DXB-Spot1
Sharjah Intl. Airport Spotting Guide
February 24, 2014
Christchurch Airport Spotting Guide
March 23, 2014Dubai International Airport Spotting Guide
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- last modified on December 17, 2019
Dubai International Airport – One of the world’s largest and fastest growing airport never comes to a rest. A mega hub which already now connects the entire globe with the UAE’s largest city! It is the busiest airport in the Middle East Area. The variety of airlines and their origin is very interesting in DXB and you get a lot of very unique stuff there, especially from the Iranian carriers or Syria. But, officially it is forbidden to take pictures of aircraft! So please read our guides carefully, mainly our security instructions to avoid any trouble with the police.
More than 89 Mio passengers travelled through DXB in 2018 and the active growth of its home carrier Emirates will let these numbers raise even more. As the airport is surrounded by the city of Dubai, the expansion is limited and with the opening of the Dubai World Central, more and more airlines move over to this new airport, situated almost 50 kilometres off from Dubai.
Dubai International Airport handles the most traffic during the night hours and the numbers of movements are much higher than during the day. But there are still enough very interesting carriers that you can photograph with the help of the sunlight and with only two active runways. Mostly of the time they have to used one runway for arrivals and one for departures, runway 30L for arrivals and runway 30R for departures. Emirates and Flydubai are the top dogs having their rush hour between 11 am and 1 pm during the day. During this time, Dubai Airport is at its capacity, sometimes causing moderate until heavy delays and long waiting queues inside the terminal buildings as well as on the tarmac. With only one runway in use, the airport sometimes struggles when there is a minor delay in it enormously tight schedule. The rest of the day is a very mixed of passenger airlines like Aeroflot Russian Airlines, African Express, Azul, Ariana Afghan, Air India, Air India Express, Azerbaijan Airlines, Egyptair, Ethiopian Airlines, Finnair, Flynas, Gulf Air, Indigo, Iran Air, Iraqi Airways, Kish Air, Kuwait Airways, Mahan Air, Oman Air, Pakistan International, Philippine Airlines, Qatar Airways, Qeshm Air, Royal Jordanian, Saudia Arabian, Saheen Air, SpiceJet, Syrian Air (A340!), Transavia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine International…
Cargo operations have been gradually cut very recently and many operators already moved to the new DWC airport. For example, Emirates skycargo isn’t operating any more to DXB and most of cargo which still operates at DXB are Fedex and UPS.
Written by Jan Seba, Jeremy Denton, Julian Mittnacht and Marlin Lehmann / Last Update June 2018
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| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 12L/30R | 4.000 m (13.123 ft) |
| 12R/30L | 4.447 m (14.590 ft) |
| Terminals | |
| Terminal 1 (west) | All other carriers |
| Terminal 3 (west) | Emirates only |
| Terminal 2 (east) | Persian carriers mainly including Emirates’ low cost airline flyDubai and Iranian, Iraqi and Indian carries except Mahan Air, Iran Air, Air India, SpiceJet, Jet Airways and several others. Check www.dubaiairports.ae for further information. |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not needed and not allowed |
| Car/Public Transport | Highly recommend for not being spotted by the police. |
| Restrooms | There are plenty restaurants (also fast food) and shopping malls nearby the spotting locations. |
| Drinks/Food | There are aplenty restaurants (also fast food) and shopping malls nearby the the spots. |
| Hotels | This guide also provides spots which are located on a hotel roof or in hotel rooms. The Nojoum Appartements (Spot 7) and the Permier Inn Hotel (Spot 8) are to be recommended. If you don’t want to get caught by the police and just looking for a relaxing place for spotting, take one of these and read the information you will find below. There are also aplenty of other hotels next to the airport belonging to the most diverse categories of stars. These may not offer a view onto the airport’s movements. Sharjah is only 20 km away from the airport and hotels are much cheaper there. But keep in mind the traffic volume between both cities is ridiculously high and it can take you at least 1 hour to connect both cities during the rush hours. |
| Season | We suggest October until April because it is too hot in the summer and the sun’s position is too high. Heat haze in December is almost not existing. |
| 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 Dubai international airport DXB is at your own risk. Keep a low profile wherever you are as some spotters were even caught like 10km away form the airport in the approach path, so the police controls huge boundaries all around the airfield.
