Gothenburg Landvetter Airport

Gothenburg is Sweden’s second-largest city, and its airport sits not on the coast but a good 20 kilometers inland on a wooded rise. Landvetter is a manageable airport with just one runway and one terminal – and that is exactly why it’s pleasant for spotters. SAS, low-cost carriers, Scandinavian leisure airlines and the feeders of the big European hubs all mix here. If you keep an eye on wind, weather and light, you’ll find quiet spots in the forest around the runway where you usually have the place to yourself.

From city airport to the forest

Until the 1970s, Gothenburg’s air traffic landed at Torslanda in the west of the city. The airfield was too small for the growing traffic, so in December 1973 construction began on a new airport in Härryda Municipality, east of the city. The terrain was anything but flat: a lake was drained for the site and an enormous amount of rock was blasted away. On October 3, 1977, King Carl XVI Gustaf opened the new airport, named after the nearby village of Landvetter.

Originally, more than one runway was planned; a second one was never built and only appears in long-term expansion plans. The terminal, on the other hand, grew several times: in the 2010s the international area was rebuilt, in 2014 the domestic and international terminals merged into a single building, and in 2023 an extension about 200 meters long with additional gates was officially inaugurated, on which construction had been under way since 2017.

A special feature of Gothenburg’s aviation history is the second airport: from 2001, low-cost carriers in particular used the former military airfield Säve in the north of the city as Göteborg City Airport. Because the runway there would need to be renovated, scheduled service ended in winter 2014/15 – and all traffic has been concentrated at Landvetter ever since.

One runway, two directions

The layout is as simple as it can be at a commercial airport. There is a single runway, 03/21, about 3,300 meters long and 45 meters wide. It runs from south-southwest to north-northeast. The terminal and aprons lie east of the runway, and to the northeast are logistics areas and the so-called Airport City. West of the runway, the forest begins almost immediately.

Because there is only one runway, traffic density is limited. According to the figures for 2024, there were about 26,000 landings over the whole year – on average a good 70 per day. That sounds like little, but it is spread across waves in the morning, at midday and in the evening. In between, it can occasionally be quiet for half an hour. You can find the peaks on the departure and arrival boards or live in a flight tracker; how that works is explained in the article on flight tracking with ADS-B.

Runway direction in use: 03 or 21?

As everywhere, aircraft take off and land into the wind. If the wind comes from the southwest – a common situation on the Swedish west coast – takeoffs and landings use direction 21: aircraft come in from the northeast and take off toward the southwest. With wind from northerly to northeasterly directions, the picture flips, and direction 03 is in use.

This question is crucial for you because the well-known spots are heavily concentrated at one runway end. At the wrong end, you only see the takeoffs high above you and the landings not at all. So check the wind forecast the evening before and in the morning, and use a flight tracker to see how traffic is currently being flown. You’ll find the basics in the article Understanding runway direction in use at an airport, and with Windy and other weather maps you can estimate wind and clouds in advance.

Since 2015, the runway has had a CAT IIIb instrument landing system. Suitably equipped aircraft can then land even in very low visibility. For you, that means traffic often keeps running in fog – you just won’t see much of it.

Who flies at Landvetter

Landvetter is primarily an airport for European traffic. Three airlines have a base here: Ryanair and the Scandinavian leisure airlines Sunclass Airlines and TUI fly Nordic. SAS uses Gothenburg as a focus airport and connects the city with its hubs in Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm. Norwegian adds domestic and European connections.

A large part of the traffic consists of feeders to the big European connecting airports. KLM flies to Amsterdam, Lufthansa to Frankfurt and Munich, Finnair to Helsinki. Air France, British Airways, Turkish Airlines, Swiss, LOT, Eurowings, Pegasus and Wizz Air also come in. Among the most-flown destinations in 2024 were Stockholm, London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Munich.

Which types you actually see depends on the schedule and on the airlines’ fleet planning. Typical are Boeing 737s such as the 737-800 and the 737 MAX 8 as well as A320-family models, from the A319 to the A321neo. If you still mix up the Airbus variants, the article Telling the A318, A319, A320 and A321 apart with confidence helps.

Long-haul: rare, but there

For decades, there was no nonstop connection from Gothenburg to New York – the last one ended in 1984. On April 28, 2023, SAS then launched a route to New York-Newark, flown with the long-range narrowbody A321LR. In August 2026, Etihad Airways also announced that it will fly to Abu Dhabi four times a week from December.

