Planespotting Paris Charles de Gaulle — LFPG
Charles de Gaulle is big, sprawling and not especially friendly to spotters, but the traffic makes up for it. Four parallel runways work as two pairs: on each side the outer runway takes arrivals (09L/27R in the north, 08R/26L in the south) and the inner one takes departures (09R/27L and 08L/26R). Westerly operations are the more common configuration. Airlines tend to pick the side nearest their terminal — Air France and easyJet lean south towards Terminal 2, Star Alliance carriers and FedEx lean north — but ATC can send anyone anywhere, so you will never see more than about half the movements from one place. Distances are huge (up to 10 km across), so a car and a long lens are close to essential. The reward is the early-morning long-haul wave from Africa, Asia and the Americas. Note that Paris airports expect spotters to hold a photo permit from the border police; see the FAQ.
- FMY8030 TBM7 11 000 ft
- AFR52VX BCS3 13 000 ft
- AFR62JL BCS3 12 225 ft
- KLM31G E295 9 425 ft
- AFR358 B772 6 250 ft
- HOP38UK E190 3 950 ft RWY 08L
- DBT526 C25B 3 700 ft RWY 08L
- AFR69MP BCS3 2 725 ft RWY 08L
Conditions right now
Runways
- 08L/26R RWY 08L 4,208 × 45 m · 13,806 × 148 ft asphalt
- 09R/27L 4,193 × 45 m · 13,757 × 148 ft asphalt
- 08R/26L 2,694 × 60 m · 8,839 × 197 ft asphalt
- 09L/27R 2,694 × 60 m · 8,839 × 197 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
- Narrowbody55%
- Widebody22%
- Cargo8%
- Bizjet7%
- Turboprop5%
- Military3%
Spotter score
Our editorial rating (0–100).Best time of year
When the interesting traffic peaks.Where to spot
Concorde and ADP head office, Roissypole
Beside the Concorde on display near the Hilton and the Aéroports de Paris headquarters, above the CDGVAL tunnel. From the brick wall you see everything taxiing on taxiways N and F between Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and the northern runways — a good mix of widebodies at close range.
- Getting there
- RER B or CDGVAL to Roissypole (CDG 1). No parking at the spot — use the official Terminal 3 car park and walk. ADP staff in the offices have been known to call security on weekdays; weekends are calmer.
- Best time
- Easterly operations, from sunrise to about 11:00–12:00.
- Lens
- 50–300 mm.
Gendarmerie hill, west of Terminal 1
A small mound in a field near the gendarmerie (with its kennels of barking security dogs) on the western side of the airport. Heavies departing from 27L rotate and climb out in front of you, and the elevation clears the fence without a ladder.
- Getting there
- Park in the gendarmerie visitor car park and walk about 100 m into the field. Bus 350 from Roissypole to Zone Technique, then on foot. The former Météo France car park nearby has been gated off since early 2026.
- Best time
- Westerly operations (27L departures). Good from about 10:00 to 16:00 in summer and all day in winter; heat haze is the main enemy at midday.
- Lens
- 300 mm minimum, 400 mm+ for narrowbodies.
Old D2212 road, Le Mesnil-Amelot
East of the northern runways, a stretch of the former D2212 that is closed to traffic but open on foot. Aircraft on approach to 27R pass overhead at a comfortable height for clean side-on and head-on shots.
- Getting there
- Drive to Le Mesnil-Amelot via the D401 and park near the start of the old road, then walk to your preferred position. The village has restaurants and plenty of airport hotels.
- Best time
- Westerly operations only (27R arrivals). Summer light works best 10:00–16:00; in winter the low sun is fine all day.
- Lens
- 100–300 mm.
Concorde memorial lay-by, southern perimeter road
On the southern perimeter road east of the TGV bridge, a spot with grassy mounds and a slightly raised runway, so no ladder is needed. Arrivals on 08R and 26L pass close by, and light aircraft departing 08L sometimes rotate in front of you.