Information: Our team hasn’t yet experienced (except one occurrence: Team members were taken to the police station after being caught on a parking deck) any problems at Dubai 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. |
| Runway Usage | |
| General Info | Please note that sometimes during the week, one runway may close during off-peak times which usually begin between 14:00 until sunset. You can get further information about the runway usage in NOTAMs for Dubai Airport. |
| 12L/30R | When winds blow from the desert, 12L is in use for arrivals only. Runway 30R is mainly used for departures. During mid-day, it can occour that some departures take place on 30L due to shorter taxying-times and relief for residents as well as for some minor runway works. |
| 12R/30L | When the wind blows from the desert to the city, 12R is used for the departures only. 95 percent of the traffic during the winter arrives on RWY30L with some very few arrivals on 30R (mainly airlines located at Terminal 2). |
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Spot #1 – Mirdif City – 30L/R Arrivals |
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| WHERE | This is the most famous spot in Dubai and its pretty easy to find. If you are on the E311, just follow the street signs to Mirdif and later on to the Mirdif City Centre, which is a very huge shopping mall next to the spot. North of the mall there is the Dubai Tennis Academy. Pass the academy and a mobile phone mast on the unpaved dirt field until you see two big trees, which is your place to stay at. When coming from the terminals, take D 89 to Al Khawaneej (east of the airport) and follow the street for about 2.5km. A large motorway intersection will appear shortly before you’ve passed underneath the runway 30L – always follow signs D 89 to Al Khawaneej and Al Awir! Exit shortly after this large junction in direction Mirdif and Mirdif City Center (keep right). Take this street for about 1.9km. Shortly before the mall appears on your left, snap off to the left onto the sandy area and park your car underneath the trees. |
| WHAT | Perfect place for the 30L arrivals during the day. 30R arrivals can be very tricky as you need a very long lens (500mm at least for an 738) and the heat haze could be a problem. |
| TIME | Best light conditions in the winter are between 11 am and 6 pm. |
| MISC. | Drive to the Mirdif City Centre to find all the amenities you need. You can also travel here by public transport: Take MRed-Tube at Dubai International Terminal 3 to Al Rashidiya Metro Station and exit the train at its final stop (Al Rashidiya). Walk to the bus platform and take bus number F10 towards Al Warqa’a J for 4 stop (18min journey). Dismount the bus at Mirdiff City Centre. From here you can easily walk back a few yards to the spotting location. All stations being mentioned in this description are marked on the map. Costs for this journey 5.00AED for each trip. |
| SECURITY | Park your car between the trees next to the Tennis Academy as shown on the picture below and stay in your car for the whole visit. Never park your car next to the road that leads to the Mirdif Mall as the police pass this way as well as next to the entrance to the Tennis Academy. The members will call the police too! Usually you will be surrounded by Bus Drivers which take a nap in their vehicle. Just be polite and you will have absolutely no problems with them. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 300 mm for a 737-800, 150 mm for a 777-300 |
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Spot #2 – Emirates HQ – Taxiway |
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| WHERE | As the name suggests, this spot is located in the visitor parking garage of the Emirates headquarter. If you are on the airport road, make a right/left turn into the Marrakech Street. After a couple of meters, make a right turn into the 35th street and pass the building until you will find a small sign that leads into the visitors parking garage. Drive all the way up to floor 10 or 11 which can takes up to 5 minutes. These are the best floors as you don´t have the airports light poles within your pictures. |
| WHAT | From this spot you can see the taxiway which is between the Concourses B & A. Traffic is limited here as only a couple of airlines use this taxiway to reach their gates. More action takes place on the runway. Aircraft leaving runway 30L or heading to runway 30R for their departure are within your sight as well. But usually there is too much heat distortion to get a reasonable picture, so we can´t recommend this place for any runway movements. |
| TIME | The time for aircraft using the taxiway is okay from 09am until 06 pm. |
| MISC. | Bring with you what you need before coming at this spot. |
| SECURITY | The garage is monitored, so please be very very careful in what you are doing. If you park the car next to a concrete pier you shouldn´t be within the sight of the security cameras. Never walk along the road with your camera as you will get catched sooner or later and the security guys will kick you off the ground. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50mm for heavies on the taxiway, up to 400mm for aircraft on the runway |
