Planes over Los Angeles right now
Los Angeles is spread out around five commercial airports, with LAX by far the busiest.
Closest planes right now
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Live ADS-B positions within 50 km of central Los Angeles, updated every few seconds. Rings every 10 km.
Airports near Los Angeles
| Airport | Code | Distance from the centre |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles International Airport | LAX / KLAX | 19 km south-west |
| Hollywood Burbank/Bob Hope Airport | BUR / KBUR | 20 km north-west |
| Long Beach International Airport | LGB / KLGB | 28 km south |
| John Wayne Orange County International Airport | SNA / KSNA | 54 km south-east |
| Ontario International Airport | ONT / KONT | 59 km east |
What you see in the sky over Los Angeles
LAX sits on the coast, and because the wind almost always comes off the ocean, planes usually land heading west. Arrivals line up far to the east and descend in long, evenly spaced lines over downtown, South LA and Inglewood. On a clear evening you can see a string of landing lights stretching back towards the mountains.
Hollywood Burbank, in the San Fernando Valley, brings Southwest 737s and regional jets over the valley and Griffith Park. Long Beach, John Wayne in Orange County and Ontario in the Inland Empire add their own traffic further south and east.
You will also see a lot of helicopters: news, police and tour flights. Many of them are low and some don’t broadcast ADS-B.
Typical traffic
- LAX to Tokyo, Sydney, London and across the Pacific
- LAX and Burbank to San Francisco, Las Vegas and Phoenix
- Long Beach and Orange County to Hawaii and the western US
Questions about planes over Los Angeles
Why do planes line up over South LA and Inglewood?
They are on final approach to LAX. Most days they land towards the ocean, so the approach path runs from the east over Inglewood.
Why can’t I see the helicopter I can hear?
Many police and private helicopters don’t broadcast their position, or fly too low for nearby receivers to pick them up.
Point your phone at it
JetDex is our upcoming app: point your phone at a plane over Los Angeles and it tells you exactly which flight it is. Collect the planes you see and race your friends.