Myrtle Avenue at London Heathrow Airport

Updated: October 2026 – If there is one place that has shaped the image of Heathrow among spotters, it is Myrtle Avenue. An unremarkable residential street in Hatton, terraced houses, front gardens, and at the end a patch of grass over which aircraft from all over the world pass every minute – so low that you can count the landing gear before they touch down on runway 27L a few seconds later.

This page explains why the spot only works at certain times, how to find the right time window, how to get there and what you can realistically expect to see.

Europe’s big hub in west London

London Heathrow Airport lies about 23 kilometers west of the city center and is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom. In 2024 it counted almost 84 million passengers and around 474,000 aircraft movements – on just two parallel runways: the northern 09L/27R at 3,902 meters and the southern 09R/27L at 3,660 meters. Hardly any other airport in the world handles so much traffic on so little asphalt. For you, that means: when the right runway is landing, it feels like something is arriving constantly.

Myrtle Avenue lies at the southeast corner of the grounds, just before the east end of the southern runway. Anyone landing toward the west flies over the A30 and the green space on the last stretch of the approach before touching down at the threshold of 27L. Only the airport fence lies in between.

Runway alternation: the most important thing to know for this spot

At most airports a glance at the wind is enough to know where aircraft land. At Heathrow there is a second rule: runway alternation. So that residents under the approach paths get predictable periods of quiet, the two runways swap roles during the day in westerly operations.

This is how the system works according to the airport:

• From 6 a.m., one runway is used for landings and the other for takeoffs.
• At 3 p.m. the runways swap: the previous landing runway becomes the takeoff runway and vice versa.
• The pattern changes weekly. If 27L lands in the morning this week, next week it is its turn only from 3 p.m.
• Between 6 and 7 a.m., the busiest arrival hour, both runways can be used for landings.
• When traffic is heavy, a special procedure after 7 a.m. allows individual landings on the actual takeoff runway. Maintenance work and weather can also upset the plan.

Heathrow publishes a schedule every year that shows, for each week, which runway lands when. Checking it before you travel is a must; otherwise you stand at Myrtle Avenue for three hours and only watch aircraft landing on the northern runway in the distance.

Situation	What you see at Myrtle Avenue	Recommendation
Westerly operations, 27L is the landing runway	Landings every minute right over your head	The perfect time – go
Westerly operations, 27L is the takeoff runway	Takeoffs toward the west, aircraft only lift off far away	Better head to the north side at 27R
Easterly operations	Takeoffs from 09R that climb over the grass	Worthwhile for takeoffs, no landings
Maintenance on the southern runway	little to nothing	Check the schedule and the airport’s notices

Westerly operations are the rule, easterly operations the exception

In London the wind blows from westerly directions most of the time, and official guidelines also favor takeoffs toward the west – even in a light easterly wind. That is why Heathrow mostly lands toward the west, and Myrtle Avenue has a real chance on many days. Only in a clear easterly wind does the operation turn around. Then aircraft land coming from the west toward the east, and the daily runway-swap rule does not apply. The background is the former Cranford Agreement, which ruled out takeoffs to the east from the northern runway. It has ended, but the conversions needed to switch even in easterly operations are still pending.

For Myrtle Avenue this means: in an easterly wind, aircraft typically take off from 09R and climb out over the grass. It is certainly loud, but photographically only the second-best option. The basics of wind direction are explained in the guide Understanding runway direction at airports, and background on runway numbers can be found under Runway designations at airports.

Light and photography

The green space lies directly under the approach line, and aircraft come toward you from the east. Because the sun in London stands in the south during the day, the light falls on the aircraft from the side if you position yourself a little south of the line. Spotter guides especially praise the afternoon light, when the sun shines from the southwest onto aircraft approaching from the east and lights up the fuselage and tail cleanly. In the early morning, on the other hand, the aircraft come more or less out of the sun, and head-on shots become high-contrast and difficult.

Because the aircraft come in so low, focal length is a pleasant surprise: 100 to 200 mm serves you well. Widebodies right overhead often fit in the frame with just a standard zoom; for shots farther out on the approach or for details like landing gear and engines, you reach for the longer end. If you shoot from below, keep an eye on exposure: against a bright sky the underside quickly gets too dark, and a slight positive exposure compensation helps. More in the article Camera settings for plane spotting.

One shot almost everyone tries here is the moment an aircraft passes over the rooftops or the street. These pictures tell more about the place than any side view on the runway. Respect the residents’ privacy: windows and gardens do not belong at the center of your photos.

What you get to see at Heathrow

Heathrow is one of the world’s major long-haul hubs. That sets Myrtle Avenue apart from almost all spots in Germany: widebodies are not a rare guest here but an everyday sight.