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Spot #3 – 21a Street – 12L arrivals |
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| WHERE | It is a little bit tricky to find this place. The easiest way is to locate the Mercedes Benz dealer called “Gargash Automobile”. Its the biggest company next to the spot and is located on the 12b Street which should be accessable from the E11 state road. The 21a street is located behind the main entrance of Gargash Automobile and is within a small industrial area. So if you reached the 12b street, make a turn into the 21a street, drive a couple of meters and just park your car on the opposite site of a car tire dealer (see picture below). |
| WHAT | This is the perfect spot for 12L arrivals. You see the traffic very late, so always listen to the sound of the engines if you don´t wanna miss a plane. |
| TIME | Best light conditions in the winter are between 11 am and 6 pm. |
| MISC. | Take the stuff you need with you. |
| SECURITY | You should be pretty safe at this location as its not on a main road. But always have a look around for the police and stay in your car. Usually you shouldn´t have a problem with the local workers. Just be polite, greet them and everything will be fine. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-200mm |
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Spot #4 – Rashidiya Metro Station – 12R departures |
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| WHERE | This is a good spot for take-off where is located in Rashidiya Metro Station on the latest floor. You need to be on the Airport Road direction (Mirdif & Sharjah), go strait follow the indication about Rashidiya Metro Station (the metro station is Gold with black glasses) will be on your right. The Station is just next to the Dubai Air Wings VIP aircraft building. You have also the possibilities to come with the metro. |
| WHAT | From this spot you can take picture of only take-off from RWY12R. It’s a good spot to catch every heavies aircraft and smaller like 738. Forget to have good shots of F50/F100/319. From the latest floor you will see the roof of the Dubai Air Wings VIP Aircraft so due to this, you will see the planes only in the latest moment so be ready but you can hear them. |
| TIME | You can spot from around 10:00 to 18:00. |
| MISC. | Bring with you what you need before coming at this spot. |
| SECURITY | Be really careful about security cameras. At every angles there is one. I never seen any security guys, but check around, put the camera on a bag and read a book. There is a place close next to 2 cameras who is fine. Located on the left corner of the parking. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 300-500mm |
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Spot #5 – Food Court |
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| WHERE | You can find a Food Court inside Terminal 1 which enables spotting onto the taxiway along T1 and T3. When you enter Terminal 1 take the moving stairs or the stairs up to level 1 where you can buy food. We recommend that you buy something (e.g. at Subway or Bombay chicken) as a disguise. Take a seat in the dining area next to these shops preferably next to a plant which you can find approx. every 5 meters. You can choose a suitable seat for you along the long window front. |
| WHAT | Taxiing aircraft coming from runway 30 after landing and proceeding to the southern pier of T1 (Usually MEA, Azerbaijan Airlines, almost all Indian carriers, Saudia, Kuwait, Pakistan International Airlines, Transavia and so on…), aircraft from T1s southern pier, aiming to depart from any 30 runway, and Emirates aircraft parking at the very western parking stands of T3. |
| TIME | From noon until sundown. |
| MISC. | Food and restrooms available as mentioned above. This position is equipped with CCTV cameras which mainly function as a dummy and precaution.You can also go there by public tranportation – Station to disembark: Airport Terminal 1 Metro Station 1/2 |
| SECURITY | You should be pretty safe at this location as the police does not check out this area regularly but you should better behave despite, and always look out for security staff! When a policeman or a security guy appears leave your camera in your bag and do not photograph. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 25-150mm |
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Spot #6 – 8th Street – 12L Arrivals |
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| WHERE | You can take photos of arriving airplanes into runway 12L from Al Khabaisis’s 8th Street. The 8th Street is a service road right next to Abu Baker Al Siddique Road and opposite of Hamarian Shopping Centre. When you turn into the 8th St, follow its street course until the parking spaces appear on the left hand side of the road. Choose one of them and park your car. Parking there is free of any charge. |
| WHAT | Arriving planes into runway 12L and heavy departures from 31R. Runway 12R is very unlikely to be taken in use for landings, if so, planes will fly overhead your car so photographing them in a good angle is not possible. But this is highly improbable, if then biz jets only. |
| TIME | From noon until sundown or all day long on cloudy days. |
