Spotting at the Kaagbaan at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Updated: October 2026 – If you read older spotter guides about Schiphol, you keep running into the Spotterplaats Kaagbaan. This official spot has not existed since 2008. The runway, on the other hand, has stayed – and it is still one of the airport’s most heavily used runways. Spotters therefore keep photographing the Kaagbaan, just from public roads, meadows and paths, without a parking lot, without a restroom and with a few rules you should know.

This page explains what became of the old spotting area, which spots work today, in which wind the trip is worthwhile and how to avoid trouble with residents and police.

The Kaagbaan in Schiphol’s runway system

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has six runways pointing in different directions. The Kaagbaan carries the designation 06/24 and runs diagonally from southwest to northeast. At about 3,500 meters long and 45 meters wide, it is the airport’s second-longest runway after the Polderbaan.

The Kaagbaan has been in operation since 1960. It takes its name from the Kagerplassen, a lake district over which the approach route leads. In 2017 the runway was comprehensively renovated. On its way it passes the site of the former village of Rijk, which the Schiphol-Rijk business park still recalls today.

For a time there were plans to build a parallel seventh runway southeast of the Kaagbaan. In June 2023 the Dutch infrastructure ministry declared that this runway would not come, because the benefit did not justify the high construction costs. The areas reserved for it were released.

What became of the Spotterplaats Kaagbaan

Until early 2008 the Kaagbaan had an official spotting area, similar to the Polderbaan and the Buitenveldertbaan today. On January 26, 2008 it was closed because Schiphol expanded its grounds. There was no equivalent replacement directly at the Kaagbaan afterward. If you’re looking today for a designated spotting area with a parking lot and restrooms, you’ll find it at the Polderbaan near Vijfhuizen or at the Buitenveldertbaan in Schiphol-Oost.

The spotter scene nevertheless did not say goodbye to the Kaagbaan. Around the runway, several unofficial vantage points have become established that lie on public land. They are legal as long as you follow traffic rules and barriers. What they lack is any form of comfort – and that is exactly what keeps causing conflicts with residents, for example when driveways get parked shut.

Runway direction in use: when the Kaagbaan runs

The Kaagbaan has a clear main role: it is used mainly for takeoffs toward the southwest (24) and for landings from the southwest (06). Takeoffs to the northeast and landings from the northeast are the exception because the route then leads over Amsterdam. Strict noise limits apply at Schiphol for approaches over the city center.

For you that means: as with the Polderbaan, almost everything depends on the wind. According to spotter guides, this rough rule of thumb applies:

Wind and operations	What happens at the Kaagbaan	Best spots
Northerly wind	06 is one of the main landing runways, approaches from the southwest	Meadow on Beechavenue, Mactanweg, Aalsmeerderweg, Rijkerstreek in the evening
Southerly wind	24 is one of the main takeoff runways, departures to the southwest	Aalsmeerderweg, Toekanweg
Very strong southwest wind	Landings on 24 by exception	Spots in the northeast, check the flight tracker
Night (11 pm–6 am)	Kaagbaan alongside the Polderbaan as night runway, only toward or from the southwest	for long exposures

Spotter guides also report that individual flights – especially Embraer jets of KLM Cityhopper – occasionally land on 24 to shorten the taxi time. You can’t plan on it, but it’s a nice bonus.

The fastest way to see which runways are currently active is a flight tracker. You can estimate the wind for the coming days with a weather map – how that works is shown in the article Windy and other weather maps for spotters. The basics on runway numbers and wind direction are in the guides Understanding runway direction in use at airports and Runway designations explained.

The vantage points at a glance

Because there is no central spot anymore, spotting at the Kaagbaan is spread across several points. Roughly, you can divide them into two groups: the south side for the morning and the north side plus the final approach in Hoofddorp for afternoon and evening. The information on light, focal length and parking comes from spotter guides and can change with construction work.

South side: Aalsmeerderweg, Beechavenue and Mactanweg

The end of Aalsmeerderweg near Rozenburg is the best-known Kaagbaan spot. You stand near the southwest end of the runway and see landings on 06 as well as takeoffs on 24. The takeoffs here are often already a bit in the air, which eases heat haze. The approaches, on the other hand, can look hazy on warm days. Since June 2020 the access to the spot has been blocked with concrete blocks, a parking ban applies on one side of the street, and right at the spot there is room for two cars at most. With a step or ladder you shoot over the fence and blocks; without one the view is restricted.

A few minutes away lies the meadow at the corner of Beechavenue in Schiphol-Rijk. Here you see the 06 landings on final approach down to touchdown; you don’t need a ladder. You can’t park right at the meadow – the car stays on Aalsmeerderweg, in a way that obstructs nobody. By bus you get off at the Rozenburg, Kruisweg stop and walk about five minutes.

At Mactanweg you stand on a patch of lawn opposite a warehouse. The aircraft pass quite close here: according to spotter guides, 70 to 100 mm is enough for widebody aircraft, 120 to 150 mm for narrowbody jets. In the afternoon, lampposts on Kruisweg are in the frame. Getting there is convoluted because there is no direct connection from the N196, and roadside parking space is scarce.

