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January 7, 2020Istanbul Intl. Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on June 29, 2026
On April 6, 2019, a new era began for air transport in and around Istanbul. All scheduled commercial passenger flights were transferred from Atatürk Airport to the newly constructed airport in the Arnavutköy district, north of the city of Istanbul (also on the European side). The old airport “Atatürk” (now ISL), which is located directly in the city of Istanbul, had been operating at its limit, and since it could not be further expanded due its location, it was time to build a new and bigger airport outside of the city. Construction started in 2015 and a mere four years later the new airport opened its doors to the public. The old airport is still active with only one runway, but only being used by gov/biz jets and maintenance flights.
As of today, there is one major terminal and five parallel runways. Construction is still ongoing. Compared to Atatürk Airport, where spotting locations close to the airport were easily accessible, the situation is the complete opposite at the new airport. Due to the ongoing construction there is a lot of private security and police patrolling along the airport’s periphery. The authorities are going to establish dedicated spotting locations, but currently we don’t have any further details about this project. Except for #5, the spots, which are listed in this guide, aren’t in the focus of police or security, hence spotters shouldn’t encounter any issues at these locations.
The biggest player at IST, of course, is Turkish Airlines. There are a carriers, such as Afriqiyah Airways , Badr Airlines from Sudan, Iran Air Tours, Iran Air, Mahan Air, Qeshm, Afriqiyah Airways or Libyan Airlines, which are rare sights at other European airports, but are regulars in Istanbul. Furthermore there are a lot of uncommon cargo airlines at the airport like ULS, ACT Cargo.
The airport is open 24 hours, so sadly you will miss some nice traffic!
An online timetable can be found on the official website.
Written by Ömür Sadıkoğlu and Yiğit Çiçekci, Daniel Seaman, Tombarelli Federico, Konrad Wyszynski, Chris and Lorenzo Fantoni. Last change: September 2025 – Spot 8-10
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety |  |
| Photo Locations |  |
| Weather | |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 16L/34R (west) | 3.750 m (12.303 ft) Asphalt (not in use) |
| 16R/34L (west) | 3.750 m (12.303 ft) Asphalt |
| 17L/35R (center) | 4.000 m (13.451 ft) Asphalt |
| 17R/35L (center) | 4.000 m (13.451 ft) Asphalt |
| 18/36 (east) | 3.060 m (10.039 ft) Asphalt & Concrete |
| Terminals | |
| Gates A-F | International flights |
| Gates G | Domestic flights |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not necessary at any of the locations. |
| Car/Public Transport | A car equipped with a GPS is mandatory to get around as the area around the airport is very rural. There is no public transport. Furthermore, it is easier to hide camera equipment in the car in case of a security check. |
| Restrooms | None directly at the locations. |
| Drinks/Food | There are some gas stations around the airport where food and drinks can be purchased. |
| Hotels | Yotel in terminal. There are a few poor of quality hotels in Arnavutköy. |
| Season | Due to the north/south direction the summer months are the best choice, however, during this period heat haze is a serious issue due to the distance between the runways and most locations. |
| Security | Spotting in Turkey is neither supported nor understood. Spotting at Istanbul Istanbul Airport IST is at your own risk! Please always adjust your behaviour when travelling to the Middle East states (including Turkey) to avoid running into trouble with the police or other authorities. Keep a low profile wherever you are and try to hide your camera whenever it’s possible to prevent sensation. If you have a car stow your camera underneath the seat or in the glovebox of the car. Have a map with you to fake a glitch or for an alleged planning of a route and stay inside your car as long as possible. Our team hasn’t experienced any problems yet at the new airport. Another important thing to be aware of while spotting at Istanbul are the locals because they often don’t understand our hobby and consider spotters as suspicious people hanging around with expensive cameras.
Avoid the areas that are within the red zone on our map! There are a few locations in that area but we recommend to not use them! Be aware that a red pick up truck which belongs to the forrest minestry might pass by and will send you away. Seems to happen when its very dry and there is a high risk of wildfire. |
| Runway Usage | |
| General Info | Usually 80% of the time the wind is coming from the black sea (north) so runways 34/35/36 are active. The air traffic controllers always use the nearby runways to the left and right of the terminal in order to get the departure traffic out of the airport as soon as possible. no attention is paid to the length of taxi time after landing. The algorithm of the approach traffic and the determination of the landing runways take place outside the decision of air traffic control with computer guidance.
