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June 23, 2018Santiago Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez Intl. Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on January 5, 2025
Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL/SCEL), also known as Pudahuel Airport and Santiago International Airport, is the main airport in Chile. The airport is one of the most modern and efficient in Latin America and it is the main gateway for flights from South America to Oceania. It is also an important hub for flights to/from North America and Europe. In 2016 it handled approximately 16 million passengers.
It is located in Pudahuel, a suburb in the northwestern part of the Santiago Metropolitan Region. It handles civil (commercial passenger, cargo & general) as well as military traffic and has two runways. In the morning, the 777, 787, 747, Airbus A340-600, A330 etc, of the airlines of Europe and North America arrives like Iberia, Air France, KLM, LATAM Brasil, American Airlines, Qantas etc. Military aviation is very present at the airport, with many landings and takeoffs from the Chilean Air Force with their 707, F-28, Hercules etc. But it depends a lot on the day. Sometimes it does not take off and it does not land any military, and sometimes it takes off and land several, depends on the same luck.
Written by Ediney Ribeiro (local spotter) and Jan Seba. Last Update Dec 2024 – security guidelines
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety | |
| Photo Locations |  |
| Weather | |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 17L/35R | 3.748 m (12,298 ft) |
| 17R/35L | 3.800 m (12,467 ft) |
| Terminals | One terminal for all commercial passenger traffic |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not required at any of the described locations |
| Car/Public Transport | Recommended/required as all locations are far from the terminal and public transportation options are very limited. |
| Restrooms | There are no restrooms at any of the locations. |
| Drinks/Food | Recommended to bring snacks and drinks. Also make sure to apply/bring sunscreen as there is no shade at any of the locations. |
| Hotels | The Holiday Inn Airport Hotel is right across from the terminal. Another option fairly close by is the Diego de Almagro Hotel. |
| Season | We recommend coming in the summer because there is a season for cargo planes, Boeing 747s with unusual layouts come among other aircraft. The summer in Santiago is dry, usually from November to April there are temperatures above 30 degrees. We recommend going in the early morning (at dawn) or when the maximum temperature has passed (after 4:00 p.m.) We do not recommend staying overnight due to the insecurity present and also many mosquitoes. In case of better weather, Spring or Autumn. As Chile is a Mediterranean country, the weather seasons are very marked. Winter can usually be very rainy (at least in 2024 it has been like that), although we have been having a serious drought. |
| Security | Update as of December 2024. SCEL has been an airport with ups and downs, in 2023/24 there were a couple of robberies in the cargo terminal and another in the international terminal and also some incidents inside the airport with people under the influence of drugs or similar things.There were a couple of times after the massive robberies at the airport that the police, upon seeing a parked car, asked that the car be removed from the place. A couple of times the police told me that I had to leave the site due to the high danger from criminals. Unfortunately SCEL is located very far from the city, there are also houses that were built illegally, and the people who live there are not very nice Currently the situation with the police has passed. Many spotters tell me that this is unfortunately repetitive (the police and the assaults) and then they stop asking people to leave the site about 3-6 months after the assault. It depends on the severity of the situation.
|
| Runway Usage | |
| General Info | Due to the southern winds there are southern operations most of the time. RWY´s 35 are barely in use. Usually arrivals are focussed on one runway and departures on the other one. |
| 17R/35L | This is the main runway for landings at all hours. Rarely you might also see some departures on this runway. |
| 17L/35R | Mainly used for all departures. During non-peak hours you will also occasionally see some landings here, primarily from domestic flights, since their gates are located closer to this RWY. It also the main runway for all military traffic, both landing and taking off. |
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Spot #1 – Control Tower |
|---|---|
| WHERE | To go to spot 01 you must leave the airport by the Armando Cortinez highway and at the first exit turn right, you will be on the Diego Barros Ortiz highway, follow this highway until the end, it ends at the side of the control tower there you will have a view terminal and can take pictures of the aircraft taxi. There is no public transportation to this location. |
| WHAT | You can get pictures of the movements of the aircraft in front of the terminal, takeoff photos or landings are not possible here. |
| TIME | Throughout the year it is possible to photograph in this place, the light is always favorable |
| MISC. | Although the place is close to hangars and the control tower, there are no public toilets here, you must bring food and water, there are some stairs that give access to the tower, but be aware that you may be asked to leave the place, not I believe you can take stairs here, would draw your attention. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Centurions 744 = 60mm; A320 = 70mm |
 |
Spot #2 – Diego Barros Ortiz highway – 17R/35L |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This location is located on the Diego Barros Ortiz highway, exit the airport and take the first exit on the right, you will be on the Diego Barros Ortiz highway, go for another two kilometers and you will find the place. Offers a great view of the whole 17R/35L runway, you can park your car in a place close to the spot, cross the road and photograph landings and departures. You do not need stairs here as the road is on a higher level than the fence. Also there is a concrete barrier here which you can use to elevate even further so that no fence will be in the picture. If coming from the north (spots 5 or 6) on Camino El Noviciado you can park at this road! and don´t need to drive all the way down and then up again. Just jump over the barrier and walk to this location. |
