Plane spotting in Düsseldorf: all spots and tips by runway direction

As of October 2026 – Düsseldorf is an airport where you see a lot if you know where to stand – and little if you don’t. There is currently no open deck, the two runways lie close together, and depending on the wind, landings come in from Ratingen or from the Rhine. This guide sorts the spotting points around DUS by runway direction, explains which side has light at which time of day and shows what to watch out for at the often narrow fence spots.

Düsseldorf at a glance

Düsseldorf Airport (IATA DUS, ICAO EDDL) is in the Lohausen district, a good seven kilometers north of the city center and a few kilometers southwest of Ratingen. With around 21 million passengers in 2025, it is the largest airport in North Rhine-Westphalia and number four in Germany. Eurowings, which has its most important base here, shapes the picture. In addition, there are leisure airlines, feeders from the big hubs and a few long-haul routes.

For spotters, Düsseldorf is an airport of variety, not of masses of widebodies. If you want to see the A320 family in all its variants, leisure airlines from half of Europe and an occasional superjumbo, you’re in the right place. If you expect fixed infrastructure with a café and a roof, you’ll be disappointed – Düsseldorf is an outdoor airport.

The runways: one carries almost everything

On the map, DUS looks like a classic parallel runway system. In practice, almost all traffic runs over the southern main runway 05R/23L, just under 3,000 meters long. The northern runway 05L/23R measures about 2,700 meters and lies only about 500 meters away. That distance isn’t enough for simultaneous, independent operation of both runways. In addition, there are the rules of the 1965 Angerland settlement (Angerlandvergleich), which limit capacity and night operations. The north runway is therefore a backup runway and is only in operation occasionally. According to spotter reports, it was closed for a long time after the pandemic.

A former crosswind runway has been decommissioned and is now used as a taxiway and parking area. The terminals are south of the runways, the long-distance station at the northeastern edge of the grounds. Why runways have the names they have is explained in the article on runway designations at airports.

Runway	Length (approx.)	Location	What it means for you
05R/23L	3,000 m	South	Main runway – almost all takeoffs and landings, the default target of your planning
05L/23R	2,700 m	North	Only occasionally active, a bonus for north spots
Former crosswind runway	–	Middle	Now taxiway and parking area
Apron A/B/C	–	South	Handling at the terminal, only partly visible from outside

Whether the north runway is open on your day is quickest to see live in a flight tracker. How to read ADS-B data for this is described in the guide Flight tracking with ADS-B for spotters.

Runway direction: 23 is the norm

Aircraft take off and land into the wind. When it blows from the west or southwest – the most common case in central Europe – runway direction 23 is in use: landings come in from the northeast over Ratingen and the Angerland, and departures go southwest toward the Rhine. With an east wind, everything reverses: runway direction 05 brings approaches from the southwest over the Rhine side, and departures go northeast.

For choosing a spot, a simple rule follows: you photograph approaches at the runway end the aircraft are flying toward. If you stand in the northeast with an east wind, you mainly see departing aircraft from behind. The basics on wind, crosswind and changes of runway direction are in the guide Runway direction in use at airports explained; how to read the wind forecast from weather reports is shown in How to read METAR and TAF.

Spots with runway direction 23

With 23, spotting takes place in the east and northeast of the grounds. The following zones have been known to spotters for years. They are unofficial locations on public paths – access, vegetation and barriers change, so check on site what is allowed.

Northeast approach path (Angerbach and motorway bridge)

Near Ratingen and the A 52, the approaches to 23L cross fields and the Angerbach. From farm tracks in this area, you have aircraft on short final overhead or at an angle in front of you. This is the classic for landings in a west wind. The light works here from morning until early afternoon, after that the sun increasingly comes from the front. On warm days, the air shimmers over fields and road – more in the article How to avoid heat haze.

