Abu Dhabi Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on August 4, 2026
Abu Dhabi – A city like one from Arabian Nights! And it is not just a city somewhere in the desert; it is the capital of the UAE! Our members Marlin and Jonas frequently visit Abu Dhabi and created a guide for this worth seeing city. The capital airport is the home of the world’s fastest growing airline, Etihad Airways. Being a base for EY, Abu Dhabi airport makes most of its profit from the national airline of the UAE.But there are also 32 other airlines flying into AUH. Several carrier from nearly every corner of the world are being linked with Abu Dhabi, most of them are Etihad Airways partner like Air Berlin, Jet Airways, Air Seychelles, Philippine Airlines or Virgin Australia. Abu Dhabi has got three terminals and a large freight sector. A fourth terminal is under construction and is expected to be opened up in 2016.
Abu Dhabi Airport offers two runways and three terminals. For a safe spotting trip please read the safety advice carefully and obey those tips and instructions.
Written by Marlin & Jonas Lehmann, Jeremy Denton and Julian Mittnacht (last update February 2025)
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety | |
| Photo Locations |  |
| Weather |  |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 13L/31R | 4.100 m (13.451 ft) |
| 13R/31L | 4.100 m (13.451 ft) |
| Terminals | |
| Terminal 1 | PIA, Air India Express, MEA, Gulf Air, Etihad (middle east) |
| Terminal 2 | not really in use and just a small building |
| Terminal 3 | Etihad and Partner Airlines |
| Terminal 4 | Midfield, Opening 2019 (Etihad Airways) |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | There is no need for it |
| Car/Public Transport | Car is strongly recommend to use (serves as protection) |
| Restrooms | Available at all publicly accessible buildings like restaurants or inside the terminal building |
| Drinks/Food | There are supermarkets nearby the airport and food is available inside the airport’s terminals and around the airport are restaurants |
| Hotels | There are two hotels nearby the airport. The “Airport Hotel” (*****) is immediately inside Terminal 1. Especial Recommendation: Premier Inn Hotel Abu Dhabi International Airport (***) |
| Season | When visiting the UAE in the summer time, massive heat haze will be a problem which is far lesser in winter. Traffic is not dependent from season, Abu Dhabi Airport’s traffic is constantly the same during the year. |
| Security | Spotting in the UAE is neither supported nor understood nor tolerated. Especially taking pictures evincing airport buildings or facilities will may cause problems and punishments (which can range from a check by police to imprisonment in worst case) by the police or airport authorities. we will not be liable for any inconviniences with local authorities. Spotting at Abu Dhabi airport AUH is at your own risk. Keep a low profile wherever you are. Information: our team hasn’t yet experienced any problems at Abu Dhabi airport which is attributable to extremely cautious behaviour and obeying of security tips. Please always adjust your behaviour when travelling into the middle east states including the uae to aviod inconveniences with the police. General tip for spotting in the middle east area: 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.
