Plane spotting in Dublin: spots, runways and traffic at DUB airport

An Aer Lingus A330 with the green shamrock on its tail floats in over Old Airport Road, three Ryanair 737s follow a few minutes apart, and on the north runway a Boeing 777 lifts off for the Gulf. Plane spotting in Dublin is registration collecting on a grand scale, spiced with the kind of transatlantic traffic hardly any other European airport of this size offers. There is no observation deck, but there is a legendary earth mound and a few good spots at the runway ends. This guide shows you how the airport works, where to stand and how wind and light shape your day.

Dublin at a glance: hub and low-cost stronghold

Dublin Airport (IATA DUB, ICAO EIDW) is in the Collinstown area of Fingal, north of the city and a few kilometers south of Swords. It is run by the state-owned daa. In 2025, the airport handled around 36.4 million passengers, more than ever before.

For spotters, two home airlines shape the picture: Aer Lingus has its hub here between Europe and North America, and Ryanair has its home base and one of its largest bases. There is also one special feature: in Terminal 2, passengers heading to America complete US immigration before departure. That makes Dublin a popular springboard across the Atlantic and brings plenty of widebodies every day.

Three runways and the usual runway direction

Dublin has two parallel east-west runways: the main runway 10R/28L at 2,637 meters directly north of the terminals and, since August 2022, the north runway 10L/28R at 3,110 meters, about 1.7 kilometers further north. Crossing them is the rarely used 16/34 at 2,072 meters. The former runway 11/29 no longer exists.

Aircraft land and take off into the wind, and in Ireland that often means from the west. That is why Dublin mostly operates in runway direction 28: approaches come in from the Irish Sea over Old Airport Road. According to spotter reports, most of the traffic then lands on 28L, while many departures – especially heavy long-haul jets – use the longer north runway 28R. With an east wind, the picture reverses.

Situation	What happens	Best spot
West wind, runway 28	Landings on 28L, many departures on 28R	The Mound and 28L approach lights
East wind, runway 10	Landings from the west, line-ups on 10R	Access roads at the Blue Car Park, spots along the north runway
Night (11 p.m. to 7 a.m.)	North runway closed, traffic only on the main runway	Main runway, if a lit spot is available
Strong north or south wind	Occasional operations on 16/34	Fence at the approach path of 16

Whether 28 or 10 is active, you can see in a flight tracker shortly before you set off. How to interpret it is explained in Runway direction in use at airports explained and Flight tracking with ADS-B for spotters. For planning the evening before, How to read METAR and TAF and Windy and other weather maps for spotters help.

The spots: south side for the light, north side for departures

Since there is no deck, spotting in Dublin happens on public roads, parking lots and access roads. The most important spots are south of the main runway – there you have the sun behind you for much of the day.

The Mound on Old Airport Road

The classic. Next to a parking lot at the southern fence is an earth mound from which you look north onto 10R/28L. With runway 28 in use, aircraft touch down in front of you, and departures also taxi up for takeoff. According to the daa, families have used the place for plane watching for about 40 years. Spotters mention focal lengths of roughly 18 to 300 millimeters. For narrowbody jets, the height of the hill is enough; for long widebodies at the line-up, a small step stool helps. According to spotter reports, the light works from about half past nine until late afternoon, almost all day in winter.

The daa has been granted approval for an Aircraft Observation Facility at exactly this spot: a raised, covered platform with seating, parking for cars and bicycles and solar-powered lighting, free to access. After approval by Fingal County Council in 2025 and an appeal to the planning authority, an opening date is not confirmed so far. Expect the mound to be restricted during construction work. All details are in the spot guide The Mound at Dublin Airport.

28L approach lights

Further east on Old Airport Road stand the approach lights. From Terminal 2, spotter reports put it at around a quarter of an hour on foot. Landings come in low over you here. The spot is ideal from early morning until about half past nine, then most people move on to the Mound.

Access roads at the Blue Car Park

At the access roads to the long-term parking lot near the R108, you see movements on 10R/28L from a different angle, especially the lift-off for departures on 28L. With runway 10 in use, the line-ups and departures on 10R become interesting. Vegetation limits the view depending on position and season – spotter reports from autumn 2025 mention dense bushes at some points.

Spots along the north runway

Around the north runway 10L/28R there are several locations on the R108: emergency access roads with a view of approaches to 10L, a small public parking lot about halfway along the runway and the customer parking lot at the Keelings farm shop, from where you see landings on 10L and heavy departures on 28R. What they all have in common: you stand north of the runway, so often shooting into the sun. Good conditions are mostly found on summer mornings and evenings. Without a car, these spots are hardly reachable.

