Medellin Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport - Spotting Guide

Medellin Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport – Spotting Guide

June 20, 2025 - last modified on May 6, 2025

Olaya Herrera Airport is the city airport of Medellin, Colombia and besides the major airport José María Córdova, the second airport of the city. With the opening of José María Córdova International Airport (MDE) in 1985, Olaya Herrera Airport became the domestic airport for the Medellín area. It sees plenty of flights to Bogota and other Colombian cities operated mainly by ATRs of Clic and SATENA. The general aviation mainly remained at Olaya Herrera and is responsible for a lot of movements. Several flight schools, business jets and turboprops are based here too, which add to the intersting mix at this airport. Additionally, the Colombian Police and Air Force use the airport regularly with their rather old fleet like AN32 or DC3.

Written by Sebastian Arndt and Fabian Jürgens. Last Update: April 2025

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
02/20	1,500 m / 4,921 ft
Terminals	There is one domestic terminal on the east side of the airport.
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not needed.
Car/Public Transport	All spots can be reached by public transportation, although we do recommend to use uber or taxis.
Drinks/Food	Arkadia Centro Comercial offers plenty of eating options.
Hotels	There aren’t hotels next to the airport.
Season	Basically all year, although there are months of heavy rain like April and May.
Security	As crime is on the rise in Colombia, always be attentive and don’t flash your camera around. All spots are located in public spaces, although at spot 1 and 3, nearby security guards are present. Under all circumstances, avoid walking from or to the terminal or bus terminal. The eastern side of the airport is not safe to walk at. The western side is generally safer, but walking should be avoided when dark.
Runway Usage
02/20	Used in both directions but 02 is more in use

	Spot #1 – Mirador Aeropuerto
WHERE	This spot is on Carrera 67 No. 1 Sur 92 and can be found by searching for Mirador Aeropuerto on Google Maps easily. You can stand directly on the fence (too high to use a ladder) and shoot through the holes in the fence to catch traffic on the runway and taxiway. If you cross the road, there is a blue building with two gates. You can stand in front of the security guard in the shade underneath the small roof and take photos of any arriving traffic or 20 departures.

WHAT	Best spot for 02 arrivals. 02 line-ups and taxiway is limited from the fence. Departures on 20 are possible but only ATR aircraft. Small props are already too high. Some 20 arrivals will use the full runway length and use the last exit.

TIME	Sunrise until noon.

MISC.	From the blue building, you will see RWY02 arrivals very late and always need to have your camera ready as a lot of traffic will not show up on FlightRadar. When standing at the fence, there is another lower fence obstructing a clear view onto the RWY and TWY. A fuel station with a small shop and toilets is 100 meters away.

FOCAL LENGTH	18-300 mm will cover everything as you are very close to the action.

	Spot #2 – Runway end
WHERE	From Spot 1, follow around the southern side of the airport fence and after 2 or 3 minutes of walking, you will reach a spot with a clear view onto the runway. It is a small park, next to the Diagonal 75B.

WHAT	Best for 02 line-ups and 20 arrivals vacating the runway (ATR only)

TIME	All day depending on the angle.

MISC.	Growing vegetation is obstructing the view partially. A ladder might be helpful. You are in a public space. Only take your camera out when taking a photo and try not to attract too much attention.

FOCAL LENGTH	18-300 mm will cover everything.

	Spot #3 – Stairs Metroparques
WHERE	From Spot 2, follow Carrera 70 past the swimming pool of “Metroparques”, a huge park on the opposite side of the terminal, directly at the runway. There is guided parking available. Otherwise, it is a 20 minute walk from the previous points. Climb up the stairs that lead to the park across the cycling track. The stairs offer a view of the runway.

WHAT	All movements on the runway but the sight is limited to the right and partially to the left. 90 degree shoots on the runway are not possible. Taxiway in the distance.

TIME	From noon till sunset. Be aware of heat distortion.

MISC.	A couple of trees are partially obstructing the view. Restaurants are just across the street. There should not be any security issues since the parking guard is nearby. There is no shade here.

FOCAL LENGTH	100-300 mm will cover everything.

	Spot #4 – Mirador Cielo de Medellin
WHERE	The park “Mirador Cielo de Medellin” is not the classical plane spotting location. In fact you are 1,7 kilometers away from the runway threshold. It is more a spot to frame the plane within the cityscape and having a not all too common backdrop with the skyscrapers. Best to go there by Uber/ Cabify etc. Type “Mirador Cielo de Medellin” as a destination and you will end up in a little amusement park. If you come by car it will cost about 2000 pesos to park, otherwise the entrance is free. Just walk into the premises and keep left through the cottages basically downhill until you see some terrace with benches etc. There you can sit and enjoy the view.

WHAT	Basically you can overview the entire airport and the city with all its movements, just the runway is partly blocked by buildings or trees. Departures and arrivals will be seen quite close to each other above your head when the planes are winding up from the valley after take off or diving into the valley between the skyscrapers before touch down.

TIME	The amusement park opens somehow between 1:30PM and 4PM (depends on the weekday > check before you go) Thus it is a afternoon only position. In the morning there will be backlight anyway most time of the year.

MISC.	Restrooms and food stalls are right behind you. The park is fenced and seemed safe, no one bothered me. You might be approached by some curious children. As anywhere else keep an eye on your equipment and you should be fine. There is some security staff at the parking lot and officially it is not allowed to bring any drink/food from outside but they did not check my bag.

FOCAL LENGTH	The airport panorama can be shot with about 80mm, the rest depends on you how you would like to frame the plane, but from 300mm onwards is a good choice. Bring a jacket, during the winter months it becomes chilly in the afternoon.