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Planespotting Guides for United Arab Emirates' Airfields and AirportsHome >> Asia Planespotting Guides >> United Arab EmiratesSpotting locations, viewing areas, the best spotting hotel rooms and advice on access for plane spotters travelling to airports and airfields in United Arab Emirates. Use the hotlinks above or scroll down for spotting information on spotting locations, airfield hangar access, aviation museums, preserved aircraft. Plus all the information has been plotted as Points of Interest and can be downloaded to your SatNavs, Google Earth and Google Maps to make planning your spotting trips abroad so much easier and helping you log many moreDUBAI AIRPORT (OMDB/DXB)Spotting InfoWhilst in transit through Dubai you can walk up and down the terminal logging what you can through the windows. At night this can be difficult due to the light reflection and also due to the fact you can't go right up to the windows, as you have to check in first to walk right up to the window at the gate area. There are some corridors that lead down to certain windows and you will only log what's on that particular gate. There is also the Irish Village Pub which offers views out on to the runways, again at night you won't read off anything on the runways as they are too far over, but anything that taxis past, you will get easily. The other area which offers views is from McDonalds. There is a large seating area within here offering similar views as the Irish Village, but it's a much wider space with more windows, making it easier to log those that go past. As with most places, more importantly within the Middle East, be discrete when walking up and down the terminal, keep your scope away. From the corridors mentioned, when you can walk right up to the window, you can get the reg off the nose wheel. If you can't visually log it and you know you'll be able to with bins or scope, again be discrete and you will be fine. Using your scope in McDonalds or the Irish Village is fine but again, read off then put away, don't draw attention to yourself. Planespotting Hotels The Grand Excelsior Hotel Deira features on ![]() ![]() ![]() The Avenue Hotel features on ![]() Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah Renting a car for the day is also recommended as Sharjah is only a few km away, and a mornings outing here and at Ras Al Kaminah will net you some nice extra numbers. Hertz is 200 Dirham (about £30) for 24 hours rental, but beware that some rental companies charge an extra 75 Dirham each way for dropping off and picking the car up from the hotel, so it may be worthwhile getting a taxi back to the airport to pick your car up. Want to update or confirm the information is still correct? Send in a report RAS AL KHAIMAH AIRPORT (OMRK/RKT)Spotting InfoThe cafe gives views of the apron (free parking) and most of the parked stuff can be read off on the approach road or the waste ground alongside. SHARJAH AIRPORT (OMSJ/SHJ)Spotting InfoWhen you enter the main terminal area, walk towards the check-in desks. There is a security checkpoint before you get to the check-in desks where there are guards, bag-scanning and body-scanners. Tell the security guard you want to see the airport duty manager and they will point you towards his office. It's to the right up a small staircase. You may have to wait for him, but it's well worth it as you may only log a dozen aircraft from the terminal, but with the printout, you'll tie up nearly every aircraft out there. It lists aircraft by where they are parked, callsign & registration. As it is a scan/photocopy some registrations are unreadable or hard to decipher but you get the majority of what's there. Don't worry about the date and time it says on the top of the sheet, it's not always changed. Just explain to him that you collect aircraft registrations and ask for a list of what's currently on the airport. He has to phone someone from ops but they send it to the printer in his office and he just gives it to you. They are all very friendly and enjoy a good chat about aircraft. Just remember to be courteous & thankful, don't rush out of his office, stay and chat to him about the development of the airfield and especially about Air Arabia. And while everyone says please & thank you and he is only too willing to give out lists of aircraft, lets hope that one or two people don't mess this up for the rest of us. He may also try to ring the passes office to try and get you airside, though without photography. Airfield work is due to finish summer of 2007 and ramp passes should be available again from June 2007 but this is a rough estimate only. Want to update or confirm the information is still correct? Send in a report |