during the winter in the summer it open. There is a staircase in the far corner: climb the stairs to reach the top floor. |
| WHAT | From the center of the runway towards the southern end there are buildings and lots of poles: so 33 movements larger than an E145 do not fit in the windows and thus can only be spot from behind/after 90 degree. Movements on runway 15 work well till 90 degree, most aircraft are rotating infront of the car park before being covered by the hall/hangar in front. Also views of the cargo, VIP and hangar parking stands can be seen. Views of the main terminal area can also be seen but some views are obstructed by an old hangar. |
| TIME | From noon till sunset all year round. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby. For restrooms use the Holiday Inn. Heat haze is a big issue on the runway in summer! As mentioned, there are quite some poles and buildings disturbing your view. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm B777 on runway side on = 120mm / B777 on cargo ramp in front = 85mm |
View to the north:
View to the east with the mentioned buildings and poles:
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Spot #3 – Sheldon Country Park – 33 departures only |
|---|---|
| WHERE | From Spot #4, walk around the western side of the airport boundary into the main area of the park. You can choose your preferred spot to suit the angle you like best.
Alternatively, if coming from the airport by car, take the A45 (Coventry Road) westwards, turning right onto Arden Oak Road at the Arden Oak Harvester. At the end of the road, turn right and first left onto Shepheard Road, and at the end turn right onto Whitecroft Road which then becomes Mapledene Road. After passing Mapledene Primary School on the right, turn right into Greenvale Avenue. The entrance to Sheldon Country Park is about 150 metres on the right, so park somewhere suitable in Greenvale Avenue and walk into the park to choose your spot. |
| WHAT | Departures from Runway 33 only. |
| TIME | From noon till sunset all year round. |
| MISC. | There is shade under the trees but no other facilities, so bring what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Up to 300mm should be fine for airliners depending on where you stand. |
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Spot #4 – Sheldon Country Park – Runway 15 arrivals and line ups |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This is another well known spot for spotters, located at the end of runway 15 it is perfect for arrivals and departures from runway 15. It is a 4-5 minute walk from Marston green train station, if arriving by train from Birmingham City Centre. Then cross the footbridge (spot 5) and walk along platform 2 until you see a small exit, follow this path as it will lead you to an entrance to Sheldon Park from here follow the railway line which parallel to the right. Then follow the walk route shown on the map. Please use the parking lots next to the train-station (spot 5) or the official lot for the country park (see map marker) |
| WHAT | Runway 15 arrivals and line ups. |
| TIME | All day as you can switch easily when the sun moves around. There are some benches further up the field in the afternoon it best to take photos from here as the sun is behind you. For the morning stand on top of some uneven ground to get landing and line up shots. |
| MISC. | Apart from a Newsagent and restroom at Marston Green, bring what you need as there are no facilities in the park. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 300-400mm depending on size of aircraft. |
 |
Spot #5 – Marston Green Train Station footbridge – Runway 15 arrivals and departures |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This spot located at the Northern end of the train station which is in the village of Marston Green. It is best to arrive here by train using local rail services that stop here as some do not stop. By car, find a lot next to the train-station (spot 5). |
| WHAT | Arrivals |
| TIME | Best from sunrise till noon in the summer. In winter there is no light on this side. |
| MISC. | There are toilet facilities at the train station but you need to ask the ticket clerk for the key. There is a newsagent opposite the station where you can buy food and drink. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 200 – 300mm depending on size of aircraft. |
 |
Spot #6 – International Pier – Taxiway Delta/Echo movements |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This spot requires a boarding pass in order to get to it. Located at the end of the international pier (gates 40-54) is a small seating area with a large window near gate 42, here you can photograph ground movements and aircraft taxing along taxiway Delta/Echo. There are some areas where photographs can be taken of aircraft parked at gates 45-47 and of gate 56-57 as well as the remote 70s and 80s stands but some gates have pre boarding areas so views are restricted. |
| WHAT | Taxiway Delta/Echo movements |
| TIME | Early morning as the sun will be behind you and not in front but it all depends on what time your flight is. |
| MISC. | Everything you need is in the departures lounge |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70 – 100 mm depending on size of aircraft |
 |
Spot #7 – Old viewing area location – remote 20s stands and taxiway |
|---|---|
| WHERE | Located further up from spot one, this location is where the old viewing area used to be, follow the same route to spot one but don’t go past the fuel farm. Parts of the fence have windbreakers fitted restricting views but if you are lucky there may be some gaps offering reasonable views of aircraft parked on the remote 20s stands. If you carry on walking towards the fuel farm you find there are no windbreakers in the fence this is where you can get photos of Flybe/Ryanair and aircraft turning onto taxiway Echo. |
| WHAT | Ryanair/Flybe movements, taxiway Echo movements as well as aircraft parked on the remote 20s stands. Aircraft requiring attention by Monarch Engineering sometimes park on stand 25. |
| TIME | Depends on what you wanna photograph but usually all day as the sun will be behind you. |
| MISC. | Everything you need is in the terminal. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 20 – 70mm for parked aircraft 75 – 300 mm for taxing aircraft |
To Spot 2, is the X1 from the airport terminal?
There needs to be another spot added that is the Golf course
At Spot #2 what focal length of lens is required for aircraft which are not parked?
around 185mm for 738/320, 120mm for 787 and 100mm for 380
Hi just to let you no Marston Green railway bridge is unusable now due to the trees overgrowing you may just catch landings but ground shots very limited. You may have the odd gap. The more the trees grow the harder it will be
Hi Nick, thanks for the hint. I left a note in the guide.
-Julian
You can still see a small section of the runway so if there is something coming you will still be able to see it albeit not a great view