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Area map:
Spotting at Bratislava airport is possible under relatively reasonable conditions. Police or Airport security usually do not bother spotters, however might be more restrictive on use of cars on the airport perimeter road in case you do not respect the restrictions indicated. This is however very rare. The view of aircraft from the main terminal area is fairly limited and thus not advised. The prime spotting locations can be found alongside the two runways of the airport. You need to have a small ladder to take photos as there are usually no large enough holes in the perimeter fence and in some areas the fence is wooden. In most of the cases runway 31 is used for landings and runway 04 for departures. As northwestern winds prevail in the area, sometimes runway 31 is used for departures as well. When winds are from the south or southeast, RWY 22 is used for landings and then usually RWY 13 for take-offs.. Rarely runway 22 is used also for departures, which occurs under some weather conditions and in case RWY 13/31 is closed for maintenance. Under very strong winds from the southeast runway 13 is used for landings, which is a rather spectacular as aircraft have to make a sharp left turn towards the runway..When wind is calm or modest, both RWYs 22 and 31 may be used for landings and both RWYs 04 and 13 may be used for departures, which makes spotting then more challenging as you are not able to predict the RWY usage. Landings on RWY 04 are almost non-existent, except for very occasional light aircraft. In case runway 31 is in use for landings, you are best off by heading towards the spots 1, 2 and 3 indicated on the map. In order to reach them you must reach Hradská street and then continue towards the Majerská street or Leknová street. In case you use public transportation, use busses 67, 78, 87 or 178 and exit at the stops Majerská or Šípová (signal stop) and then continue by foot. In case you drive a car bear in mind that the construction area at the end of the Majerská street might be blocked for car access. In such case park your car alongside the road and continue by foot. For access via Leknová street, you might consider parking your car at the end of the paved road. The dirt road which continues up to the runway is of very poor quality and its not recomended to proceed further after rain as you might get stuck on the road or damage your car. It should be ok in dry conditions. Spot 1 and spot 2 as indicated on the map should be your prime location for the biggest part of the day (sample photo) . Light is good after 10-11am on this location until sunset. Please note that car access is restricted beyond the axis of the runway up to the M.R.Stefanik monument.
For early morning landings on RWY31 and departures from RWY 13 you can use spot 3 and 5, however you should preferably use the new spotting hill which has been recently constructed. Mind that light conditions deteriorate signifficantly after 9am in summer months.
From the Hradská street you can by foot access also Spot 4 which is good for shots of aircraft lining up runway 04 for departures. You will need to cross the field which can be done either from the Hradská street (park near the JET petrol station) or from Majerská street.
In case aircraft are landing on runway 22 or departing from runway 04 you can use access roads from the village of Ivanka pri Dunaji. For good light in the morning and most of the day access spots 5 and 6.
For good light in late afternoons for landings on RWY 22 and departures from 04 access spot 7. Access should be without problems from these locations and roads are of fair quality. If dry, use the dirt road, however in case it is wet, use the paved road, which is of worse quality.
For take offs from runway 04 continue with the car up to the M.R. Stefanik monument and then by foot to spot 8. You can from here also conveniently reach spots for early morning landings on runway 31 and take offs from runway 13.
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