What planes are flying over UK cities right now?
Pick your town or city to see the aircraft overhead in real time, with callsign, altitude, airline, and route from open ADS-B data. All 47 trackers are 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.
Planes over Slough
Slough sits a few miles west of Heathrow, so on westerly operations departing aircraft climb out over the town and on easterlies arrivals descend across it. Either way there is almost always something low overhead.
Planes over Staines-upon-Thames
Staines lies immediately south-west of Heathrow, close enough that arriving aircraft pass over with gear and flaps already extended. It is one of the best places in the country to identify types by eye.
Planes over Crawley
Gatwick sits on Crawley’s northern edge, and the airport runs one of the busiest single runways in the world. Departures climb directly over the town in quick succession through the morning wave.
Planes over Brighton
Brighton sits under the routes feeding Gatwick from the south coast, and much of the traffic between London and continental Europe crosses the Channel near here. Cruising airliners and Gatwick arrivals share the sky.
Planes over Reading
Reading lies west of Heathrow along the Thames Valley, under the arrival stream that lines up for the westerly approach. Aircraft pass over at a few thousand feet, already configured for landing.
Planes over Watford
Watford sits between the Luton and Heathrow flight paths, with the Bovingdon holding pattern for Heathrow arrivals just to the west. Aircraft circling the hold are a familiar sight when London is busy.
Planes over St Albans
St Albans is a short distance south of Luton Airport and directly beneath its departure routes, so easyJet and Wizz Air aircraft climb over the city all day. Heathrow arrivals cross higher above.
Planes over Luton
London Luton Airport is inside the town, so aircraft are visible at every stage from taxi to climb-out. A large low-cost base plus a busy business aviation ramp gives a wide mix of types.
Planes over Cambridge
Cambridge has its own airport handling business jets and maintenance flights, and Stansted’s traffic passes to the south. Transatlantic flights heading for North America also cross the region at cruise.
Planes over Sheffield
Sheffield sits between the Manchester and Leeds Bradford approaches, with transatlantic traffic crossing high overhead on the great-circle routes out of northern England. Most of what you see here is at cruising altitude.
Planes over Oxford
London Oxford Airport at Kidlington is a busy general aviation and flight training base, so light aircraft and business jets are constant. Airliners transit above between the Midlands and the south coast.
Planes over Norwich
Norwich Airport handles scheduled flights plus the helicopter operations serving North Sea offshore platforms, which gives the local sky an unusual mix. Traffic to and from Scandinavia also crosses the coast nearby.
Planes over Exeter
Exeter Airport serves the south-west, and the region sits under the oceanic entry and exit routes, so transatlantic flights pass overhead at cruise on their way to and from Ireland and the Atlantic.
Planes over Bournemouth
Bournemouth Airport handles passenger, cargo and maintenance movements, and the coast here is a boundary point for traffic crossing to and from France. Wide-body aircraft in for maintenance are a local feature.
Planes over Coventry
Coventry sits just east of Birmingham Airport, under its approach and departure paths, and has its own airfield used by general aviation. Traffic between the Midlands and the south passes above.
Planes over Leicester
Leicester lies between East Midlands and Birmingham, so it catches traffic from both. East Midlands is a major cargo hub, which is why freighters are often the aircraft overhead late at night.
Planes over Stockport
Stockport sits almost directly under the final approach to Manchester’s runways, so arriving aircraft cross the town low and often. It is one of the best spotting locations in the north-west.
Planes over Preston
Preston sits north of the Manchester approaches and close to Warton and Blackpool, giving a mix of airliners at altitude, regional traffic and the occasional military or test flight.
Planes over Blackpool
Blackpool Airport handles offshore helicopters serving Irish Sea gas platforms plus general aviation, and Isle of Man and Ireland traffic crosses the coast here on its way west.
Planes over York
York sits east of Leeds Bradford and under the north-south airways along the eastern side of England, so most aircraft overhead are en route rather than arriving. Transatlantic flights pass at cruise.
Planes over Hull
Hull sits on the Humber close to Humberside Airport and its North Sea helicopter operations. Flights to and from northern Europe cross the coast here, so the sky mixes local traffic and long-haul cruise.
Planes over Middlesbrough
Teesside International sits just west of Middlesbrough, and the area lies under the airways linking Scotland and the north-east to the south. Traffic ranges from regional turboprops to long-haul at altitude.
Planes over Inverness
Inverness Airport serves the Highlands and the island routes, so small regional aircraft are common. The far north also sits under the polar and transatlantic tracks, which cross very high overhead.
Planes over Swansea
Swansea sits west of Cardiff Airport, and traffic entering UK airspace from the Atlantic over the Celtic Sea passes to the south. Most of what you see here is at cruise, inbound from North America.
Planes over Bath
Bath is a short distance east of Bristol Airport, under its arrival and departure paths depending on the wind. The city also sits below the airways linking the south-west to London and the Midlands.
Planes over Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes sits north-west of Luton and under the busy airways between London and the north, so there is a steady stream of aircraft at cruise as well as Luton departures climbing out below them.
Planes over Southend-on-Sea
London Southend Airport is right beside the town, and the Thames Estuary is a major corridor for traffic into and out of London City, Gatwick and Heathrow from the east.
Planes over Croydon
Croydon sits between the Gatwick and Heathrow arrival streams, and London City traffic crosses to the north. Home of the original London Airport, it still has one of the busiest skies in the country.
Planes over Guildford
Guildford sits between Heathrow, Gatwick and Farnborough, so airliners, business jets and helicopters all pass overhead. Farnborough in particular brings an unusual concentration of private aircraft.
Planes over Canterbury
Canterbury has no airport of its own but sits under one of the busiest overflight corridors in Europe, where traffic between London and the continent crosses the Kent coast at cruising altitude.
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