What flies in Dublin

Aer Lingus: the shamrock in all sizes

Aer Lingus belongs to the International Airlines Group and flies A320-family jets in Europe, including the Airbus A320 and the A320neo. On long-haul, the Airbus A330-300 and long-range versions of the A321neo are used, and now also the Airbus A321XLR. Between their Atlantic rotations, the narrow long-range jets sometimes also fly European routes – a reason to look closely at every A321. How to tell the variants of the family apart is shown in How to tell an A318, A319, A320 and A321 apart.

The turboprops of Aer Lingus Regional are operated by Emerald Airlines with the ATR 72-600. If you want to reliably tell an ATR from a Dash 8, you’ll find the features in How to tell turboprops apart.

Ryanair: registrations by the minute

The headquarters of Ryanair and Ryanair Holdings is near the airport. Traffic with the Boeing 737-800 and the 737-8-200, the MAX version with more seats, is correspondingly dense. Because the aircraft look almost identical, the registration is the only real distinguishing feature. Many carry the Irish prefix EI – why Ireland is so popular for aircraft registrations is explained in Why so many aircraft are registered in Ireland. The basics on prefixes are in Aircraft registrations explained.

Transatlantic and Gulf

Thanks to preclearance, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines fly to Dublin in addition to Aer Lingus, some only seasonally. Typical types are the Boeing 787-9 and 767-300ER. From the Gulf come Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways with widebodies such as the Boeing 777-300ER or the 787. Spotters also report Air Canada with the 787. Which route is flown with which type on your day changes with every schedule.

In addition, there are many European airlines, such as British Airways from London, and, according to spotter reports, freighters such as 737s from FedEx Express and DHL. In Dublin, though, cargo mostly travels in the belly of passenger jets.

Light and planning your day

The runways run east to west, and the best spots are south of the main runway. With a west wind, that gives a clear routine:

Time of day	Recommended spot	What you get
Early morning until about 9:30	28L approach lights	Landings low over you, light from the east
Late morning to late afternoon	The Mound	Landings on 28L and line-ups with the sun behind you
Summer evening	Spots along the north runway	Departures on 28R in low evening light

With an east wind, the program shifts to the access roads at the Blue Car Park and – in summer – to the north runway. In winter, when the sun is low in the south, the spots south of the main runway are good almost all day, while the north side is almost always shooting into the sun. Spotters therefore recommend spring and autumn as a good compromise between light and traffic.

And then there is the Irish weather: showers, fast-moving clouds and changing light are part of the deal. That can deliver dramatic skies, but it takes patience. You’ll find tips in Plane spotting in bad weather, and sun position planning in Planning the sun position at your photo spot.

Getting there and gear

There is no rail link to the airport. From the city center, express buses such as Dublin Express and Aircoach run, as well as regular Dublin Bus services. From Terminal 2 you walk along the fence to the approach lights and on to the Mound. Spotters also mention a bus stop at the grounds of the Ballymun Kickhams GAA club as a starting point. The bus network has been under reconstruction for some years, so check routes and frequency in the Transport for Ireland Journey Planner.

With a car, you are much more flexible: there is a parking lot at the Mound, and you can only reach the north runway spots that way anyway. Never park in front of gates or emergency access roads. If you stay overnight near the airport or in Swords, you’ll be the first one at the approach lights in the morning.

None of the spots has toilets, a kiosk or shelter. You’ll find toilets in the terminals and food at gas stations and snack bars around the airport. Pack:

• a telephoto zoom up to about 300 millimeters, more reach for the north runway
• a small step stool with two or three steps for line-ups and spots with a high fence
• a rain jacket and rain cover for the camera
• drinks and snacks for several hours

More on focal length is in Lens and focal length for plane spotting, and the complete packing list is in the gear checklist. How to prepare a trip abroad overall is shown in Planning a spotting trip.

Dublin compared and as part of a tour

Dublin is not a mega-hub, but a rewarding destination: dense traffic, lots of registrations to collect and widebodies you hardly see at other airports of this size. Dublin combines well with Great Britain. The spotting guide for Manchester takes you to the Runway Visitor Park, an official facility like the one the daa has been granted approval for in Dublin. In London, you’ll see Aer Lingus again at Myrtle Avenue at Heathrow, more in the spotting guide for Heathrow. In Ireland itself, a side trip to Shannon Airport on the west coast is worthwhile. More destinations are collected in The best plane spotting spots in Europe.

Conclusion

Dublin rewards spotters who adapt to the wind. With a west wind, you start early at the 28L approach lights, move to the Mound around half past nine and photograph Aer Lingus, Ryanair and the widebodies to North America and the Gulf there with the sun behind you. If you have a car, add the heavy departures on the north runway on a summer evening. There is no infrastructure at the spots, and the daa’s official observation facility is still waiting to happen – with a rain jacket, snacks and a look at the flight tracker, it will be a good day anyway.