When there are southern operations, there are only two active runways for parallel landings as 18 is not in use for arrivals.
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| 16L/34R (west) | Not in use |
| 16R/34L (west) | One of the two parallel runways that are in the westernmost corner of the airport. Used for arrivals mostly west and northbound traffic from Europe and America and usually cargo flights. During peak hours expect some departuers here as well but not that much. |
| 17L/35R (center) | One of the two parallel runways in the middle section of the airport areal, west of the terminal and one of the busiest runways due to its closeness to the terminal. In use for arrivals only from both sides, mostly south and eastbound flights from Middle East, Asia, Eastern Africa flights. |
| 17R/35L (center) | One of the two parallel runways in the middle section of the airport areal, west of the terminal. In use for departures only from both sides. One of the busiest runways due to its closeness to the terminal. |
| 18/36 (east) | Easternmost runway of the airport, east of the terminal. Mainly in use for departures from both sides. There are some arrivals on 36, during peak hours (10-12 for example) flights approach from the east. There are no arrivals on 18! One of the busiest runways due to its close postion to the terminal. Often domestic flights and some eastern traffic use this runway. |
Cemetery - 34L Arrivals and Departures
| WHERE | Get into the village of Tayakadın, drive north-eastwards on the main road and from there turn right to Neslihan Street. Drive all the way up until you reach a cemetery in front. Pass it on the left side to the end of the road.
By public transport: take the Metro M11 and exit at Kargo Terminali station (Spot 5). From there you can walk along the sidewalk/ lawn into the direction of spot 1 for about 30 minutes. If you reach the roundabout you can see already the hillside behind a fence. Just turn left towards the police check point, pass them and walk towards the end of the fence. The police didn´t care. There were just some annoying straying dogs. Just ignore them. Then you can jump over the highway barrier and walk up the hill. |
| WHAT | From here you can photograph 34L landings. 90 degree pictures are not possible as the sight to the left is blocked by an embankment. For 34L Departures go a bit down the hill as marked on the map. |
| TIME | From (early) afternoon until sunset all year round. Due to the distance heat haze is a problem for planes on the ground. |
| MISC. | There are some food stations in the village, but the better option is to buy what you need at Socar Gas Station, which is located south of the Rwy 34L threshold. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Arrivals: 77W = 340mm; A330 Star = 300mm Ground: A330 = 340mm; 787 = 350mm |
Forest - 16R Arrivals
| WHERE | The spot is at a dirt road in a forest between Yeniköy and Karaburun. You can reach this position from the village of Yeniköy by passing spot 3 and driving westwards on the dirt road. Follow the path until the marked position on the map to capture 16L landings. |
| WHAT | Good location for 16R landings. |
| TIME | From (early) afternoon until sunset all year round. |
| MISC. | Usually a calm location but due to some recent forest fires it is possible that the governorship of istanbul forbid enterance to forests for security reasons! So be careful about managerial decisions before entering the spot. Nothing nearby. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 380mm SSJ100, 300mm for b738, 200mm a333, 160mm for B773 |
Yeniköy village - 16R Arrivals
| WHERE | Get to the village of Yeniköy on the northern side of the airport and drive till the end of the Özgürlük Caddesi. Park next to the last house on the side of the road to capture the 16L landings ( |
| WHAT | 16R landings only. |
| TIME | From sunrise until noon all year round. |
| MISC. | There is a restaurant and a supermarket in the village. The locals are very friendly and it is a safe place for spotting. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 280mm a320, 170mm for a333, 190mm a300-600, |
Yeniköy Village - 17L & 16R Arrivals
| WHERE | This location is a calm and safe place in the village of Yeniköy along Okul Sokak. Follow Zakkum Sokak to Atatürk Caddesi, turn left and right towards the Mosque and via Karaağaç Cad take the next left into Okul Sokak. Drive until you see some benches to sit down and park your car somewhere on the side of the road. Sounds complicate but its easy to find! |
| WHAT | 17L landings (traffic with an eastern destination) combined with a beautiful view of the Black Sea. 16R landings be aware of heat haze and the long focal you need to reach smaller types. |
| TIME | Rwy 16R: From from sunrise until early afternoon. Rwy 17L: From (early) afternoon until sunset all year round. |
| MISC. | There is a restaurant and a supermarket in the village. The locals are very friendly and it is a safe place for spotting. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Rwy 27L: A330 = 190mm Rrwy 16R: A346 = 400mm & MD80 = 500mm |
Runway 17L
Runway 16R
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- Park at the side of the road
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- Position in the curve
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- Spotter in action
Metro Station – 34L arrivals
| WHERE | The Metro Station “Kargo Terminali” is a good place if you don`t have a car. Reachable by line M11 from the terminal/city centre. It is just right of the entrance to the subway. Reachable by car as well but parking is limited. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 34L only. |
| TIME | From sunrise until early noon all year round. |
| MISC. | Keep a low profile as it this place! Surveillance camera are installed. There place is not really busy and used by visitors mainly for parking. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Unknown |
Parking Garage - 35R arrivals and taxiways
| WHERE | This spot is located at the parking lot in front of the departures terminal. Go to the upper level near a big black metal structure where cars can go down the parking lot. Accessible by foot from the terminal. By car you need to pay to stay in the parking.
