Planespotting Athens — LGAV
Athens Eleftherios Venizelos sits in the Mesogeia plain east of Hymettus and is the busiest airport in Greece, the home base of Aegean, Olympic Air and Sky Express. Two parallel runways, 03L/21R on the west and 03R/21L on the east, run roughly north-north-east, and the summer meltemi wind means the 03 direction dominates most of the year. The pattern is unusually predictable: through the morning and evening 03L takes arrivals and 03R departures, and for a few afternoon hours the roles swap, so you can plan a whole day around it. The airport lies in open farmland, which gives a dozen legal field spots on dirt roads — but almost all need a car, and the summer sun brings serious heat haze by late morning. Greece is strict about photographing military assets: when a Hellenic Air Force or government aircraft is around, keep the camera on civil traffic, stay back from the fence and be cooperative if security asks questions.
- SAS2778 A20N 3 875 ft RWY 03L
- CYP312 BCS3 200 ft RWY 03L
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Conditions right now
Runways
- 03R/21L RWY 03R 4,002 × 45 m · 13,130 × 148 ft asphalt
- 03L/21R 3,805 × 45 m · 12,484 × 148 ft asphalt
Ask the sky
What flew over this morning? Where was that loud one heading? Ask in plain words — the answer comes from real recorded traffic.
Airport profile
Typical traffic by hour
Relative intensity by local hour — a typical day, not live data.Peak: 07:00
Typical traffic mix
- Narrowbody64%
- Turboprop13%
- Widebody11%
- Bizjet6%
- Cargo4%
- Military1%
- GA1%
Spotter score
Our editorial rating (0–100).Best time of year
When the interesting traffic peaks.Where to spot
Metro bridge and economy car park
The footbridge linking the terminal with the metro/suburban station and the long-term car park looks straight across at 03L/21R. From the bridge end you get 21R arrivals and taxiway traffic; down in the car park you are lined up for 03L departure rotations. Light poles in the car park are the main nuisance, so walk around until you find a gap.
- Getting there
- Ten minutes on foot from the main terminal, no car needed. Metro line 3 and the Proastiakos suburban railway both terminate at the airport station at the other end of the bridge. CCTV covers the area, so do not hang around the fence itself.
- Best time
- Sunrise to late morning, all year. After that the sun moves round and heat haze over the concrete gets bad in summer.
- Lens
- 200–500 mm; a big widebody on 21R fills the frame around 400 mm.
K1 "Local Roads" overpass
A quiet bridge over the airport access motorway, reached from exit K1. You look down on the 03L holding points and the parallel taxiways and catch aircraft on short final to 03L. A good first stop when you arrive by car because there is a spare lane to pull over.
- Getting there
- From Attiki Odos take exit K1 "Local Roads" (signed from both directions) and drive up onto the bridge over the main road; stop at the roadside. No public transport, no shade, no facilities.
- Best time
- 03L arrivals from sunrise to late morning; the holding points work better from midday into the afternoon in the cooler months.
- Lens
- 135–300 mm; a 777 on final is around 135 mm.
Fields near Koropi station (03L short final)
Farm tracks south-west of the 03L threshold put you right under the final approach, with clean sky behind the aircraft. There are two positions — by the roadside near an abandoned animal shelter, or on a small mound at a dirt-road junction a little further on with a better angle. This is the afternoon counterpart to the morning spots on the east side.
- Getting there
- By car: exit K1, turn left and follow the local road about 1.2 km; park on the verge. Without a car, take the Proastiakos to Koropi station and walk about 1 km uphill. Respect the crops and stay on the tracks.
- Best time
- 03L arrivals from early afternoon until sunset in summer. In winter the sun stays too low and southerly to light this side properly.
- Lens
- 150–250 mm.
Ekklisia Panagia chapel, north of Markopoulo
A small chapel among trees south of the 03R threshold, the easiest of the east-side approach spots. Aircraft are still fairly high here, so you get clean side-on shots against blue sky rather than close-ups. Driving on past the chapel to an old marble-rock area gets you closer to the threshold.
- Getting there
- Safest by asphalt from Markopoulo: head north about 5 km on the paved road until the chapel. There is a shorter route from exit K1, but part of it is a rough dirt road. Shade under the trees.
- Best time
- 03R arrivals in morning light. By the published pattern 03R lands traffic mainly overnight until about 07:00 and in the 15:00–18:00 swap window (plus mornings during the June school-exam schedule, and El Al flights), so confirm on the live map that 03R is landing before you drive out.
- Lens
- 100–300 mm.
Hills above Artemida (Erasinou road)
From the hills on the eastern side, reached via Erasinou road from the southern edge of Artemida, you get a full panorama of the airfield with Hymettus beyond. It is the place for 03R departures and 21L landings and for overview shots. Distances are long and haze sets in quickly.
- Getting there
- Car only. From southern Artemida head west on Erasinou road into the hills, keep left at two forks and stop about 400 m after the second. Nothing up here — bring water, and watch for snakes in summer.
- Best time
- Sunrise to early morning, all year. By mid-morning the air is too hazy for sharp shots.
- Lens
- 400–600 mm.
Metropolitan Expo roundabout (21R arrivals)
On the circular square in front of the Metropolitan Expo entrance, north of the terminals, aircraft on short final for 21R pass with blue sky behind. Only useful in southerly wind when 21R is landing, but then it is the most accessible spot on that side.
- Getting there
- From the big roundabout north of the airport follow signs to the Expo and park at the roadside. Avoid trade-fair days: the area fills with cars and security will move you on.
- Best time
- 21R arrivals from sunrise to late morning.
- Lens
- 250–300 mm for a narrowbody.
Respect private property, signage and the airport security perimeter. Spotterra predicts the active runway from live weather on the dashboard.
What you'll see
Aegean dominates the day with A320neo-family jets, with Olympic Air and Sky Express ATR 42/72s and Dash 8s running the domestic and island network. Summer brings the transatlantic flights: Delta, United, American and Air Canada widebodies, plus Emirates 777s (including the Athens–Newark tag), Qatar, Etihad, Turkish, El Al and Scoot's 787 from Singapore. Cargo is steady through the week with ASL Airlines, Swiftair, Bluebird Nordic and Star Air, and business jets peak in July and August with the islands traffic. Government and Hellenic Air Force movements turn up occasionally — photograph them only from the public field spots and do not linger.
What actually flew over Athens in the last 30 days
Measured from our own ADS-B data — not a schedule, but what really passed overhead.
- A320 25.9 %
- A21N 22.2 %
- AT76 19.3 %
- A20N 14.1 %
- B738 8.9 %
- C172 3.7 %
- B38M 3 %
- A321 3 %
FAQ
What's that plane over Athens?
Spotterra's live map shows every ADS-B-equipped aircraft over Athens and the Mesogeia plain in real time, with type, registration, route and altitude — free in the browser.
Which runway is landing at LGAV right now?
In the usual north-easterly flow 03L takes arrivals and 03R departures for most of the day, swapping for a few hours in the afternoon. In southerly wind it flips to 21R/21L. Spotterra predicts the active direction from the live METAR.
Is planespotting allowed in Athens?
Civil spotting from public roads and fields is generally tolerated. Greece takes photos of military installations and aircraft seriously, so stay away from the perimeter fence, skip ladders and keep a low profile when a military or government flight is around.
Can I spot at Athens without a car?
Partly. The metro bridge and the airside gates (with a boarding pass) need nothing more than the metro, and the fields near Koropi station are a walk from the Proastiakos. Everything else is on farm tracks and needs a car.
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