| MISC. | The Hamarian Shopping Centre is right over the way, food and restrooms are available here.You can also go there by public tranportation – Station to disembark: Hamarain Center 2 |
| SECURITY | It is quite safe to spot here as long as you keep a low profile and keep in your car whenever you can. You can photograph out of you car if you low your cars window. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm |
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Spot #7 – Nojoum Apartments – 12L arrivals, 31R departures |
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| WHERE | The roof top of the Nojoum Apartments which is situated at 134 Abu Baker Al Siddique offers a good view onto the approach path of runway 12L and the departure track of RWY31R. When you enter the hotel, take the lift to the top floor. When having arrived at the top floor take the stairs up to the pool deck. |
| WHAT | Arriving planes into runway 12L and heavy departures from 31R. You need a high focal distance for the arrivals and heat haze is a big problem here due to the mist of the streets so its not the ideal spot for the 12L arrivals. The departures shouldn´t be a problem! |
| TIME | From noon until sundown or all day long on cloudy days. |
| MISC. | The roof top offers sunshades and chairs for a comfortable spotting. Food and restrooms are available inside the Hamarain Center next door. You do have a limited airport view for example onto Terminal 1 north pier or the cargo apron as well as the overnight storage.You can also go there by public tranportation – Station to disembark: Hamarain Center 2 |
| SECURITY | This might be one of Dubai’s safest spots as there is no police which checks out this place. The hotel staff completely tolerates spotting from the roof top. Please behave and keep a low profile so that it remains tolerated! We can recommend this hotel, it offers large, clean rooms some of them have a balcony from which you can easily take photos as well. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-400mm. |
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Spot #8 – Premier Inn – 31L Departures |
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| WHERE | The roof top of the Premier Inn Hotel Dubai International Hotel which is situated at 26 52b St offers a good view onto the departing aircraft of RWY31L. When you enter the hotel, take the lift to the top floor. When having arrived at the top floor take the stairs up to the pool deck. |
| WHAT | Departing airplanes from 31L only. |
| TIME | From noon until sundown or all day long on cloudy days. |
| MISC. | The roof top offers sunshades and chairs for a comfortable spotting. There is a McDonalds nearby the hotel (11 Marakech St – 4min drive) |
| SECURITY | This might be one of Dubai’s safest spots as there is no police which checks out this place. The hotel staff also completely tolerates spotting from the roof top. Please behave and keep a low profile so that it remains tolerated!We can recommend this hotel, clean cheap hotel rooms, some of them offer a view onto Dubai Terminal 3 (Nightshot) |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-400mm – Boeing 777-300: 250mm, Boeing 77F: 290mm |
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Spot #9 – Mirdif Morning Arrivals 30L |
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| WHERE | This location can be reached by only two ways:
First one, drive from the airport direction Al Awir / Al Khawaneej until you reached the sign Muhaisnah and Mirdif City Centre, the exit will be on the right side. Drive few meters until you reached the joint road. After that, take left on the sands, dirt area. Park your car in this area and stay inside to take picture. Open your windows and check before making pictures. You are fully exposed, nothing hides you. Second way is to drive on the “Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Rd” speed limit maximum is 140KM direction Sharjah. Exit at Deira, Al Khawaneej. Then follow the sign Al Awir / Al Khawaneej and finally take right to Mirdif City Centre. In fact stay always on the right lane. Finally once you reached the joint road take on the left on the sands, dirt area. Park your car in this area and stay inside to take picture. Open your windows and check before making pictures. You are fully exposed, nothing hides you. |
| WHAT | Morning Arrivals runway 30L. |
| TIME | During summer, from sunrise to 1030LT (Maximum) / During winter time from sunrise until 0830LT (Maximum) wouldn’t recommend to go during winter time as you don’t have much time with a good light. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby, only the Miridif City Centre. |
| SECURITY | This is a high risk spot as you do not have any covers. No tries, no walls you are on sands area. Be careful and think twice. Personal experience, I have stayed 3 hours never seen any police cars or been questioned. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A320 = 240mm / 788 = 140mm |
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Spot #10 – Terminal 1 |
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| WHERE | This brand new Terminal 1 offers at the moment some possibilities to take pictures throw the windows before security checks.