- Getting there
- Drive along the southern perimeter road from the Hub Postal and park at the memorial — never in front of the fire-service gate opposite. On foot it is roughly 35–45 minutes from the Hub Postal bus stop.
- Best time
- Either direction on the southern pair. In summer 10:00–16:00; heat haze can be severe on hot afternoons.
- Lens
- 70–400 mm.
Tremblay-en-France cemetery mound
At the northern corner of Tremblay-en-France, a small earth mound in front of the cemetery car park gives an angle on 08R arrivals and 26R departures. Power lines cross the view, but there are enough gaps to shoot between them.
- Getting there
- Reached from the road that runs towards the southern perimeter spots. Use the cemetery car park when the gate is open, or stay outside it when closed. Behave quietly — it is a cemetery.
- Best time
- 08R arrivals and 26R departures; summer 10:00–16:00, all day in winter.
- Lens
- 120–220 mm (around 220 mm for an A320, 120 mm for a 777-300ER).
Air France head office pavement, Roissypole
A raised pavement across the road from Air France's head office, looking onto taxiway E. Aircraft heading for terminals 2B and 2D and departures from 2E and 2F pass close enough for a standard zoom.
- Getting there
- RER B to Roissypole (CDG 1), leave on the taxi side and walk about five minutes past the Air France building, then cross the road. By car, use the paid Novotel car park behind the station.
- Best time
- Easterly configuration, April to September from about 18:00 when the sun is behind you.
- Lens
- 17–70 mm for passing aircraft, 70–300 mm for pushbacks and parked jets.
Respect private property, signage and the airport security perimeter. Spotterra predicts the active runway from live weather on the dashboard.
What you'll see
Air France fills Terminal 2 with A350s, 777s, 787s and A220s, alongside KLM, Delta and the rest of SkyTeam. Emirates and Qatar bring A380s, and the long-haul list runs from Air Austral, Air Mauritius and Air Sénégal to JAL, Ethiopian, Kenya Airways and Aeroméxico 787s. easyJet has a large base, and Terminal 3 handles low-cost and charter flights, sometimes with government aircraft. FedEx runs its main European hub here, so MD-11s, 767s and 777Fs appear by day; most other freighters are night-only. The morning wave from about 06:00 is the busiest widebody period.
What actually flew over Paris Charles de Gaulle in the last 30 days
Measured from our own ADS-B data — not a schedule, but what really passed overhead.
- A320 23.7 %
- BCS3 21.1 %
- B738 17.1 %
- A20N 11.5 %
- E190 9.4 %
- B77W 6.1 %
- A21N 5.6 %
- B38M 5.4 %
FAQ
What's that plane over Paris Charles de Gaulle?
Spotterra's live map tracks every ADS-B-equipped aircraft around CDG in real time, with type, registration and route. It also helps you see which runway pair a flight is lined up for before you drive across the airport.
Do I need a permit to spot at CDG?
Paris airports (CDG, Orly and Le Bourget) expect spotters along the perimeter to hold a photo authorisation from the border police (PAF). Email them in French with your ID and your dates well in advance and carry the reply with you. Rules and response times change, so check current spotter forums before you go.
Which runways are used for landings at CDG?
Normally the outer runways: 09L/27R in the north and 08R/26L in the south. The inner runways 09R/27L and 08L/26R handle departures. Heavy works close one runway for months at a time, so check NOTAMs before your trip.
How do I get around CDG's spots without a car?
RER B and the free CDGVAL shuttle cover Roissypole and the terminals. For the perimeter use local buses (350 to Zone Technique, lines to Hub Postal), but expect long walks — the southern fence spots are 35–50 minutes on foot from the nearest stop.
Spotterra watches the sky over Paris Charles de Gaulle
A live ADS-B map of your area and smart alerts on military transports, warbirds and rare types — with 10–30 minutes lead on long-haul arrivals. Free forever, no card.
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