+++ SPOT AT YOUR OWN RISK IN THE UAE +++ UPDATE – PLEASE NOTE: As of 30APR2015 we now caution you against doing spotting in the UAE as the situation has worsened sharply. Photography of airplanes in the United Arab Emirates is avenged and punished when being caught by authorities or police. Spotting in the UAE has become extremely dangerous and we advise everbody to keep this in mind when planning to go spotting at any UAE airport. At Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ayn and Fujairah, spotting is highly hazardous. Dubai Airport is being checked by the police more regularly than ever before. Not even photographs not including airport facilities are not tolerated anymore. To learn more about the current circumstances, please refer to this link. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 13R/31L | Less active, mainly for VIP and Cargo operations. |
| 13L/31R | Main runway for arrivals and departures. Used in both directions. |
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Spot #1 – Crowne Plaza Hotel Yas Island – 13R arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | You can easily spot airplanes directly from your hotel room at Crowne Plaza Hotel Yas Island. Ask rooms in the west wing of the hotel (additional building) as rooms in the eastern wing apparently do not offer a view onto approaching aircraft. |
| WHAT | Flight arrivals of runway 13R can be observed from here (rare). Departures from runway 31L are high already and in a unprofitable angle. |
| TIME | From noon to sunset |
| MISC. | Angle is quite steep |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-400mm – An aircraft such as a Boeing 777 may need 170mm, the Air Astana jet was taken at 250mm |
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Spot #2 – Yas Marina F1 track – 13R arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This spot is located at the entry of Yas marina Formula F1 track. There are bus connections to Yas Marina Circuit. Google Maps coordinate: 24.474400, 54.602459 |
| WHAT | You can take photos of aircraft approaching runway 13R. |
| TIME | Best light conditions are from sunrise until mid-day. |
| MISC. | Refer to the red box above for current spotting info! This spot offers aplenty of institutions such as restaurants, bars or restrooms. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300 – Boeing 777: 190mm; Airbus A330-300: 220mm; Airbus A320: 290mm |
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Spot #3 – Morning spot 31L arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | Difficult of explanation but this spot is parallel of E11 to Dubai next to a huge palace at a roundabout. The street is not much frequented but stay in your car and always keep a low profile. Check maps.google.com for this coordinate: 24.421146, 54.679024 UPDATE 23JAN2017: FELLOW SPOTTERS HAVE NOW ADVISED THAT THIS SPOT CANNOT BE USED ANY LONGER/FOR THE TIME BEING BECAUSE OF CONSTRUCTION ZONES – TO BE UPDATED |
| WHAT | From this spot you can take pictures of all flight arrivals of runway 31L. When 13s are in use, heavy aircraft can be photographed from here when they are fully loaded. |
| TIME | Best light conditions are sunrise until mid-day |
| SECURITY | Refer to the red box above for current spotting info! This spot is rather safe. Keep in car though and keep a low profile as set out above. Fake a glitch in case of checks by the police. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm – Boeing 777: 160mm Airbus A319: 280mm – Airbus A330-200: 200mm – Airbus A340-600: 160mm |
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Spot #4 – Breakdown lane E11 – 31L arrivals |
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| WHERE | This spot is located right on a breakdown lane on highway E11. If this is too risky for you, check Google Maps coordinate 24.410694, 54.682598. |
| WHAT | Flight arrivals of runway 31L (rare). |
| TIME | Mid-day until sunset. |
| SECURITY | Please note: Refer to the red box above for current spotting info! This spot is advisable for a short stop only! Fake a glitch and keep a low profile. Misuse of a breakdown lane in the UAE is illegal. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm – Airbus A340-600: 85mm – Airbus A320: 160mm |
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Spot #5 – Premier Inn Hotel Pool Roof |
|---|---|
| WHERE | You can easily spot airplanes directly from your hotel pool at Premier Inn Hotel Abu Dhabi International Airport. It’s best to take photos from the roof top. Taking photos from any room is not possible because of a building which blocks the view onto the airfield. There is a window in the level below the pool area (Level 5) which offers a view onto the runways and the maintenance area but taking photos from there is rather unprofitable.
+++ PLEASE NOTE: The Abu Dhabi Airport Aviation Authority has forbidden any photography from the Premier Inn Pool deck. ‘No photography’ signs warns you of any inconveniences with hotel staff or ADEC. Watching the traffic is fine +++ |
| WHAT | Flight arrivals of runway 31L/13R, taxiing airplanes to the terminal and all flight operations at Abu Dhabi Airport including the Presidental Flights. Be warned that you might experience strong heat haze with your shots taken during the day, even the larger aircraft can be affected by that. Days with strong winds will often result in less heat haze. |
| TIME | All day long. But heat haze will be less in the later evening. |
| SECURITY | |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-400mm. Widebody aircraft can easily be photographed at 300mm and less. Taxiing aircraft in a size of a B777 may need 160mm and runway 31L/13R shots up to 250mm. Smaller aircraft like the Dash 8s can be photographed at 400mm but heat haze could be a major problem. |
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Spot #6 – The Great Ghaaf Tree on a Hill – Afternoon 31R arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This spotting location is great for rwy31R arrivals afternoon. As of July 2026, the location is still under construction so rather a safe area. Not much traffic as well. Park your car next to the road on the dirt. To find the location we advise you to mention the name of the spot and you’ll just have to drive a few more meters down to the road. We advise not to spot at the hill as you’ll attract too much attention. |
| WHAT | Runway 31R arrivals, it is the main used runway for arrivals by civilians and military jets. |
| TIME | Winter: From 10h30 until sunset. Summer: From 12h30 until sunset. |
| SECURITY | As of July 2026, this spot is pretty safe. Even the area is full of CCTV cameras, every pole has one, but during all visits, nobody approached us, questioned us, or asked us to leave. The area is generally quiet. Keep in car though and keep a low profile as set out above. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 200mm = B781 / 350mm = A321 & 400mm = A320 |
Just want to add that some rooms in Premier Inn can offer a good view to the airport, such as 559.
