Planespotting Basel-Mulhouse — LFSB
EuroAirport is a curiosity: built on French soil near Saint-Louis, run jointly by France and Switzerland, with a Swiss and a French customs sector under one roof. For spotters its fame comes from the completion and maintenance industry. Jet Aviation and AMAC Aerospace fit VIP interiors into airliners here, so it is one of the few places where you can see a bare-metal or green-primer Boeing 747-8, 787 or Airbus ACJ waiting for its cabin, or running engines on the test stands. Jet Aviation began rebuilding and enlarging its widebody hangars in 2025. The main runway is 15/33 (3,900 m), and runway 15 is used for both landings and departures most of the day; the short 07/25 sees only small business jets. Most good positions are on the western side around Blotzheim, which suits the afternoon, and April to October gives the best sun.
Conditions right now
Runways
- 15/33 RWY 33 3,906 × 60 m · 12,815 × 197 ft concrete
- 08/26 1,819 × 60 m · 5,968 × 197 ft concrete
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
- Narrowbody66%
- Bizjet14%
- Cargo10%
- Turboprop4%
- Widebody4%
- GA2%
Spotter score
Our editorial rating (0–100).Best time of year
When the interesting traffic peaks.Where to spot
Belvédère photo point (Blotzheim road tunnel)
A small landscaped hill with a viewing platform right next to the runway, set up for aircraft watchers. It covers take-offs and landings on 15/33 and taxiing toward the 15 threshold, with the occasional line-up early in the day. With 15 the default runway this is the first stop for most visitors.
- Getting there
- From A35 exit 36 (EuroAirport/Blotzheim) follow signs for Saint-Louis/Blotzheim to the tunnel under the runway and park just beyond it; a path leads up the hill. By public transport: tram 3 to Saint-Louis, then bus 1 toward Blotzheim (Clostermann stop) and a short walk. Signs now forbid pedestrians on the road from the terminal car parks to the tunnel, so do not plan to walk from the terminal.
- Best time
- Runway 15 in use, from 14:00 to sunset in summer (13:00 in winter).
- Lens
- 40–200 mm for the runway, 200–400 mm for the taxiway.
Fields behind the Leclerc hypermarket (Blotzheim)
Open farmland between the Leclerc shopping centre and the fence, with a broad view of movements on both runway directions and of aircraft on taxiway Bravo. The mall next door solves food and toilets, which is rare at airport spots.
- Getting there
- Park at the Leclerc car park off Rue de l'Artisanat and walk 300–400 m across the fields to the fence; bus 1 from Saint-Louis also gets you close. A 3–5 step ladder is needed. The fields turn to mud after rain.
- Best time
- Either runway direction, from about 13:00 until sunset.
- Lens
- 65–180 mm on the runway, around 130 mm for widebodies on the taxiway.
Water tower near Rosenau (Château d'eau)
A large blue water tower east of the A35 that sits under the approach to runway 15. It is the morning answer to the Belvédère: arrivals from the north with the sun behind you, from Fokker-size up to 747s.
- Getting there
- From the A35 take the Bartenheim exit just north of the airport, turn right toward Rosenau on the D66 and take the first lane on the right to the tower. Nothing on site.
- Best time
- 15 arrivals, sunrise until about noon.
- Lens
- 140 mm for a 747, 240 mm for a 737, 420 mm for a Falcon 2000.
Krittweg hillside (Hésingue)
Fields on the slope south-west of the airport facing aircraft on approach to runway 33. Used on mornings when the wind forces traffic onto 33, which is less common than 15 but brings landings over the Swiss border.
- Getting there
- Leave the A35 at Hésingue and turn left toward Hésingue/Blotzheim; at the roundabout take the fourth exit, follow the hill and turn right onto a track after a short climb. Park in the fields without blocking farm access.
- Best time
- 33 arrivals, morning until about noon.
- Lens
- 70–400 mm.
Crossroads by the Basel Air Service building (AMAC side)
A junction on the western side near the Basel Air Service building, good for afternoon arrivals on 33. Walking east along the path brings you to views of business jets and VIP airliners on the ground at AMAC and the ASB apron — often the most interesting aircraft at the airport.
- Getting there
- From the Hésingue exit head toward Hésingue/Blotzheim, take the third exit at the roundabout and drive about 800 m to 1 km to the crossroads; park on the right.
- Best time
- 33 arrivals and the AMAC apron, from about 13:00–14:00 to sunset.
- Lens
- 180–300 mm for arrivals, 50–500 mm for parked aircraft.
Rue des Champs dead end (AMAC hangars)
The end of an industrial road beside the AMAC Aerospace hangars, looking onto parked aircraft and the remote engine-run area. This is where you have the best chance of catching a VIP widebody running its engines before redelivery.
- Getting there
- From the Basel Air Service crossroads take the D105 west, turn right onto Rue de l'Industrie and immediately left into Rue des Champs; follow it to the end.
- Best time
- Morning until about 12:30 — engine runs are unscheduled, so check Spotterra for activity.
- Lens
- 50–85 mm for widebodies on the stands, up to 210 mm for smaller types.
Respect private property, signage and the airport security perimeter. Spotterra predicts the active runway from live weather on the dashboard.
What you'll see
easyJet is by far the largest operator, with Wizz Air, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa and leisure carriers such as SunExpress, Pegasus and Turkish Airlines adding variety, plus Air Algérie, Royal Air Maroc and Tunisair toward North Africa. Express and cargo flights are a strong second layer, many of them at night and early morning. The highlight is the completion industry: Jet Aviation and AMAC bring in VIP Boeing 737 BBJs, 747-8s, 777s and 787s and Airbus ACJs, often unpainted or on test registrations, and the bizjet flow from Gulfstreams to Global 7500s is steady thanks to Basel's pharma and finance clients. Art Basel in June brings a peak of private jets.
What actually flew over Basel-Mulhouse in the last 30 days
Measured from our own ADS-B data — not a schedule, but what really passed overhead.
- A320 42.1 %
- A20N 14 %
- B738 13 %
- A21N 11.1 %
- A319 8 %
- B38M 4.8 %
- BCS3 3.7 %
- EC45 3.5 %
FAQ
What's that plane over Basel?
Spotterra's live map tracks every ADS-B aircraft over Basel, Alsace and southern Baden in real time with type, registration and route — handy for spotting a green VIP widebody on a test flight. Free in the browser.
Where can I see VIP widebodies at EuroAirport?
Around the AMAC and Jet Aviation hangars on the western side: the Rue des Champs dead end in the morning and the Basel Air Service crossroads in the afternoon. Which aircraft are in for work changes constantly.
Which runway does LFSB use?
Runway 15 for both arrivals and departures most of the time; 33 only when the wind demands it. The cross runway 07/25 is limited to small business jets.
Can I reach the Belvédère on foot from the terminal?
Not any more — pedestrians are banned on the road from the terminal car parks to the tunnel. Use a car or bus 1 from Saint-Louis to Blotzheim.
Spotterra watches the sky over Basel-Mulhouse
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