Planes over London right now
London has five main airports, which makes its sky one of the busiest in the world.
Closest planes right now
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Live ADS-B positions within 50 km of central London, updated every few seconds. Rings every 10 km.
Airports near London
| Airport | Code | Distance from the centre |
|---|---|---|
| London City Airport | LCY / EGLC | 13 km east |
| London Heathrow Airport | LHR / EGLL | 23 km west |
| London Gatwick Airport | LGW / EGKK | 40 km south |
| London Luton Airport | LTN / EGGW | 44 km north |
| London Stansted Airport | STN / EGSS | 49 km north-east |
What you see in the sky over London
Heathrow is about 23 km west of the centre. Most of the time the wind blows from the west, and planes land into the wind, so arrivals line up over central and east London and fly a long straight line towards Heathrow. On a typical day you can see one every minute or two, from A320s to A380s and Boeing 777s, a little over 1,000 m up as they pass over the centre.
London City, in the Docklands, has an unusually steep approach, so its small jets (Embraer, Airbus A220) look surprisingly low over east London and the Thames. Gatwick to the south, Stansted to the north-east and Luton to the north add their own streams further out.
Above that, holding patterns around Heathrow sit over the edges of the city, so you will often see planes circling high over Bovingdon, Biggin Hill, Lambourne and Ockham before they come in.
Typical traffic
- Heathrow to New York, Dubai, Singapore and the rest of the world
- London City to Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Dublin and Zurich
- Gatwick and Stansted to holiday and low-cost destinations
Questions about planes over London
Why are so many planes flying over central London?
When the wind is from the west, which is most days, Heathrow arrivals line up over the city to land into the wind. When the wind is from the east they approach from the other side and central London is much quieter.
Why do planes circle over London?
They are in one of Heathrow’s four holding stacks, waiting for a landing slot. Each stack sits at the edge of the city and planes leave it from the bottom.
Point your phone at it
JetDex is our upcoming app: point your phone at a plane over London and it tells you exactly which flight it is. Collect the planes you see and race your friends.