At the fence around Tiefenbroich and Lichtenbroich

Along the Tiefenbroicher Weg at the fence, you see landings on 23L shortly before touchdown. The viewing windows between the trees are sometimes very short – often you only get a second or two for the shutter. A small step ladder helps – put it on the path, not against the fence. Further along the fence are places that get light more on summer afternoons.

Around Frachtstraße and the SkyTrain

South of the runways, in the area of Frachtstraße near the SkyTrain, you see taxi traffic to 23L, takeoffs and landings on 23L and, with 05, aircraft rolling out late from 05R. The stairs of the rail facility are not an official viewing point; according to spotter reports, security staff have already pointed out emergency exits there. Stay on freely accessible paths and don’t use emergency doors or closed areas. The light is best in the morning, and often usable all day in winter.

Parking garage deck at the terminal

An upper parking deck near the terminal offers a view of the main runway and taxiways. That sounds ideal, but it is privately operated property and costs a parking fee. Whether you may photograph there is decided solely by the operator – accept an instruction from the staff without discussion. In the morning you have good light here, in the afternoon backlight and in summer strong heat shimmer over the concrete.

Spots with runway direction 05

With an east wind, everything shifts to the southwest, to the area between the airport, Lohausen, Stockum and the Rhine. Approaches to 05R and – when it is open – 05L come in over the Rhine bank.

Approach zone on Niederrheinstraße

Along Niederrheinstraße and in side streets such as Ikarusstraße and Spielberger Weg, you find several places where aircraft pass on short final to the 05 runways. Some are more under the approach to the north runway, others closer to the main runway – so check live which runway is currently in use. Some of the parking lots in this commercial area belong to companies; park only where it is expressly allowed.

Bridge over railway and motorway

A bridge in the southwest over the railway line and motorway is considered one of the most versatile points with 05: from there, you see the approaches to both 05 runways and, with 23, also the departures from 23L. You don’t need a ladder here. The light works from morning to early afternoon. Nearby is the general aviation area, where with a bit of luck you can catch business jets and private aircraft through the fence.

Embankment at the west end

At the western end of the runways, spotters use a small embankment at the fence for shots of line-ups and landings on 05R and for head-on pictures of landings on 23R. Access and view can change with construction work and vegetation – plan for uncertainty here. There is light mainly in the afternoon and evening, in winter from midday.

The north side: spots for summer evenings

North of the runways, toward Kalkum and Kaiserswerth, there are several locations on farm tracks and at the fence, including around the weather station and a sewage treatment plant. From there, you mainly see traffic on the north runway 05L/23R up close and, with a longer focal length, also the main runway. Because you look to the southeast, the light here works almost only on summer afternoons and evenings, when the sun is in the west and northwest.

The north side has two catches. First, it is most valuable when the north runway is actually in use – and that is only occasionally the case. Second, the view is difficult in many places: barbed wire, vegetation and, according to spotter reports, now also solar panels along the fence often force you onto a taller ladder there. What is allowed is covered in the article Ladder, step stool and tripod at the airport fence.

Zone	Best runway direction	Light	Ladder	Suitability
Northeast approach (Angerbach)	23	Morning to early afternoon	usually no	Landings 23L
Fence Tiefenbroich/Lichtenbroich	23	Morning to early afternoon	small ladder helpful	Landings 23L, short windows
Frachtstraße/SkyTrain	23 and 05	morning, longer in winter	sometimes	Taxi traffic, takeoffs and landings 23L
Niederrheinstraße/Ikarusstraße	05	morning or summer evenings depending on location	no	Landings 05R/05L
Southwest bridge	05 (and takeoffs with 23)	Morning to early afternoon	no	Versatile
North side (Kalkum)	both, with north runway	Summer, afternoon to evening	often yes	North runway up close

Light: which side works when

The runways run from northeast to southwest. That gives a clear basic rule, which the guide Planning the sun position derives in detail:

• South of the runways, you look northwest. From sunrise until early afternoon, the sun is behind you or to the side, after that it moves west and increasingly comes from the front.
• North of the runways, you look southeast. There you shoot into the light around midday. It becomes usable in the late afternoon and evening – and mainly in the summer half-year, when the sun sets far in the northwest.
• In winter, the sun stays low in the south all day. The south spots then often work from morning to afternoon, the north side practically not at all.