Update May 2026: Keep a low profile here security and police send some spotters away recently. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on 35R runway. And some parking but you should deal with poles. It is also a great spot to catch planes that has landed on 34L rwy and going to passenger terminal. |
| TIME | From sunrise until early noon all year round. |
| MISC. | Everything you need (food, restrooms) is available at the terminal nearby. No problem with police, families can be seen here to enjoy the planes. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 300-600mm A310=400mm; 77W =250mm |
Terminal - Apron
| WHERE | Airside, behind the security checks, spotting is available at the end of piers B, E and F. There are large windows over looking the taxiways. You are shooting through glass so a large rubber lens hood is advised. |
| WHAT | Taxi / Ramp areas (limited ramp views) |
| TIME | Usually all day, depends on the angle a bit. |
| MISC. | Food drinks and other aminities are available in the terminal and just keep a low profile and put your camera away between photos. It can be a long walk between piers so leave plenty of time to get to your gate! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-150mm |
Gravel Road - 34L arrivals
| WHERE | Access to this location and spots 9-11 possible from the town of Arnavutköy, which is south of the airport. From there drive north on Faith Cd/Airport. Close to the highway intersection turn right onto a gravel road. There are concrete blocks plus sometimes a chain at the entrance with one missing to drive through (as of June 2026, its possible to drive trough). In the case the entrance is complety blocked, there are two alternatives marked on the map to reach spots 8-11 but the “road” conditions are very bad! After approximate 200-300 meters from the entrance park the car at the corner (#8A) or continue down the road to get closer to the approach (#8B). Update Summer 2025: be aware that a red pick up truck which belongs to the forrest minestry might pass by and will send you away. Seems to happen when its very dry and there is a high risk of wildfire. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 34L. To avoid heat haze and for smaller aircraft go down to Spot 8B! |
| TIME | From afternoon until sunset all year round. |
| MISC. | This location is in the middle of nowhere and nothing is close. Drive very carefully as the gravel road is, in some parts, in super bad conditions! If you rush from the various points you might have a bad ride! We really suggest a decent insurance with the car rental as you might really damage the car. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 8A: 400-600mm 8B: 300-500mm – A320/737 = around 330mm; 773 = 190mm |
Spot 8A
Spot 8B
Gravel Road - 34L morning arrivals, 35R afternoon arrivals
| WHERE | Follow directions for spot 8. Continue from there for approximate 1.5km on the gravel road. This is not an exact position but you can position yourself along the gravel road as marked on the map. Depends on the angle you prefer. There are concrete blocks plus sometimes a chain at the entrance off Faith Cd with one missing to drive through. In the case the entrance is complety blocked or you cannot pass the gate for the constructions after/east of spot 8, there are two alternatives marked on the map to reach spots 8-11 but the “road” conditions are very bad!Update Summer 2025: be aware that a red pick up truck which belongs to the forrest minestry might pass by and will send you away. Seems to happen when its very dry and there is a high risk of wildfire. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 34L and 35R. |
| TIME | 34L: From sunrise until early noon all year round. 35R: From afternoon until sunset all year round. |
| MISC. | This location is in the middle of nowhere and nothing is close. Drive very carefully as the gravel road is, in some parts, in super bad conditions! If you rush from the various points you might have a bad ride! We really suggest a decent insurance with the car rental as you might really damage the car. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 34L: 737/A320 = 350-400mm (depends on position) 35R: 737/A320 = 300-350mm (depends on position) |
35R arrivals afternoon
34L arrivals morning
Hills - 35R arrivals
| WHERE | Follow directions for spot 8 and 9. Continue from spot 9 for approximate 1.5 km on the gravel road until a flat area as marked on the map (hard to explain but you can`t miss it). Either stay there (#10A) or for a slightly better angle walk/drive up the hill (#10B) which is behind the area. There are concrete blocks plus sometimes a chain at the entrance off Faith Cd with one missing to drive through. In the case the entrance is complety blocked or you cannot pass the gate for the constructions after/east of spot 8, there are two alternatives marked on the map to reach spots 8-11 but the “road” conditions are very bad! |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 35R. |