• British Airways: The home airline of the International Airlines Group accounts for the largest share of traffic. British Airways flies short- and medium-haul with Airbus narrowbody jets like the A320neo and the A321neo; on long-haul, the Boeing 777, 787-10, Airbus A350-1000 and the A380 join in. British Airways belongs to the oneworld alliance.
• Virgin Atlantic: Heathrow’s second home airline flies long-haul only. At Virgin Atlantic you mainly see modern twinjets like the A350 and the Boeing 787-9.
• A380s from around the world: Besides British Airways, A380s from Emirates and Qatar Airways land regularly at Heathrow, and Qantas also operates the type. Hardly anywhere do you get as close to the world’s largest passenger aircraft. More in the article The largest aircraft in the world.
• North America: American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Air Canada bring the Boeing 777-300ER, 787 and other widebody jets to London.
• Gulf and Asia: Besides Emirates and Qatar, Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines and Turkish Airlines are among those arriving with widebodies such as the Boeing 777, the 787 or the Airbus A350.
• European feeders: Lufthansa from Frankfurt and Munich, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, KLM, Air France, SAS, Aer Lingus, Iberia and many more provide variety among the narrowbody jets.

Which airline is handled at which terminal is secondary for you at the fence – at Myrtle Avenue they all land over the same threshold. It is interesting anyway: Star Alliance airlines such as the Lufthansa Group use Terminal 2, British Airways mainly Terminal 5, most oneworld partners and Virgin Atlantic Terminal 3, and many SkyTeam airlines Terminal 4. How to tell the many types apart is explained in the article Telling Airbus and Boeing apart.

Night quiet: when it goes silent

Heathrow has strict night rules. Between 11:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. a quota period applies, in which the number of flights and their noise are capped. Particularly loud aircraft may not be scheduled at all between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m., and the airlines have voluntarily committed not to schedule arrivals before 4:30 a.m. In the early morning the first long-haul flights from Asia and North America then arrive – exciting, but still in the dark or against the light. If you want to shoot at Myrtle Avenue, plan your day. Background on the rules at German airports is provided by the article Night flight bans at German airports.

Getting there: Piccadilly Line to Hatton Cross

Myrtle Avenue is among the most easily accessible approach spots in Europe. The London Underground’s Piccadilly Line stops at Hatton Cross station at the southeast corner of the airport. From there it is, according to spotter guides, about ten minutes on foot to the southwest across the A30 into the residential streets of Hatton, all the way to the end of Myrtle Avenue. Several bus routes also stop at Hatton Cross. You can find journey times and fares at Transport for London.

By car it is much harder. Myrtle Avenue is a narrow residential street with very little parking, and the residents understandably react sensitively when their driveways are blocked. If you are traveling with a rental car, you are better off parking at an official car park in the area and walking the last few meters.

There are no supplies at the spot. Get food and drinks beforehand around Hatton Cross, where, according to spotter guides, there are also restrooms.

How a good afternoon at Myrtle Avenue goes

What else belongs in your camera bag is listed in the Plane spotting gear checklist. If you are brand new, the guide Plane spotting for beginners helps you get started.

Fallback spots around Heathrow

Because Myrtle Avenue only serves part of the day, a plan B is worthwhile. When the northern runway 27R is landing, you switch to the north side of the airport. There are hotels on Bath Road with rooms facing the airfield that are known among spotters worldwide, and a covered viewing shelter on Newall Road with a view of 09L/27R. In easterly operations landings come in from the west, and the action shifts to the other side of the airport. Many points there have hardly any facilities, so bring your own supplies.

If you are traveling on through Great Britain after London, be sure to take in the Runway Visitor Park at Manchester Airport, which offers a completely different experience with a café and exhibit aircraft. You find comparably impressive approaches in Europe at the Polderbaan in Schiphol and at the Flyvergrillen in Copenhagen, and worldwide of course at Maho Beach on Sint Maarten. An overview is provided by the article The best spotting spots in Europe.

A place with history

Myrtle Avenue is not just a spotter meeting point but also a piece of Heathrow history. On special occasions, such as the first landing of a new aircraft type, hundreds of people gather here – regular spotters as well as curious neighbors.

On January 17, 2008, the street became famous against its will: a British Airways Boeing 777 on flight BA38 from Beijing lost thrust on final approach because ice in the fuel system blocked the flow to the engines. The aircraft only just cleared Myrtle Avenue and the A30 and touched down on the grass short of runway 27L. Everyone on board survived. The case led to changes to the heat exchangers of the affected Rolls-Royce engines.

Rules on site

The green space at Myrtle Avenue is public, and photographing from there has been common for decades. Even so, special consideration applies at the edge of one of Europe’s most sensitive airports.

And because Myrtle Avenue is a residential area: do not block driveways, be quiet, take your trash with you and point your camera at the aircraft, not at houses and gardens. The residents live with the noise every day – that they tolerate spotters on their doorstep is not to be taken for granted.

Conclusion

Myrtle Avenue is one of the most impressive approach spots in Europe. Widebodies from all over the world pass at low altitude over a public meadow that you can reach by Tube in a few minutes. You will hardly find more variety of types for so little effort anywhere else.

The catch is planning: the spot lives on westerly operations and on 27L landing in the right time window. If you know Heathrow’s alternation schedule, keep an eye on the wind and carry a plan B for the north side in your pocket, you will experience one of the best spotter afternoons of your life here.