What you get to see in Düsseldorf

The picture at the fence is shaped by Eurowings with aircraft of the A320 family, from the A320 through the A320neo to the A321neo. Because many jets look the same, it pays to check the registration – basics in the article Aircraft registrations explained, identification help in the article A320neo or ceo?.

The second big block is holiday traffic. Condor, TUIfly, SunExpress and Corendon are among the well-known names, and in the summer schedule many more vacation airlines are added. The Boeing 737-800 and the 737 MAX 8 also appear frequently here. Lufthansa connects Düsseldorf mainly with its hubs.

On long-haul, the offering is manageable but has a fixed highlight: Emirates has been deploying the Airbus A380 on one of its Dubai connections since 2015. There are also connections from Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines. Which pattern comes on a particular day can change – check it shortly before in the arrivals board or a flight tracker.

The observation deck: the honest status

Many older guides send you to the viewing deck at the terminal. According to consistent reports from the spotting community, however, it has been closed for years, and the airport currently doesn’t list it as a visitor offering on its website. What is known about the location is collected on the page Düsseldorf observation deck. Check dus.com before every visit to see whether the situation has changed. What the airport still offers there are webcams of the grounds – handy for judging visibility and operations from home.

Daily rhythm and night quiet

The Angerland settlement also shapes the daily routine. Between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., no scheduled takeoffs are allowed, and scheduled landings are allowed in limited numbers until 11 p.m. In the morning, operations start with a wave of departures from the based Eurowings and leisure aircraft, and in the evening many of them return. In summer, on weekends and at the start of school holidays in NRW, it gets especially busy. For night shots, the window remains until about 11 p.m. – technique and settings in the article Photographing aircraft at night, the rules of other airports in the overview of the night flight ban at German airports.

Getting there

By public transport, Düsseldorf is extremely well connected. The S-Bahn (commuter rail) stops directly under the terminal, and the long-distance station Düsseldorf Flughafen at the northeastern edge of the grounds is served by long-distance and regional trains and connected to the terminals by the SkyTrain. For the spots in the northeast and southwest, you go on foot or by bicycle from there, and the routes are partly a few kilometers long.

By car, you reach the airport via the A 44, and the approach zone in the northeast is near the A 52. Park only in public areas, not on farm tracks, driveways or company parking lots. Especially at the approach spots in the commercial area and on farm tracks, residents and farmers quickly get annoyed when driveways are blocked.

Rules and consideration

• Checks are normal. Police and security occasionally approach spotters at the fence. Stay friendly, show your ID on request and follow instructions.
• Respect private property. Parking garages, company grounds and field driveways are not public space.
• Spots change. Construction work, new installations at the fence and vegetation shift viewing windows from season to season. Information from two years ago can be wrong today.
• Leave nothing behind. Anyone who leaves trash and ladders behind makes sure spots disappear.

Düsseldorf compared

In North Rhine-Westphalia, the airports complement each other well. Cologne Bonn Airport is about an hour away, has heavy cargo traffic and its own observation deck – details in the spotting guide for Cologne Bonn. Smaller alternatives in the region are described in the guide to Dortmund. If you’re looking for lots of long-haul, head to Frankfurt or across the border to Amsterdam Schiphol. The best plane spotting spots in Germany offers a complete overview.

Conclusion

Düsseldorf rewards planning. One runway carries almost all the traffic, the wind determines whether landings come over Ratingen or over the Rhine, and the layout of the runways determines when which side has light. If you put that together, you stand in the northeast in the morning with 23 with the sun behind you and switch to the north side on summer evenings. An open deck is missing, but the surrounding area offers many locations – with short viewing windows, an occasional ladder and respect for the fence and private property.