For spotters, that makes a difference: at an airport where almost only narrowbody jets land, every widebody is a real highlight. Which types the airlines actually use and how often they fly can change with every schedule – so check the arrivals board before you visit.

Cargo at Landvetter

For western Sweden, Landvetter is also an important cargo airport. A large share of the cargo travels in the belly of passenger aircraft. In addition, there are dedicated freighter flights by the express integrators: in 2015, Swedavia signed a contract with DHL Express for a new, much larger cargo terminal, and FedEx also serves Gothenburg. How to recognize freighters and their conversion variants is covered in the article Recognizing cargo aircraft; you can read more about the groups behind them in the overview of the express integrators DHL, FedEx and UPS.

Spotting at Landvetter: in the forest instead of on a hill

There is no official visitors’ hill like in Munich or a spotter pavilion like at Stockholm Arlanda Airport at Landvetter. Instead, the spotting scene has opened up a handful of positions around the runway, which are described in spotter guides. Most are in the forest or on rocky knolls, and many are elevated so you can shoot over the fence – you usually don’t need a ladder.

Northeast end (direction 21): On a rise by the logistics areas northeast of the runway, you have a good position for landings on 21 and for aircraft lining up for takeoff on 21. Takeoffs toward 03, on the other hand, are already too high here. The light is mainly in the morning, and in winter this is often the best place.

West side in the forest: Further west, on the other side of the runway, there are rises and rocks in the forest from which you can see aircraft lining up and landings on 21 or – around the middle of the runway – even all movements. These spots are remote and can only be reached on forest tracks. They live off afternoon and evening light; in winter, the low sun barely reaches this side.

Southwest end (direction 03): For landings on 03, spotters use a clearing off Eskilsbyvägen under the approach path. The aircraft are still quite high there, so the perspective isn’t ideal. You get light here from morning to midday.

Long-term parking lot: From the fence at the long-term parking lot, you look at part of the parking positions. This is the only spot within easy walking distance of the terminal. Because the positions are lit, it is also suitable for shots after sunset – tips are in the article Photographing aircraft at night.

When the sun is where at which runway end is best planned in advance – how to do that is shown in the article on the sun position at your photo spot. In Planetrack, you will also find directions, best light, ratings and community photos for the locations on the spot map, and with the sun position planner you see when the light is right at your spot.

Light and seasons

The location in southern Sweden means strong differences between summer and winter. In summer the days are very long, the sun travels far to the north, and you can shoot until late in the evening. The west side of the runway then delivers good light for a long time. In winter, by contrast, the sun is so low that the west side is backlit from roughly early November to mid-February. Then the east side in the morning is the better choice.

Then there is the weather. The airport is considered quite prone to fog, and low clouds are not uncommon on the rise. If you only have one day, you should stay flexible. The best season is usually summer, with stable weather and long light.

Getting there

Landvetter is right on the Riksväg 40 highway between Gothenburg and Borås. By car, you reach it from the city center via the highway; to the forest spots you take minor roads. Without a car, you take one of the airport buses; they need about 30 minutes to the Nils Ericson Terminal at Gothenburg Central Station and about 20 minutes to Korsvägen. In addition, some long-distance buses and regional bus lines to the surrounding towns stop here.

The airport has no rail link so far. An existing railway line passes a few kilometers to the north without a stop at the airport. As things stand, that will only change with the new high-speed line from Gothenburg to Borås, for which a station under the airport is planned. According to current planning, the first trains will run there around 2035.

Landvetter compared with the rest of Scandinavia

In northern Europe, Landvetter is a mid-sized airport. Sweden’s top dog is Stockholm Arlanda Airport with three runways, long-haul and an official spotter pavilion; both airports belong to Swedavia. On the Danish side of the Øresund lies Copenhagen Airport, the largest SAS hub and, with the Flyvergrillen, a classic for spotters – tips are in the spotting guide for Copenhagen. Oslo Airport is SAS’s third hub, and SAS has belonged to SkyTeam since 2024.

If you also want to see military history in Sweden, plan a detour to the Swedish Air Force Museum near Linköping. For your first tour, the gear checklist and the article Plane spotting for beginners will also help.

Conclusion

Gothenburg Landvetter is not an airport of great superlatives, but an honest regional hub with one runway, one terminal and a colorful European mix. For spotters, the appeal lies in the calm: you stand in the forest or on a rocky knoll, hear the engines from far away and often have the place all to yourself.

Wind, weather and light make the difference. If you first find out whether 03 or 21 is in use, whether fog is threatening and which side the sun is on, you’ll take more away from Landvetter than the modest traffic figures suggest.