First picture, this is the check-in areas from where you can get pictures of aircraft taxiing or at the gate. Mainly/only Emirates Airlines Boeing 773 & Airbus 380. No signs that you are not allowed to take pictures and people are taking smart phone pictures throw the windows. Picture two, from the check-in areas a small train drives you to the gates, the lounges and the duty free. From which you are able to see all the airport and manage to take pictures throw the windows. Best time afternoon, morning back light. Picture three, an example of how you can mange to take pictures throw the windows at the gates. Bad points, from the chairs to the windows you have 2 meters space so hard to get a clear shot. |
| WHAT | Taxiing, remote areas and gate pictures. All international carriers which includes, Mahan Air, Iran Air, Indigo, Air India, Air Canada, Virgin Atlantic, Oman Air, British Airways, Air France, KLM, etc. |
| TIME | First and second pictures from 12:00 to sunset. Third picture all day but afternoon is highly recommended. |
| MISC. | Café shops, toilets, etc. available. |
| SECURITY | This is a risk spot as you do not have any covers. Cameras in some areas. Personal experience I did not notice any security guys during my 30 minutes stayed. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18-300mm |
We do not have any simple pictures (if you’d like to share your pictures please send to our e-mail: support@spotterguide.net).
41 Comments
Dubai looks to be a nice place to visit, just a shame the authorities don’t appreciate this hobby. Would be nice if the Airport set up a dedicated area that you could go to which can be easily supervised, but not too problematic.
hi ，is it allow for plane spotters If people stay far away from the airport and shoot the airplane without any background
I was delayed for 2 hrs after police caught me shooting on final 10kms away from the airport…. They made me delete all the pictures and sign a note in arabic that I was not going to do it again…
Hi y’all!
Very bad to hear, feel sorry for you. As you see @TCJJN spotting in Arabia is always connected to a high risk…
Will add the fact regarding your ditacne to the guide, Christian. Thanks for the story although it is a bad one.
-Severin
Sorry to hear that Christian,I was in Dubai in November with 2 friends of mine staying at one of the hotels on the approach and departure paths and we encountered no problems with photography.
It’s better to be safe than sorry in the UAE. Below was a story from 2015.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/03/dubai-british-plane-spotters-arrested-uae-national-security-claims
They were arrested at Fujairah airport. That is not Dubai and a complete different Emirate.
-Julian
I lived there for 6 years. The same laws apply across all Emirates. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
https://www.thenational.ae/uae/government/uae-residents-warned-against-photographing-aircraft-1.85402
Is spotting within the terminals after security allowed? Can they still trouble you? I’ve got a flight out of Terminal 3 next week, was hoping for some photos! But if its going to be an issue, I’d rather not take the risk!
Spotting in UAE is not allowed so even in the terminals keep a low profile and take out the camera only if you think it’s worth it and check around before pressing the button 😉
Ok, thanks for the heads up!
hello,I am a chineses plane spotter , I will come to Dubai at January 27th , I want to go to take photos of airplane at january29th morning. Can you suggest me any nice location suitable in the morning? Thanks a lot!
Cheers
Charlie
Hi Charlie,
If they land from the desert, I would suggest you to use the spot 9 early sunrise until around 08:30 (so not much time) then move to spot 1.
If they land from the city, sadly we do not have any spot to recommend you.
Best,
Jeremy
Hi Jeremy,
Thanks for your time to answer my question . Is the city west of the airport ?
Hi Jeremy,
Can you leave your E-mail? It will make communication more convenient.
In China,we can not use facebook. I think E-mail is the best way to communicate.
This is my E-mail : 15021214968@163.com
Best,
Charlie
Had you any luck?
I found this page on a UAE Government website. It seems that you can purchase a permit for ground and aerial photography.
Link: http://nmc.gov.ae/en-us/Services/Pages/Filmphotography-Permit.aspx
Hello me and my mate are planning a spotting trip to Dubai next year but photographing aircraft from hotel rooftop terrace as anyone encountered any problems with photography or will you have to delete photos .