The 5 Best Plane Spotting Locations at Barcelona Airport

Barcelona El Prat is a popular and busy airport in north eastern Spain.

It is the country’s second-busiest airport, after Madrid Barajas, and handles an interesting mix of scheduled and leisure, short-, medium- and long-haul flights.

The airport has two terminals. Terminal 1 is used by most major carriers, including Iberia and all of its partners. Terminal 2 on the northern side of the airport is used mainly low-cost carriers.

Of the three runways, the parallel 07/25 runways are used most of the time.

Airlines and Operators

Today Barcelona is a hub for Air Nostrum (operating as Iberia Regional), Level and Vueling.

It is also a focus city for easyJet, Iberia and Ryanair.

In addition, Barcelona is served by many carriers from across Europe, as well as long-haul airlines such as Air Transat, American Airlines, Asiana, Azerbaijan Airlines, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, Korean Air, LATAM Brasil, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, United and WestJet.

Barcelona has a strong domestic network, with the air link connecting it to Madrid one of the busiest air routes in the world.

Plane Spotting Locations at Barcelona

Spotters love Barcelona thanks to its weather, good mix of aircraft, and some dedicated facilities. The best spots include:

1. Terminal 1 Balcony
   At departures level outside terminal 1 there is a balcony which overlooks the runway 07L threshold and nearby taxiways and aprons. A good location if you don’t have a car.
2. Spotting Tower
   An official spotting location provided for viewing aircraft, with benches and an elevated tower which raises you above the fence. It is situated next to the threshold of runway 25R and plenty of people congregate here to watch aircraft pass at close quarters as they approach. The location is off Platja de El Prat, with parking available at the nearby cemetery. Bus route PR3 will take you to the spot if you exit at Tanatori.
3. Runway 25L
   Follow the road from the Spotting Tower location until you reach the end of Runway 25L. Again, there are places to park. Aircraft approaching the runway are very close to you and fine for photographs. A ladder is needed for good shots over the fence.
4. Runway 20 Hill
   Alongside the Iberia hangar to the north of the airport is a hill which you can climb for views over the fence and down runway 02/20. It is situated at the 20 end, and so is good for arrivals on that runway, or photographing airliners exiting after landing on 02. It is located off Pepa Colomer road, and there’s parking nearby.
5. Cargo Apron
   In the north west corner of the airfield is an area of open ground alongside the perimeter fence next to the cargo apron. You can park nearby, or walk from either terminal. Through the fence you have views of the cargo apron, and on an afternoon you have good views of aircraft if arriving on 06L.

Do you know a good place to spot at Barcelona? Leave a comment below!

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