| WHAT | As you are in the middle of the ruwnay all movements on 17R/35L are possible. |
| TIME | Afternoon until sunset all year round. |
| MISC. | There are no bars or snack bars, take sunscreen, there are no shadows here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A330/763=60mm; 738=90mm; 789=35mm |
 |
Spot #3 – Field – 17R arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | To go to this place from the terminal or spot #2 just follow the Diego Barros Ortiz highway northwards which will take you to the maintenance and military area. When the highway makes a turn and you pass next to the approach path of 17R shortly park you car somewhere along the road and start spotting from there. There are a few areas with ample room on the side so that you do not bother the traffic. The big disadvantage: You can enter this spot only from the south (terminals). If coming from the north you need to drive all the way down to get on the Diego Barros Ortiz highway. |
| WHAT | Arrivals runway 17R only. In theory you can also take shots on the RWY or TWY if you go a bit further south than this spot. The fence is lower than the road at some points, but it will be impossible to get pictures without the fence at the bottom of the pictures. Also heat haze will be a big issue, since the distance to the runway is higher here. |
| TIME | From sunrise till noon all year round. |
| MISC. | Do not need stairs, there are no bathrooms or bars, take food and drink. This spot is a bit unsafe as you are on a field and not much car traffic is around. So be careful and read the description above. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 732=190mm; A320=170mm |
 |
Spot #4 – Camino a lampa – 17L/35R |
|---|---|
| WHERE | Situated on the Camino A Lampa highway, it is ideal for photos in the morning until noon, the arrivals of the heavy in the morning is by this lane to 17L. To get here take the car and leaving the airport take the left and go straight along the airport, practically at the beginning of the route you can start taking photos till the end of the road as the fence is lowered no ladder is needed. Maybe 1-2 steps to avoid the wire in the lower part of the photos. |
| WHAT | Takeoffs and landings from the 17L/35R. Sample photos are taken at the marking, where the planes touch the lane. |
| TIME | From sunrise till noon all year round. |
| MISC. | No restrooms and no ha bars, light water and food. I did not feel unsafe here and there are plenty of places to park the vehicle. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 788=80mm; 772=60mm |
 |
Spot #5 – Camino a lampa – 17L |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This is an alternative to spot #4. Its a kilometer north of it also on the side of the road Camino a lampa. There are 1-2 parking spaces directly at the location on the other side of the road, so you can stay near your car. Otherwise there is a parking lot 200-300 meter north of it, which is also very convenient. Spotting is also possible directly from there and depends on your preferences. The advantage of this spot is you have less reflections in your frame compared to #4 and you are closer to spot #6 if you plan a quick switch over to runway 17R. This location is only okay when 17L is active. For 35R stay down at #4. |
| WHAT | Arrivals and line-ups on runway 17L only. No ladder needed as you can shoot over the fence. |
| TIME | From sunrise till noon all year round. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby. You can stay in your car if you feel unsafe. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | line-up: Do228=260mm; A320=120mm; 788=80mm; arrivals: A320=120mm |
 |
Spot #6 – Dirt Road – 17R |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This is an alternative to spot #3. The big advantage here is that you can switch very fast between 17L positions 4/5 as you don´t have to drive all the way south around the airport, which can take up to 15 minutes. Instead continue all the way up on Camino El Noviciado and turn right after 2-3 minutes at a garbage dump. Then drive over a bridge and take the next left into a unpaved road. Park on the side of this road and start spotting. Don’t stay too long here with your car since the road is also used by trucks and some car and they may feel bothered by you parking here. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 17R only. |
| TIME | From sunrise till noon all year round. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby. Maybe not the safest place as you are a bit offside of the main road. Stay at your car and be mindful of your surroundings. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A346=100mm; A320=210mm |
Hello everyone, my name is Sebastian and I am a frequent spotter to Santiago although I live in Viña del Mar.
Updating as of 31th December, 2024 and 2025, SCEL has been an airport with ups and downs, this year there were a couple of robberies in the cargo terminal and another in the international terminal (this between 2023 and 2024) also some incidents inside the airport with people under the influence of drugs or similar things.
There were a couple of times after the massive robberies at the airport that the police, upon seeing a parked car, asked that the car be removed from the place. A couple of times the police told me that I had to leave the site due to the high danger from criminals.
Unfortunately SCEL is located very far from the city, there are also houses that were built illegally, and the people who live there are not very nice
Currently the situation with the police has passed. Many spotters tell me that this is unfortunately repetitive (the police and the assaults) and then they stop asking people to leave the site about 3-6 months after the assault. It depends on the severity of the situation.
Anyway: I ask all visiting spotters that if they go to SCEL……
*Do not go spotting alone. Always with friends, family or other spotters. Never alone.