North side and final approach: Toekanweg and Rijkerstreek

At the end of Toekanweg by the cargo aprons you photograph the Kaagbaan from the north. The light works from the afternoon, and for the runway itself rather from the early evening. Besides takeoffs on 24, you see the cargo apron from here – a plus for everyone who collects cargo aircraft. From the touchdown zone of 06, only a few shots per approach work. For the apron and takeoffs you need a ladder.

Rijkerstreek in Hoofddorp lies on the short final approach of 06, near the P30 parking lot. It is purely a summer evening spot: only from about 6 pm is the sun favorable. According to spotter guides, you get by here with 50 to 200 mm. As a spotter you may not use the parking lot of the nearby fast-food restaurant; spotter guides recommend the residential area at Hoeksteen and a walk of about 15 minutes.

Light and photography

The Kaagbaan runs diagonally from southwest to northeast. That gives a simple rule: south side in the morning, north side in the afternoon. At Aalsmeerderweg, at the meadow and at Mactanweg you have light from behind from sunrise until about 3 pm. After that it gets difficult there, and Toekanweg or, on summer evenings, Rijkerstreek take over.

A specialty of the Kaagbaan is pictures on short final approach. Because several spots lie to the side of the approach path, widebody aircraft pass close and low. A standard telephoto zoom covers most situations; for Aalsmeerderweg and the takeoffs, more focal length is fine. Which lens suits which distance is explained in the guide Lenses and focal lengths for plane spotting.

A perennial topic is heat haze. Wide motorways run around Schiphol, and at some spots asphalt lies between you and the aircraft. On warm days, concentrate on aircraft that are close or already in the air, or use the cooler morning hours. More tricks are in the article Avoiding heat haze.

What you get to see at the Kaagbaan

Because the Kaagbaan is one of the main runways, you see the complete Schiphol mix here. At the center is KLM with the Boeing 737-800, Airbus A321neo, Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 787-9. The regional subsidiary KLM Cityhopper brings Embraer jets such as the E175 and the E195-E2.

Add leisure and low-cost airlines such as Transavia, TUI fly Netherlands and Corendon, long-haul partners from the SkyTeam alliance and the Air France-KLM group, as well as freight airlines such as Martinair. Which types are actually flying on your spotting day is best checked shortly beforehand in the flight tracker.

KLM operates a wave system. That means quiet phases are followed by arrival and departure banks in which aircraft come close one behind the other. Use the pauses to switch between two spots – at the Kaagbaan many of them are only a few minutes apart.

Getting there: car, bus and bicycle

The Kaagbaan spots are spread between Rozenburg, Schiphol-Rijk, the cargo aprons and Hoofddorp. By car you reach them via the N196 and Kruisweg, but parking space is the biggest problem. At Aalsmeerderweg the options have been restricted since 2020, at the meadow there are none at all, and at Rijkerstreek you have to move to the residential area. Never park in driveways, on company grounds or on grass verges.

By bus and train you get there surprisingly well, because many lines run through the area between Schiphol, Hoofddorp and Aalsmeer. Spotter guides name the stops Rozenburg, Kruisweg and Rozenburg, Aalsmeerderweg for the south side, Schiphol, Valkweg for Toekanweg and P30 Parking for Rijkerstreek. Lines and frequencies change occasionally, so check them in advance in a current journey planner.

By bicycle you’re the most flexible. At the Kaagbaan especially, where the spots are close together and parking is difficult, it is worth renting a bike and following the light and the runway direction in use.

How a good day at the Kaagbaan goes

What else belongs in your bag is in the Gear checklist for plane spotting.

More spots at Schiphol and around

The Kaagbaan is one building block in a big spotting territory. The official Spotterplaats Polderbaan is the most comfortable spot at the airport, with parking lot, restrooms and the best afternoon light. The Spotterplaats Buitenveldertbaan in Schiphol-Oost is worthwhile when 09/27 is in use. On the Panoramaterras you see the apron and gates up close.

If you travel farther, in the neighborhood you’ll find the Steenokkerzeel spotting zone at Brussels Airport, Liège cargo airport or the observation deck at Düsseldorf Airport. The big overview of Schiphol is provided by the Plane spotting guide for Amsterdam Schiphol.

Rules at the Kaagbaan

Unofficial doesn’t mean lawless. The spots at the Kaagbaan are usable only because they are on public land – and they stay that way only as long as spotters don’t cause trouble.

The concrete blocks and parking bans at Aalsmeerderweg show where it leads when too many spotters park inconsiderately. Anyone who follows the rules helps ensure that the Kaagbaan remains a spotting territory even without an official spot.

Verdict

The Kaagbaan is the spot for everyone who already knows Schiphol and wants more than the comfort of the Polderbaan. Since the closure of the official Spotterplaats in 2008 there has been no fixed spot, but a handful of legal spots around the runway. With the right wind you get landings on 06 from very close or takeoffs on 24 with KLM banks at one-minute intervals.

The price: no restrooms, scarce parking space and rules you have to know precisely. If you start on the south side in the morning and switch to the Polderbaan or Toekanweg in the afternoon, you make Schiphol a full spotting day.