| TIME | From sunrise until early noon all year round. |
| MISC. | This location is in the middle of nowhere and nothing is close. Drive very carefully as the gravel road is, in some parts, in super bad conditions! If you rush from the various points you might have a bad ride! We really suggest a decent insurance with the car rental as you might really damage the car. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 10A: ATR72 = 400mm; A333 = 200mm; A321 = 260mm 10B: A333 = 250mm; A321 = 310mm |
From the parking #10A:
From the hill #10B:
Forrest - 36 arrivals
| WHERE | Continue from the previous spots for another 1.5 km until the gravel road makes a 90 degree right turn. Or you can also access the spot from the south directly. |
| WHAT | 36 arrivals only |
| TIME | From (early) afternoon until sunset all year round. |
| MISC. | This location is in the middle of nowhere and nothing is close. Drive very carefully as the gravel road is, in some parts, in super bad conditions! If you rush from the various points you might have a bad ride! We really suggest a decent insurance with the car rental as you might really damage the car. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Unknown |
No pictures available for the moment
Playground - 34L & 35R arrivals
| WHERE | The spot is a good alternative if you don`t wanna drive to the southern locations at the hills/forrest. It is located in the town of Arnavutköy, south of the airport next to a small playground. Just spot from around this area. You can drive here by car and park on the road or came from the city of Istanbul by the metro line M11, leave on a station Tasoluk and wall by foot 15 minutes. No ladder required. |
| WHAT | Approach to runways 34L and 35R. |
| TIME | For runway 34L from sunrise till noon and for runway 35R from afternoon until sunset. Heat haze can be an issue sometimes for the 34L arrivals |
| MISC. | Restaurants are within 15 minutes of walk into the town. Some trees spending shadow and benches to sit down. No issues with the police, locals are friendly. Just homeless dogs can be a problem but basically they don’t care about you |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 400-600mm |
Official Viewing Deck - 16R/24L
| WHERE | There is an official viewing deck on airport property which can be accessed by online registration on this website. This is the only option to reach the deck! After the successful registration you will be transferred by a shuttle bus from the terminal to the platform. The Spotter Area is only open on Saturdays from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, and iGA provides complimentary transportation in vehicles departing from column no.7 on the -2 floor. |
| WHAT | All traffic on the western runways 16L/24R and 16R/24L |
| TIME | From (early) afternoon until sunset all year round but totally depends on the time of the tour will start and ends. |
| MISC. | Toilets are available plus water, snacks and soft drinks are provided free of charge to all spotters by the airport. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Air Cairo a320 on a taxiway: 600mm, act cargo: 375mm, jordan aviation b733: 300mm |
Hi there,
is it only that you can spot at the end of the piers or also between the gates along the whole terminal (international departures)?
Thanks
Hello Stephan,
Photos can be taken from any of the gates labeled A through G that make up the departure terminal. However, photography is often not possible at these gates because they generally contain jet bridges, ground equipment, and various commercial establishments; additionally, some gates are designated as restricted areas for passengers on flights departing from those specific gates. Photography is often possible from the three marked points. This is because the angle of the light, the absence of commercial establishments, and the wide space between airbridges—due to the fact that wide body aircraft are typically parked there make it more likely to photograph aircraft that are taxiing or parked.
In particular, it is easier to take photos from the side surfaces of piers on the arrival level rather than the departure level.
I was trying to find a spot that is safe and versatile for spotting, and spot 12 seems perfect. However, I see that the focal length for it is an astounding 400-600mm apsc, which seems quite a lot for the angle that the example photos were taken from.
