Birmingham Airport

Birmingham is no giant hub, and that is exactly what makes the airport pleasant for spotters. A single runway, one terminal, a train station right next door – and yet an Airbus A380 lands here every single day. On top of that come four base airlines from the leisure and low-cost segment, network carriers from half of Europe and widebody jets from the Gulf region and India. If you plan BHX as a stopover on a tour of England, you get a surprising amount of variety in a small space.

From Elmdon to the airport of the Midlands

The story begins on July 8, 1939. On that day Elmdon Airport opened on the eastern edge of the city, with an elegant Art Deco terminal. Civil operations did not last long: a few weeks later World War II began, the site was used by the military as RAF Elmdon and was only released for scheduled and charter flights again in July 1946.

The old terminal is still standing. It lies on the west side of the runway, is protected as a listed building and now handles private and official flights. If you stand at the Elmdon parking garage, you have this piece of aviation history right in front of your lens – with a bit of luck with a business jet in front of it.

In the 1960s international traffic grew. In 1961 a second building was added, and between 1967 and 1970 the main runway was extended to accommodate the first jets and turboprops. The big leap came in 1984: on April 3, a new terminal opened on the east side of the runway, and it still forms the core of the airport today. The same month, a technical curiosity went into operation – more on that in a moment.

The maglev to the station

From 1984, a maglev ran between the terminal and Birmingham International station. The short shuttle is considered the world’s first commercial maglev link – a prestige project that, however, did not convince in everyday use. Because of frequent breakdowns it was shut down in 1995 after about eleven years.

Since 2003 the Air-Rail Link has covered the route: a cable-hauled cabin railway that you can use for free. That is handy for you, because it means you can take the train from London, Manchester or the north right to the terminal door. Trains from West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry and Transport for Wales stop at the station.

One runway, two directions

Today Birmingham has only one active runway: 15/33, aligned from northwest to southeast. Until 2008 there was also a short crosswind runway, 06/24. It was closed and has served as a taxiway and as a strip for helicopters ever since.

In 2014 the main runway got an upgrade that is still visible to spotters today. It was extended by about 400 meters so that heavy long-haul aircraft have more room on takeoff. Originally, the A45 was supposed to be moved into a tunnel under the runway for this. For cost reasons, the road was instead rerouted around the runway end to the south. The first to use the full length, on July 22, 2014, was a China Southern charter flight to Beijing.

According to spotter guides, there is no fixed preferred direction – only the wind counts. Before you set off, it is therefore worth checking the weather forecast and live traffic. The article Understanding the runway direction in use at an airport explains how that works.

One terminal, one pier for the big ones

Until 2011 there were two terminals side by side. In January 2011 they were joined into one building: Gates 1 to 20 are in the former Terminal 2, all the others in the former Terminal 1. Check-in and arrivals are on the ground floor, the central security checkpoint plus shops and restaurants on the first floor. Since 2010 the airport has also no longer called itself “Birmingham International Airport” but simply “Birmingham Airport.”

For widebody aircraft there is the International Pier, which opened in September 2009 – fittingly with an Airbus A380 as its first user. This is where the long-haul jets of the Gulf airlines, Air India and TUI park. If you are flying out yourself, you can look out over taxiways and some positions from the waiting area at the end of the pier. In 2012 a new control tower was also added, which now shapes the airport’s skyline.

Who flies in Birmingham

Four airlines have a base in Birmingham and shape the picture on the ground: Jet2, TUI Airways, Ryanair and easyJet. At Jet2 you mainly see the Boeing 737-800 and the Airbus A321neo. Besides narrowbody jets, TUI also flies long-haul to the Caribbean and Mexico – for example to Cancún, Montego Bay, Punta Cana and Barbados – for which the airline uses Dreamliners of the 787-8 and 787-9 series.

Then there are the feeders to the big hubs. Aer Lingus connects Birmingham with Dublin, by a wide margin the busiest route in 2025. KLM flies to Amsterdam, Lufthansa to Frankfurt, Turkish Airlines to Istanbul. Air France, Eurowings and Wizz Air are also in the schedule.

The numbers show how strong the mix of leisure and connecting traffic is. The five busiest routes in 2025 led to Dublin, Dubai, Amsterdam, Palma de Mallorca and Alicante – three hubs, two vacation destinations. Schedules change every season; check who is flying where before you visit.

Widebody highlights: the A380 and more

The flagship is the daily Emirates flight from Dubai. Since 2016 it has come with the Airbus A380; during the pandemic Emirates temporarily switched to the Boeing 777. Since July 1, 2023, the superjumbo is back. For Birmingham this means: the route to Dubai was the airport’s second-busiest in 2025, and the A380 is the largest aircraft that lands here regularly.

More long-haul flights come from Qatar Airways from Doha and from Air India, which connects Birmingham with Delhi and Amritsar, among others. Which type is used on which route keeps changing – the arrivals board and a flight tracker will tell you on the day. How to set up alerts for this is shown in the article on flight tracking with ADS-B.

