Kaohsiung Intl. Airport - Spotting Guide

Kaohsiung Intl. Airport – Spotting Guide

February 16, 2024 - last modified on March 6, 2024

Kaohsiung Intl. Airport (KHH/RCKH) is Taiwan’s second busiest airport with 7,5 million passenger. It was opened in 1942 as Japanese airbase and is nowadays an almost only-civil-used airfield. It is located in the country’s south and offers various airlines from Taiwan and neighbouring asian countries. There are no regular intercontinental and big cargo services at KHH, but there is a bit of general avation and some military traffic from time to time.

Written by Yang Yi Hua. Last Update: March 2024

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
09/27	3150m / 10.335ft
Terminals
Domestic terminal	Located in the southeast, serving all domestic services.
International terminal	Located in the southwest, handling all the international flights.
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not really needed except for spot 3, but as alternative you can use spot 2. So you are fine in KHH without ladder.
Car/Public Transport	A car is not really needed as the spots can be reached by bus and foot as well.
Drinks/Food	There is food at spot 2 and in the terminal close to spot 6-8, so you are always close to restaurants.
Hotels	There is no specific spotter hotel in KHH.
Season	Summer is hot and hazy, winter has smoother nicer light.
Security	It is safe to shoot at KHH! However, sometimes there’s a police patrol by the fence, so be careful, he’ll warn you not to get too close to the fence, but the police won’t be looking for trouble.
Runway Usage
General Info	Runway 09 is preferred and in use most of the time.

	Spot #1 – Runway head – 09 Arrivals + Line-ups
WHERE	This spot is located next to the wall at the head of the runway. Take the subway to Caoya station, exit the station at exit 2 and walk over here as marked for about 8-10 minutes.

WHAT	You can see runway 09 movements and taxiway S from here.

TIME	From later noon till sunset.

MISC.	There are no toilets and no food, so take food with you (e.g. they sell snack at the MRT station Exit 2. It’s also very hot, so you need to protect yourself from the sun. Ladder not needed, you can also shoot thru the mesh. Watch out for the police as they may stop by and ask some questions – also watch out for wild dogs over here!

FOCAL LENGTH	70-300mm A320NEO lining up = 160mm

	Spot #2 – Airport Café – 09/27 movements + taxiways
WHERE	This spot is located on the terrace facing south of the “老爸休閒農場” airport café just north of the airfield. There is a parking lot in front of the building, but you can also take busline 69 to Minsheng St and walk the rest up here for about 5 minutes.

WHAT	From this point, you can see most of the runway movements as well as taxiways B and C, plus the terminal apron stands 21-28 in the back.

TIME	In winter you will have heat haze all day, in summer it is good in early morning and late evening hours.

MISC.	The café serves food such as fries or pizza and drinks for a few USD. However, heat haze is an issue here.

FOCAL LENGTH	50-500mm B777 arrival from the front = 300mm

Entrance to the café’s carpark:

	Spot #3 – Crash gate – 27 movements
WHERE	This spot is located at the fence front at the runway’s eastern head: take bus 69 to Guilin Park/Guilin Elementary school and walk down here for ~10 minutes. The spot is inaccessible to cars, but motorcycles are allowed in here. Best option is to take a motorcycle or bike!

WHAT	The site has a view of aircraft on runway 27 and taxiways S and D.

TIME	It’s recommended to go there from about 6am to 6pm because it’s very dark at night, not recommended to go there at night, smooth light in summer, backlight in winter, so it’s recommended to go there in summer.

MISC.	There’s a public restroom there in a park ~5 minutes away, but nothing else around. A ladder is recommended as otherwise you have to shoot the moving planes to the net, which the authorities doesn’t like to see neither.

FOCAL LENGTH	50-300mm A321 arrival from the front = 175mm

	Spot #4 – Activity center – 09/27 movements
WHERE	There’s an activity center over there just next to the police station: take bus 69 to Guilin Elementary School and then walk three minutes to this location. Then take the elevator to the fourth floor and when you come out of the elevator you can just open the window on your left and take pictures.

WHAT	You can see the runway with its movements mainly as well as taxiways C, D and S in the back.

TIME	Early summer mornings and late summer evenings, rest of the day and the whole winter you’ll have backlit.

MISC.	There’s a restroom, but no food or drinks, so buy some food before you go. Heat haze is an issue due to the distance.

FOCAL LENGTH	150-400mm A330 = 180mm

	Spot #5 – Jinfu Rd – 09 Arrivals
WHERE	This location is on the sidewalk along Jinfu Rd next to the parking lot for the truck. Take the MRT to Caoya station, exit the station at Exit 1 and walk down here as marked for about 5 minutes.

WHAT	Good for 09 arrivals.

TIME	All day long in winter, in summer only around noon due to backlight on early and late summer days.

MISC.	The nearest restroom is at the MRT station, so you’ll have to walk back to Exit 1, and there are vending machines at the station where you can drop off snacks and drinks.

FOCAL LENGTH	70-300mm B737 side on = 170mm

	Spot #6 – Parking garage – Apron + 09 Movements
WHERE	This spot is located on the upper deck of a parking garage west of the terminal. You can drive in by car or motorcycle, but best option is to take the MRT and walk ~8 minutes over here from the airport main building.

WHAT	You can see that taxiway S is already heading to runway 09 plus the runway itsself in the back, and there aircraft on ramp stand 30-32.

TIME	All day long actually except on early and late summer days.

MISC.	It’s a 5-10 minute walk from the parking lot to the terminal’s convenience store and restrooms. Heat haze is an issue here due to the tarmac and distance. The police sometimes patrols that area: they do not have an issue with spotters, but may remind you to stay away from the moving cars – so keep away from the entrance and exit.

FOCAL LENGTH	50-200mm A320 taxiing = 165mm

	Spot #7 – Intl. Terminal Access Road – 09 arrivals + 27 departures + ramp
WHERE	The location is on a very small “sidewalk” along the access ramp to the international terminal. Get to the departure level and exit the terminal to your right. Then stay at the small resting area with some benches and plants, just next to the building. From there you can`t see the movements! But when you can spot an arrival on your tracking app, walk for 20-30 meters on the sidewalk until you get a free sight of the action. But don’t stay for too long here as it is a bit dangerous of the cars passing by and the wall is not the highest.

WHAT	It’s good for 09 arrivals and 27 departures. Ramps 31 and 32 tarmac and Taxiway A2. View might be partially blocked by planes parked at the gates.

TIME	All day long actually except on early and late summer days. Heat haze is an issue here due to the tarmac and distance.

MISC.	Everything you need is available within the terminal. The police sometimes patrols that area: they do not have an issue with spotters, but may remind you to stay away from the moving cars – so keep away from the entrance and exit.

FOCAL LENGTH	100-400mm A321 = 120mm / A350 = 300mm

	Spot #8 – Terminal bridge – Apron
WHERE	This spot is located in the bridge connecting the terminals. Easiest way to get here is to take the MRT to the airport’s station and walk over here for 5-10 minutes.

WHAT	Nice view onto the apron stands 21-23 and taxiway A1.

TIME	Depending on the aircraft’s angle and position, but this spot can work all day long.

MISC.	There’s a convenience store on the first floor of the international terminal and there restrooms in the intl. terminal as well. There is A/C in here, but haze on the apron may be an issue. Furthermore, the windows can be dirty, be aware of that!

FOCAL LENGTH	50-400mm B77W turning in = 250mm