*The safest spotting point is the one located at 17R (Point 2) “El Puente” although you can always find many spotters at the threshold of 17L and in the touchdown zone (a little further north of Point 4 and Point 5) anyway I recommend track 17R more, although that is up to you
*Take food and drink. There are no bathrooms nearby so be clever in order to be able to do your things.
*Take some self-defense item (hopefully it never happens) but it is always good to have something sharp, pepper spray, etc. just in case there is some unpleasant person.
*Don’t park in areas that say “No Parking.” (ESP: No Estacionar) Usually AVSEC, which is the airport security, patrols very frequently around the airport and can call the police to remove you from the place. Be careful if you park in an unauthorized area.
*In case of an identity check, be respectful, it is usually something routine.
That’s it! Enjoy the Santiago airport. I recommend coming in the summer because there is a season for Cargo Planes, Boeing 747s with unusual layouts come among other aircraft. Of course. I recommend hydrating yourself a lot because the summer in Santiago is dry, usually from November to April there are temperatures above 30 degrees. I recommend going in the early morning (at dawn) or when the maximum temperature has passed (after 4:00 p.m.) I do not recommend staying overnight due to the insecurity present and also many mosquitoes. In case of better weather, Spring or Autumn. As Chile is a Mediterranean country, the weather seasons are very marked. Winter can usually be very rainy (at least in 2024 it has been like that), although we have been having a serious drought.
Hi Sebastian, thank your very much for this useful updates! I have added all your infos to the guide. Further updates are always welcome.
-Julian
in zone two there is a place where they sell sandwiches, soda water, those things, in calle alejandro dip about 500 meters from zone two “-33.383791, -70.809184” exact coordinates ….
I’m at the airport every weekend so I’ll keep you updated
Hi, could you please recommend what spot should we choose for plane spotting? we have never done it here! Thank you so much!
November 16, 2020 “I go every weekend to record and take pictures on Saturdays and Sundays, generally those days you always find people, entire families, watching airplanes, and I haven’t seen anything strange in 5 months. I hope it continues like that, you have to be careful.
Nice to hear that. I hope it will stay calm, not only because of Corona 😀
-Julian
Hi, could you plz recommend the safest spot out of these mentioned here? thank you so much
Is there a visitor terrace since I only have one afternoon? Thanks a lot. HDN
We have never heard about a visitor terrace at SCL. Only from inside the terminal (behind security) you can make photos.
-Julian
Guys, big warning!!! Yesterday I got ripped alongside 16R around 10.00h at camino el Noviciado at the bus station La Sauce.
I wanted to take pics of intl. arrivals there as 16R was active for this.
Three young guys armed with gun took my car, my iPhone and the entire photo equipment.
I am ok and PDI helped but all is gone…
Please inform spotters about this risk please!
I will also post to other platforms making sure this doesn’t happen to other spotters…
😔😔😔
Hi Thomas, thats everything else than good news but good that you are okay! From our infos Chile is a pretty safe country and usually this airport is a safe place too. We hope this will never happen again to someone else. Thanks again for you info. We left a note in the guide.
All the best, Julian
Thomas at June 21, 2018, thanks a lot for the article post.Much thanks again. Fantastic.
Update / addition aug18. I did not use any of the mentioned spots but only spotted from the terminal at the gates area. Left part of the terminal and gates are used by international flights and right hand side is domestic only. I spotted at both ends due to the nature of my flights at different days. You cannot move from domestic to international and vv once you have passed security/customs. The right side, domestic, gives you good views towards the parking area taxiway in northern direction. When walking along the big windows you will probably read off most of the parked aircraft and some bizz around the midfield hangars. Some adjacent international gates are also visible. Mil ramp is not visible from here. The left side, international, gives less views to the parking area taxiway but.some bizz may still be visible. Also from here Mil ramp is not visible.
In front of the terminal huge construction works are in progress to extend the terminal. The parking lots here are relocated to more southern locations near 35L.
During my stay all dep were from 17L. So I opted for a left hand window seat which gave me great views to the storage and mil ramp while taxiing.
The airport has free WiFi but slow and unstable. I bought a prepaid SIM card at the airport during my stay. Had to reload it once. In total I paid 30EUR for the SIM card with 4,5GB.
In addition to the Diego Almagro hotel, in the same area are also Hilton garden inn, La Quinta inn and city express. These are directly under the flight path of 17L dep. A better option is Hotel Manquehue. A bit farther located from the flight path giving slightly better views.
I have a 7 hour layover in SCL in June, (both international flights). I hope to catch the Chile Air force 707’s so I want to spot on the domestic side (17L side) is it possible to change terminals or enter the domestic terminal without a domestic boarding pass?
Hello,
it is almost certain that you will need a boarding pass to be able to access the domestic terminal, but inform yourself at the airport and good photos.
Thanks for the reply!
I will be in SCL on the 27th of June, but since it’s a Thursday (workday) I doubt anyone will be free to spend time spotting with me?
Thanks for the guide. But where’s the map?
Thanks for the info. The map is visible again.
-Julian
Thomas at June 21, 2018, thanks a lot for the article post.Much thanks again. Fantastic.