Spotting in Birmingham: the most important locations

There is no large official visitor park in Birmingham like at Manchester Airport or East Midlands Airport. Instead you have several proven locations that complement each other depending on light and runway direction. The following details are based on established spotter guides; access, parking rules and vegetation change, so look closely on site.

Viewing Area at Car Park 5. From the terminal side you reach an area at the fence near the threshold of runway 33 in about five minutes on foot. From here you see landings and takeoffs on 33 as well as takeoffs on 15, which are partly already high above you. The light works in summer from sunrise until midday; in winter this side is practically in backlight. For landings, 200 to 300 millimeters are enough, for taxiing aircraft less. The fence is low, but a small stepladder still helps.

Elmdon parking garage. On the west side, at the old terminal, a parking garage with elevated levels gives a view of the runway and the cargo apron. Here the sun is behind you from midday until sunset all year round. Buildings and masts hide part of the picture on landings on 33 until the aircraft have passed you. In summer heat haze over the asphalt is an issue – early afternoon or cooler days work better. A 70–300 millimeter zoom covers most of it.

Sheldon Country Park. The park borders the airport grounds on the west. Depending on where you stand, you see takeoffs from 33 or landings on 15 including the line-up at the threshold. For landings on 15, you should bring 300 to 400 millimeters. The park can be reached on foot from Marston Green station; there are no restrooms or kiosks in the park.

At Marston Green station. The pedestrian bridge was long a classic for movements on 15. According to spotter reports, however, vegetation has increasingly blocked the view since 2024, so that photos at ground level are hardly possible anymore. So expect gaps here rather than a clear view.

From the International Pier. With a boarding pass you can look out over taxiways and some parking positions from the waiting area at the end of the pier – ideal for the last photos before your own departure.

Daily rhythm and season

As at many British airports with a high share of leisure traffic, Birmingham has pronounced waves. Early in the morning, the base aircraft of Jet2, TUI, Ryanair and easyJet depart toward the south. Over the course of the day they return and often fly a second rotation. In between, the feeders to Dublin, Amsterdam and Frankfurt and the widebody flights from the Gulf region come and go.

Summer has the densest traffic: seasonal vacation destinations are added, and TUI flies more long-haul. Spotter guides name Saturdays and most weekdays as good days. Winter is quieter but sometimes brings interesting one-off movements. For British peculiarities in registrations, the best place to start is the article on British G- registrations – it also explains how to look up registrations in the G-INFO register.

Concorde, Flybe and other chapters

Birmingham has seen many a visit in its history that spotters have not forgotten to this day. Concorde came for the first time in 1980 and for a last time on October 20, 2003, shortly before the fleet was finally retired. Changes of airlines are also reflected in the chronicle: the regional airline Flybe, for example, went insolvent in 2020, restarted in 2022 under a new owner with a base in Birmingham – and ceased operations again in January 2023.

One chapter of the recent past shows that an airport is more than a transport hub: during the COVID-19 pandemic, an emergency mortuary was temporarily set up in a hangar. It had room for up to 12,000 deceased.

Infrastructure around the airport

The infrastructure around the airport is changing. On the other side of the M42, the Birmingham Interchange station is planned as part of the HS2 high-speed line, with a people mover to the airport and the exhibition center. In addition, an extension of the West Midlands Metro to the airport is funded. Concrete dates depend on the major projects themselves – follow the operators’ announcements if you are planning your trip well in advance.

At the airport itself, the money has recently gone more into passenger handling and parking – in 2016, for example, it announced about £100 million for a new baggage system and parking garages. For spotters, this changes less than at airports with new runways: 15/33 remains the one axis on which everything plays out.

Birmingham compared

In England, Birmingham sits between the big London airports and the regional airports. London Heathrow Airport offers many times the long-haul traffic but is considerably more strenuous to get around. Manchester Airport has a real visitor area with the Runway Visitor Park – more on that in the spotter guide for Manchester and at the spot Runway Visitor Park.

Northeast of Birmingham lies East Midlands Airport, a hub of express freight with its own Aeropark. The two combine well over a weekend. If you like military history, you will find the RAF Museum Cosford west of Birmingham. For your first trip, the article Plane spotting for beginners and the gear checklist will also help.

Conclusion

Birmingham Airport is a single-runway airport with surprisingly much to offer. Four base airlines provide the basic rhythm, network carriers from Europe the variety, and Emirates, Qatar Airways, Air India and TUI the big aircraft. On top of that comes a history that stretches from the Art Deco terminal via the first commercial maglev to Concorde.

An official visitor park is missing, but with Car Park 5 in the morning and the Elmdon side or Sheldon Country Park in the afternoon, you will find a suitable location for almost any weather. Check the wind and the arrivals board beforehand, and even a short stop is worth it.