October 26, 2009
It’s nearly time for that annual event in Switzerland which sees spotters flocking to see an abundance of biz jets in one place, and some of them quite rare! The Davos conference is held in January, with most dignitaries flying into Zurich Airport. This year the dates covered are Tuesday 26 January to Sunday 31 January.
Most aircraft arrive on the first day (Tuesday), often positioning to Basle or Geneva to park up for the week, before returning to Zurich to pick up their passengers on the Sunday and returning home.
Buchair offer a number of ramp tours at Zurich during the event, giving you the opportunity to get up close and personal with the biz jets (and other airliners) in attendance. You can find the schedule and booking details at: http://www.buchairnet.ch/de/tour/2010_schedule.pdf
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zurich October 22, 2009
Following complaints from aircraft owners over the taking and subsequent use of photographs of their stored airliners at Mojave Airport, photography by spotters on their airside tours are now firmly banned.
The airport has run tours on request for many years, giving spotters the chance to ride out to the lines of stored airliners at the desert airfield in California. This offers the chance to catch up with many older types stored here either permanently or temporarily. It can be difficult to log registrations from the perimeter road, so this tour is a major bonus.
Being able to step out of the van and take photographs at close quarters was also welcomed by spotters, but owners are apparently sick of seeing their aircraft in YouTube videos and social networking sites. It is not clear whether this is a result of malicious use, or simply enthusiasts sharing photos and videos.
The airport now encourages spotters to leave behind video and photo cameras before getting in the van to take a tour.
If after this news you are still interested in taking a tour at Mojave, you can do so by reporting to the Control Tower and asking at reception. In most cases the driver (Javier) can accommodate you for a spontaneous tour immediately.
September 2, 2009
Sharjah Airport has reintroduced the airside photo pass scheme which was abandoned a few years ago. Traditionally, this was one of the best opportunities for spotters and photographers to get amongst the excellent selection of rarer aircraft that could typically be found at this UAE airport.
Sharjah is famous for the Russian types, cargo aircraft, and Western types from years gone by. It also has been used extensively for storage and scrapping. Sadly the airport is much quieter these days, and many of the stored aircraft have gone. It has instead turned into a major hub for Air Arabia, and services a number of other airlines.
The airport’s website has the application form for the pass. Although it stated the price is AED350, the application form has the true price of AED1000. A little steep perhaps. A minimum of 10 working days is required to process the pass, with the UAE working week being Sunday to Thursday.
What does the pass allow? Well it allows airside access to the various ramps. Whereas in the past you were often free to roam as you wished, these days you will be escorted by an agent.
A quick link to the application form: http://www.sharjahairport.ae/photographyform.pdf
October 1, 2008
BUCHairTours have organised a number of special airside tours for enthusiasts at Zurich airport during the period when the original observation deck closes.
These run between Tuesday, January 27th, 2009 and Sunday, February 1st, 2009 with a very similar schedule as in January 2008.
Starting mid-November 08, exact schedule, prices and procedures will be published on their website www.buchairnet.com. At the moment, they can not yet accept any reservations nor payments for the tours, therefore, please be patient until November.
Tickets for special ramp tours may only be bought through Bucher & Co., Publikationen, either electronically on the internet or in our shop, buchAIRcenter, “Wilbur Wright”, Schaffhauserstr. 76, CH-8152 Glattbrugg (pick-up) or last minute on the terrace at Terminal E. From, Monday January 26th, 2009 through Sunday, February 1st, 2009 BUCHairTOURS will have some kind of temporary stand on top of Terminal E, in order to handle the special bus tours and to sell last minute tickets.
July 2, 2008
An alternative way to see the action at Vienna airport is to take an airside tour. This covers most parts of the airfield and gives you an opportunity to log (quickly!) what’s in and take some photos.
The tours are offered Monday-Saturday (including holidays) from 09:00-17:00.
There are no tours on Sundays.
The tour is about an hour long. Price for adults: EUR 7.
The tours start at the new Visitair center which is located northwest of the terminal, adjacent to the parking lot 4.
May 17, 2008
Earlier this week I was in Madrid on business, flying with Jet2 through Terminal 1. Since Terminal 4 is now the focus of this huge airport, I thought I’d update you on the spotting situation in the older terminal - especially since most low cost airlines seem to serve it.
Once airside, most gate areas have a window looking in either direction along the terminal, and most have views across to the cargo ramp and runways.
An eating area between the A and B gates is fronted by large windows looking over the long-haul part of the terminal.
Further to the south, the extended part of the terminal is much more modern. It handles long haul flights by airlines such as Air Europa, Air Comet, TAM, Santa Barbara Airlines and Aeromexico. This long part of the building has views at each gate across the cargo and sometime storage area, though larger aircraft often obstruct the view.