Is this a typo, or is it because the planes are really high up? If it is truly that far away, would heat haze be a big problem in the summer?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Tyson, I was never at Spot 12 but the focal length for APS-C must be correct as it is for both runways. I was at spot 9 and it’s almost the same distance. And the planes are higher as you already noticed. And yes, heat haze is a problem later the day. Early in the morning its fine.
-Julian
#6 got sent away by Security, after that searched for another spot on the parking lot, then sent away by police said it was illegal.
Hi Wesley, added a remark for that Spot. Also note the red box with SEcurity note here.
spent 01.05.-03.05. spotting there mostly at Spots 8, 9 and 10. no one bothered me though some cars passed me at Spot 8. But it was rainy and I want to stress once more the bad condition of the road. It got quite muddy and I wasn’t able to reach spot 10 completely as shown on the map unless risking to get stuck in mud forever… max was half way from the split. and don’t ask for the look of the rental car afterwards. Otherwise in dry conditions great spots
Hi! Did you try any other spots? We will spend some days there next week and I am curious about your opinion.
Nice to hear you had no trouble! It’s still wet enough in this area 😉 Access from Fatih Cd was possible?
-Julian
Hi Julian, I hope you’re doing well.
As of now, this is the clearest and most convenient entrance for getting to spotting points 8, 9, and 10.
41.24032889543201, 28.69426394457902
yes there is still a wide enough gap for a car to pass through
As “FlankerF1” already stated 2 month ago regarding spots 8&9, we had the same issue during our visit 2 weeks ago (first week of september). After 4 hours spending at the path road between spot 8 & 9 in the morning hours, a pickup of the “forrest police” showed up and send us away in an really unfriendly manner and made it clear to us, that there would be consequences if we´ll show up again.
Access from Fatih Cd was possible without any barriers, but road was in an extremely bad condition.
Did you persevere or give up?
I believe your problem happened because it was forbidden to enter the forests during the summer season.
Istanbul governorship banned the entrance to forests to minimize the risk of wildfires. The ban was between june and october. I believe the same restriction will happen the next year.
Am looking for somewhere to spot this October. Istanbul looks top of my list. Is the official viewing deck any good??
Just a small update from my experience this week.
Access to stop 8-9-10 through Fatih Cd has some concrete barriers as was previously commented but also there’s a chain which seems to be open sometimes but I’ve seen closed in the evening. Access through the west side near the metro depot is also closed by barriers.
I was able to access through the gravel road closer to 8 but noticed some works repairing the gravel road and heavy traffic of trucks. I was able to access in the morning today but in the afternoon I found a guard at (41.241846, 28.702123) who didn’t let me pass as apparently they’re starting some works there.
Hopefully locals can clarify, I guess without the language barrier you can explain where you’re going and he would let you pass.
Thanks, Julián, note added.
Hi all, I was wondering whether the focal lengths are for full-frame or APS-C sensors
Hi, they are for APS-C sensors. Please see our FAQ for more details.
-Julian
Hi all, has anyone ever tried spot 12? With spots 8, 9 and 10 now being in doubt, I was wondering if that would be an alternative.
For sure, I have the same question too. Also, is spot 12 really 400-600mm for full frames? From the angle and judging from the map, that seems quite a lot
As of July 2025, in the area of spots 8 9 and 10, you can now be moved on – told to leave the area and that it is forbidden by a government service (not police exactly it seemed). They said action will be initiated if seen there again.
I have been to Istanbul one month ago at the places you mentioned and we encountered zero problems there. Even locals passed by a couple of times. Where exactly have you been standing?
The red pick up passed by as well when I was there but did not stopped. It belongs to the forrest ministry in general not really a big deal. Of course the language barrier is always a problem.
I just talked to my buddy in IST which is a local spotter and he was there a few days ago without problems. Next time tell him you are there for bird watching which seems to be more common 😀
I am in Istanbul right now, and the preffered way to spot 8/9/10 Has like Blocking on the road. Cant drive through
Hi, just spent some time at IST and the entrance on Fatih Cd. closest to spot 8 had a gap in its barriers wide enough to drive through. From there, we’ve also accessed spots 9 and 10 with ease. We haven’t encountered any problems with any kind of law enforcement at all.