At spot 6 I got questioned by a local, but he did not seem like a police. And then he wrote down something on a piece of paper, I do not know what, but he only asked what are you doing and why.
Hi. Is it safe to do this in Abu Dhabi? And where is the most common place? I would be grateful for the answer.
Coming from experience, DO NOT be in obvious places as I got questioned by the police at the station. Parking lots are a good spot as then you can get back in the car. Dubai is slightly better for spotting.
Hi, I want to remark a few things:
1) spot 3 is still closed
2) https://maps.app.goo.gl/U6VdJ2nkvzstVwRq5?g_st=ic can also be a good location for north runway
It is R6 parking, with top golf (under construction) near it
Hi, can you send me some photos to support@spotterguide.net please from the new locations.
Thanks, Julian
Okay so I just tell some update and things about AUH spotting after the U.S.–Iran war.
I spot in July 2026, I visited AUH three times over two days. Two of the visits were in the early morning, while one was from the afternoon until the evening. I visited Spots 2 and 6 and also happened to find a new RWY 13L for morning spot inside a residential community. I do not particularly recommend this spot, because if all the parking spaces in the community are occupied, it is basically impossible to take photos there.
One update is AUH is now using 13L and 31R more often as the main arrival runways. This means that arrival activity on 13R and 31L, which corresponds to Spot 1 to Spot 4, is currently very low. Usually, only cargo and VIP aircraft choose 13R and 31L.
As for Spot 6, it;s safe. The area is still a construction site, just as stated in the guide, and nothing has changed so far. However, the lighting is not very good during summer. but that area was full of CCTV cameras; every pole had one.
I thought there would be police everywhere, but during all three visits, nobody approached us, questioned us, or asked us to leave. The area was generally quiet, and the actual spotting experience was much better than what is described in this guide.(BUT YOU MUST NEED STAY IN THE CAR)
However, It does not mean spotting is officially permitted in UAE, and need still must be extremely careful. Stay inside the car, avoid being conspicuous, and do not photograph security facilities or personnel. Based on my personal experience, discreet spotting is possible here, but remaining cautious is still strongly recommended.
Hey, thanks for your feedback. I made some changes to the description.
-Julian
Premier Inn Roof Pool .. can confirm that the No Photography rule is still in place and enforced by the staff. You can still view the planes and it is a nice hotel.
2020 December update: Spotting highly risky. Dont come to OMAA for the sole purpose of spotting especially if you are a non-UAE passport holder, as you will be spotted by police and most likely get in trouble. if you do go, go to only 1 and 2, as those have least police presence and stay with a local if you can.
Thank you Mohammed, just out of curiosity, as the 13R spots are safest, what time of year is it most likely to see 13R often used for arrivals?
I will be transitting Abu Dhabi next month.
Would be interested in the situation once airside or actually from the plane (at gate or taxiing).
foreign owned airplanes should be exempt.
Hi all, just a small question regarding planespotting from behind the customs. For me given the above only for the regs, but would that be tolerated?
I am considering AMS/BRU – AUH – NRT shortly as EY fares are ok now.
Thanks
As long as you don´t use a huge binocular you should be fine.
-Julian
Are there places where you can discretely spot using FR24 in the terminal and beyond security for say an air France/klm or British airways flight?