If you want to spend time spotting at Atlanta Airport, most spotters know that the Renaissance Concourse is the hotel of choice, with its ideal position alongside the northern perimeter and rooms with balconies facing the action.

However, a lesser-known hotel which is usually much cheaper and still offers good views of aircraft can be found nearby.

This photo of BEST WESTERN PLUS Atlanta Airport-East is courtesy of TripAdvisor

The Best Western Plus – Airport East is located a little further away from the airport, but has rooms offering views of the northern two runways.

Those with an SBS will be able to monitor aircraft on the other runways. If the weather’s clear enough you will be able to see the aircraft approaching and departing the distant runways.

A map of the Best Western Plus Airport East’s location, near runway 26R

Aircraft arriving from the east onto the northern runways can easily be read off from rooms in the *01, *02, *16, *17 range (the higher the better) will have views of the action.

I’d like to take a look at the country of Denmark and what aviation opportunities exist for aviation enthusiasts.

Airports

The main airport gateway to Denmark is Copenhagen Kastrup Airport, situated close to the city and only a short distance across the water from Malmo in Sweden.

Copenhagen is one of the main bases for SAS, and is also a hub for Cimber Air and Norwegian.no. Other principal airlines operating there include easyJet, Widerøe, JetTime, Thomas Cook Scandinavia and TUIfly Nordic.

Interesting and unusual airlines operating to Copenhagen are Air Greenland, Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Atlantic Airways with the Airbus A319 link to the Faroe Islands.

By far the most popular spotting location at Copenhagen is the Flyvergrillen cafe, located alongside Runway 22R/04L. It has a dirt mound alongside which offers views over the movements on the runways and taxiways. It is acceptable for photography on afternoons. To reach the spot, walk out of Terminal 1 and turn left at the catering buildings. You can also drive this route. It takes 30 minutes to walk.

Other airports in Denmark include:

• Aalborg, with flights by Norwegian, KLM and SAS
• Aarhus Tirstrup, with flights by British Airways/Sun Air, EuroLOT, Ryanair, and SAS
• Billund, which is the country’s second busiest, with flights by Air France, British Airways/Sun Air, Norwegian, Ryanair, and Turkish Airlines
• Esbjerg, with flights by bmi Regional
• Karup, with flights by Norwegian
• Odense, with flights by Malmo Aviation

Aviation Attractions
Danish Technical Museum
Located at Helsingor, to the north of Copenhagen, this museum has a decent collection of around 30 aircraft. These include a SAS Sud Aviation Caravelle, DC-3, DC-7 cockpit, and a de Havilland Dragon Rapide, amongst a number of military aircraft.

Danish Collection of Vintage Aircraft
A museum of over 60 historic aircraft at Stauning Airport on the west coast of Denmark. Open daily.

Slagelse
Former British Airways and European Aviation BAC 1-11 G-AVMN is preserved outside a technical museum around 55 miles west of Copenhagen.

Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport has announced figures which make it one of the fastest growing commercial airports in the USA.

Formerly Williams Air Base, it opened as a commercial airport in 1994. Its new terminal was opened in the early 2000s with the introduction of flights by Ryan International. Whilst it would never seriously challenge Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (situated 27 miles to the west), it has established itself as a good alternative which is popular with low-cost airlines. Allegiant Air opened a focus city here in 2007, with McDonnell Douglas MD-80 and Boeing 757-200 aircraft operating flights to many US destinations.

The airport also has services from Spirit Airlines, and seasonal links to Denver with Frontier Airlines.

Recent growth at the airport has seen passenger numbers rise 45% to 1.39 million per year. This coincides with the decision to extend the terminal with the addition of two more gates. The Gateway 2030 project aims to construct a completely new terminal to the west, with 20 gates and a pier, along with the associated infrastructure, a hotel, offices and parking spaces.

Aside from passenger services, Phoenix-Mesa is a popular airport for flight training, and has a based FBO. It is also a service centre for Cessna and Hawker Beechcraft aircraft, which are regular visitors. The airport has three parallel runways.

Spotting at Phoenix-Mesa Gatway Airport
For the enthusiast, Phoenix-Mesa offers an interesting alternative to Sky Harbor and the various storage airports in the area. The best place to view movements is from the Flight Deck Cafe next to the General Aviation Terminal. There’s also a pilot shop here. The cafe has a viewing mound, and good photographs are possible in the afternoon and evening over the fence. This is a known place for spotters to congregate, so trouble from the authorities is unlikely.

Mumbai’s main airport is Chhatrapati Shivaji International, located in the area of Santa Cruz (which it often referred to as) which is very much within city limits.

This airport replaced the older Juhu Aerodrome in 1942 when it initially opened as RAF Santacruz.

Today the airport has five terminals (three domestic and two international) and two runways, and is the second busiest airport in India. It handles a lot of domestic and international traffic, along with cargo, government and military movements.

It is a hub airport for Air India, BlueDart, GoAir, IndiGo, Jet Airways, and Spicejet, with Air India handling a lot of maintenance for their aircraft at the airport.

