What planes are flying over UK cities right now?
Pick your city to see the aircraft overhead in real time, with callsign, altitude, airline, and route from open ADS-B data. Every tracker is free to use in the browser, no signup needed.
Planes over London
London sits under some of the busiest airspace in the world, fed by five major airports, so there is almost always something overhead.
Planes over Manchester
Manchester Airport is one of the UK’s busiest outside London, with a strong mix of long-haul and short-haul traffic crossing the city.
Planes over Birmingham
Sitting in the centre of England, Birmingham sees varied traffic from its own airport plus aircraft transiting between northern and southern hubs.
Planes over Edinburgh
Edinburgh Airport handles domestic, European, and transatlantic services, so the skies over the city carry a satisfying range of aircraft.
Planes over Glasgow
Glasgow’s two airports and its position on transatlantic routes mean a steady flow of traffic over the city and the Clyde.
Planes over Bristol
Bristol sits beneath busy transatlantic flows heading in and out of the South West, with its own airport adding regular short-haul traffic.
Planes over Leeds
Leeds Bradford Airport plus overflying traffic between northern hubs gives the city a steady stream of aircraft to spot.
Planes over Liverpool
Liverpool John Lennon Airport, together with nearby Manchester traffic, keeps the Merseyside sky busy throughout the day.
Planes over Newcastle
Newcastle International Airport sits just north west of the city, so arrivals and departures regularly cross Tyneside. The city also lies beneath airways linking Scotland with London and the continent.
Planes over Belfast
Belfast is served by two airports: Belfast International at Aldergrove and George Best Belfast City right beside the lough. Traffic into both, plus flights crossing the Irish Sea, keeps the sky over the city busy.
Planes over Cardiff
Cardiff Airport is actually about 12 miles south west of the city at Rhoose, so most airport traffic passes to the south and west rather than directly overhead. Cardiff still sits under busy routes into Bristol and along the Bristol Channel.
Planes over Southampton
Southampton Airport sits at Eastleigh just north of the city centre, so its regional flights pass low over the suburbs. Higher up, the Solent lies beneath busy routes between the London airports and destinations to the south and west.
Planes over Aberdeen
Aberdeen Airport at Dyce handles scheduled flights alongside one of the busiest helicopter operations in the world, serving the North Sea oil and gas fields. That mix gives the city unusually varied traffic overhead.
Planes over Nottingham
Nottingham sits close to East Midlands Airport, one of the UK’s biggest air cargo hubs and home to a major DHL operation. Freighters arrive and depart through the night, which is why so many people here notice planes over the house at night.
Planes over Hounslow
Hounslow lies directly under the final approach flight paths into Heathrow, and on westerly operations arriving aircraft descend over the borough at only a few thousand feet. Landings can be less than two minutes apart at busy times.
Planes over Richmond
Richmond sits beneath the Heathrow final approach flight paths, so on westerly operations a steady stream of arrivals descends over the town and the park on the way to the runways. It is one of the best places in London to watch low aircraft.
Planes over Windsor
Windsor lies just west of Heathrow, under its departure routes on westerly operations and under the final approach flight paths when aircraft land towards the east. The castle sits beneath some of the busiest airspace in the UK.
Not in one of these cities?
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