There is a master plan for expanding the airport to allow it to handle 40 million passengers per year – up from the current 30 million. The plan will see all domestic and international flights combined into one terminal building. Additionally, some of the existing terminals will be converted for cargo operations. There is also a plan to build a parallel runway and new taxiways. At present the plan is to complete the expansion by the end of 2014, but it has been delayed a number of times.

Spotting in India is not allowed and I do not recommend that you draw attention to yourself by using binoculars, cameras, or even noting down registrations near the airport or in the terminal building.

The Orchid Hotel has been known as a spotting hotel in Mumbai, with a good rooftop terrace and some rooms with views. As the hobby is not understood in India, it is still advised that you use discretion or speak with hotel staff prior to spotting.

We recently released the book Mumbai Airports Through Time which covers Mumbai’s two airports from the 1970s to the present day. It is packed full of glossy photographs of aircraft, past and present, by two Indian aviation photographers. Since it’s so difficult to spot in India, I recommend you take a look at this book to get a flavour of the aircraft and airlines operating into Mumbai.

You can find out more and order a copy here: www.destinworld.com

If you’re visiting Houston Hobby Airport, the best hotel at the airport for spotting is the Holiday Inn which can be found at 8611 Airport Blvd.

The hotel has six floors, with floors five and six being good for watching movements if you request a room facing the airport.

Dean Mitchell recently visited the hotel on a spotting trip to Houston and can report that even-numbered rooms ending in 20-44 are at the correct angle for spotters, with the photograph used here showing his view from room 520. These rooms look down runway 04/22 and across to the passenger terminal area.

The hotel has a free car park, and offers free wifi access. There is also a restaurant and bar for guests to use.

Houston Hobby is the city’s smaller airport, located close to the downtown area. It is a busy base for Southwest Airlines, as well as bizjet aircraft. It makes an interesting alternative to the city’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, which is dominated by United Airlines.

To book a room at the Houston Hobby Holiday Inn, click this link. The map here shows the location of the hotel in relation to the airport.

Thanks to Dean Mitchell for this information and picture.

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This weekend we’re giving 20% off all of our Airport Spotting Guides Books!

The sale will last until midnight GMT on Sunday 24th March, so get in there quickly before it’s too late.

Our three guides uncover details on where to spot and photograph aircraft all over the world. They include:

- Best spotting and photography locations
- Which airlines fly to each airport
- Runways and radio frequencies
- The best spotting hotels to use
- Lists of all commercial airports in each country
- Nearby aviation attractions at each airport, such as museums and other airfields

The three books are:

Airport Spotting Guides Europe
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Airport Spotting Guides Far East & Australasia
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Airport Spotting Guides USA
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To find out more about each book, click the links above.

20% Discount
To take advantage of your 20% discount, head to www.destinworld.com and add any Airport Spotting Guides book to your cart. Then click View Cart at the top of the page and enter the code ASG20 

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Toulouse Blagnac Airport is high on the radar for aviation enthusiasts as one of the main manufacturing bases for Airbus (alongside Hamburg Finkenwerder) and ATR, who both build lots of airliners here each year.

The airport has tours to see inside the giant Airbus hangars, but what else can be seen in the area when visiting Toulouse?

Ailes Anciennes Toulouse Museum
This respectable museum is located close to Toulouse Blagnac, at a new site to the north of the airport and close to the Airbus A380 works. If you’re visiting Toulouse Airport for the first time, this museum is a must see attraction. It has a collection of civil and military aircraft, including types such as the Sud Aviation Caravelle, Concorde, Douglas DC-3, Dassault Falcon 10, various Dassault Mirage and Mystere jets, a Gloster Meteor, and one of the Super Guppy transport aircraft. There are around 70 aircraft in all.

The museum is open Wednesdays (2pm-5.30pm) and Saturdays (1.30pm-6pm), with guided tours available on Saturday mornings (9.30am and 10.30am). Museum website: www.aatlse.org

Francazal Aerodrome
A smaller airport around 8 miles to the south of Blagnac Airport.  It has a single runway and is popular with biz jet operators, and ATR who send their new aircraft in for works. Francazal is also a base for French Air Force operations.

Viewing is possible at Francozal from within the terminal building.

Morocco has become a popular and affordable place to visit, especially for Europeans. Most low cost airlines now fly there, and Ryanair recently announced it was starting bases in Fez and Marrakech.

I even travelled to Marrakech last year for an autumn holiday and loved the scenery, history and culture.

Morocco has 14 airports with regular airline service, according to Airline Route Mapper. Here’s a look at some of the highlights of these airports:

Casablanca
One of the most famous cities in Morocco, Casablanca is also the main industrial city. Its Mohammed V International Airport is the busiest in Morocco, with flights across Europe, West Africa, the Middle East, and North America. It is the hub airport for national carrier, Royal Air Maroc, which provides the majority of the movements.

Cargo is also represented at the airport, with airlines such as Air France Cargo, UPS, DHL Airways, Turkish Cargo and Med Airlines Maroc flying in regularly.

Casablanca’s former main airport at Anfa Airport has now had its runways and taxiways ripped up, but it is still the headquarters of Royal Air Maroc. There are still a few aircraft at the airline’s training base here, including a Lockheed Constellation, Sud Aviacion Caravelle, and Boeing 727. These are being restored for display in a museum.

Marrakech
Passengers: ~3 million. Main Airlines: Ryanair, Royal Air Maroc, Jetairfly, easyJet
Marrakech Menara Airport is a busy low-cost and holiday airline hub throughout the year. It is also a military base, and hosts an annual airshow. You can read my spotting guide to Marrakech Airport here.

Rabat
Main Airlines: Royal Air Maroc, Ryanair
The capital city of Morocco is served by Rabat-Salé Airport. It has a single terminal, and also a military base on site. Despite being the capital, it is not the busiest airport in Morocco with the only regular services being to Madrid and Paris via Iberia and Air France respectively. Ryanair will add services to the city from April and May 2013, however.

Agadir
Passengers: 1.5 million Main Airlines: Royal Air Maroc/RAM Express, easyJet, Jetairfly
This major city in the south of Morocco has a  busy airport handling over 1.5 million passengers per year. It is to receive a new terminal building to replace its ageing example, as it expects traffic to grow.

At the moment, it is handling flights mainly from holiday and low cost carriers across Europe, with some links to the nearby Canary Islands too.

The original Inezgane Airport close to the city centre is still in use as a military air base.

Tangier
Passengers: 650,000 Main Airlines: Air Arabia Maroc, Royal Air Maroc/RAM Express, Ryanair
Ibn Battouta Airport serves the northern port city of Tangier. It has modern facilities, and handles around 700,000 passengers per year. Traffic is a mix of holiday/low cost airlines alongside regional links to Spain and Casablanca. There are also some cargo services by Air Contractors and Med Airlines.

Fes
Passengers: 500,000 Main Airlines: Ryanair
This beautiful historic city has a small airport which recently gained attention from Ryanair, who will open up a base there this year, vastly increasing the number of routes. In addition to Ryanair, Fes is also served by Air Arabia Maroc, easyJet, JetairFly, Royal Air Maroc, Transavia, and Vueling.

Oujda
Main Airlines: Royal Air Maroc, Ryanair, Jetairfly
A growing airport on the northeast border with Algeria, and a former World War II airfield, Oujda Angads Airport follows a similar trend to the rest of Morocco with a growth in low cost and holiday airlines. Royal Air Maroc also links it to Casablanca and a few European destinations.

Other Moroccan airports with airline service are:

Al Hoceima
Melilla (Spanish enclave)
Nador
Essaouira
Ouarzarate
Laayoune
Dakhla

Malmö-Sturup Airport is one of Sweden’s busiest airports, handling over 2 million passengers per year.

It is situated in the south west corner of Sweden, only a short drive from Copenhagen in Denmark.

Malmo Airport has a single passenger terminal with 8 contact gates. It has one main runway, with a smaller cross runway.

Passenger flights are operated by airlines such as:

• Al-Naser Airlines
• Direktflyg
• Golden Air
• Next Jet
• Norwegian Air Shuttle
• SAS
• Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia
• TUIfly Nordic
• Wizz Air

Malmo is also a busy cargo airport, with two cargo terminals. Airlines include:

• Air Contractors
• TNT Airways
• UPS Airlines
• West Air Sweden

Spotting

There is a viewing area provided at Malmo Airport for spotting. It is located between the terminal and the parking area, to the left if you leave the main entrance to the terminal. From this spotting location you can see the south end of the passenger apron and take decent photographs of aircraft. It is free to use this spotting area.

Alternatively, you can get views of aircraft by following the fence line towards the end of the runway, as long as you don’t get too close and cause alarm for security.

A former SAS Caravelle can also be seen at Malmo. Turn left outside the main terminal entrance and walk past a race track on your right. The Caravelle will eventually appear.

It is possible to spot through the windows inside the terminal once in the departures area.

The Boeing 727 is becoming quite a rare aircraft to see in action these days. Thankfully there are still a number stored and preserved around the world.

Most of the active examples are flown in cargo configuration, with only a few examples still flying passengers (see my Last Chance to Fly ebook for a list of airlines still flying 727s and other rare airliners).

So where can you catch Boeing 727s in action? Here’s a list of some of the airports which have a number of 727s based or visiting regularly.

USA
Memphis, TN – The main super hub for FedEx Express, which is the world’s largest operator of Boeing 727 aircraft. All of its -100 models are gone, but around 40 -200s are still flying and can be seen overnight at Memphis.

Detroit Willow Run, MI – Primarily a cargo airport, Willow Run is home to Kalitta Charters and its fleet of 727-200s.

Florida – A number of 727s operate out of Opa Locka in Florida, including a private example, and also out of Orlando International and Miami International airports.

Colombia
Bogota – One of the world’s busiest airports for Boeing 727 flights. Local cargo operators AeroSucre and Lineas Aereas Suramericanas operate a mixed fleet of -100s and -200s from the airport every day.