Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport

Continent: Central America and Caribbean

Country: United States

Region: Puerto Rico

Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport
Location	San Juan, Puerto Rico
IATA code	SJU
ICAO code	TJSJ
Airport type	Commercial
Website	[ ]
Overview map	[ ]
Communications
Tower	132.05 257.8
Ground	121.9 348.6
Clearance	126.4 284.6
Approach	119.4(WEST & SW) 120.9(NORTH & EAST) 269.2(WEST & SW) 290.2(NORTH & EAST)
Departure	119.4(WEST & SW) 120.9(NORTH & EAST) 269.2(WEST & SW) 290.2(NORTH & EAST)
ATIS	125.8
Departure	123.0

Official Spotting Locations

Aeroparque

Location: Next to taxiway S, inside the airport grounds.

Availability: 11AM to 6PM, closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Equipment: Optimal range is between 35-200mm. Having more on the upper end could help.

Security: None! The spot is made precisely to keep you off the other locations.

Watch out for: Harsh lighting due to direction of the runway, and strong heat distortion.

Description: Aeroparque is an excellent location to begin. It sits right along taxiway S, the main taxiway that runs parallel to runway 8. However, it provides extremely limited visibility for runway 10 arrivals, and none for the departures.

The closeness is very good for those spotters that use flexible mid-range telephotos, but will severely handicap those that have high-end telephotos (especially those with lower ends higher than 70mm). On a 1.6x DSLR, 70mm will barely fit a 757 on taxiway S. Due to the direction of the runway, the lighting is extremely harsh, and spotters should take extra precautions about configuring their cameras properly for the harsh light.

Admission is free most days of the week. It's worth noting however, that on Sundays, a security guard sits in the parking lot handing out tickets for admission. When given one, you either have to buy at least $6 worth of food and drink while at the Aeroparque & give the stamped ticket to the guard upon exit, or pay a $6 fee upon leaving. Still, the charge is worth it for the quality of pictures possible from the Aeroparque.

Sample Photos:

• Airliners.net sample photo: medium large
• Airliners.net sample photo: medium large

Locations to Avoid

Central Parking Lot

The airport's parking lot (multi-level) used to be an excellent spot until the construction of the new terminals began. Now the visibility of aircraft taxiing along H taxiway is highly limited due to the construction, and when runway 10 re-opens, the spot will be pretty much useless except for catching new angles of runway 08 departures. However, this will require large amounts of zoom (upwards of 300mm), and even then heat distortion might ruin anything that could come out of it.

Another consideration is that airport security patrols the parking lot occasionally, so being cautious is essential. Security tends to be a problem if the police downstairs notices too much activity going on in the top level. Aeroparque is a better spot when runway 10 is closed, and Laguna Garden is a viable alternative when it open.

Regular Traffic

Passenger: Air Canada (weekends)- A319 American- A300, 757, 767-300, occasional 777 American Eagle- ATR-72 Cape Air- Cessna 402 Caribbean Sun- Dash 8 Continental- 737-700, 737-800, 757-200, 757-300 Copa- 737-700, Embraer 190 Delta- 737-800 (weekends), 757, 767-300 Iberia (Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday)- A340-300 JetBlue- A320 Northwest (Sundays)- A320 Spirit- A321 United/Ted- A320 US Airways- A319, A320, A330, 757, 767-200

Cargo: Amerijet- 727-200 FedEx- DC-10 Four Star Air Cargo- DC-3 Martinair Cargo- MD-11 Roblex Aviation- Shorts 360 Tampa Cargo (Sundays)- DC-8 Tol Air- DC-3, CV-440 UPS- A300

Various charters on weekends, including Pan Am Clipper Connection, Miami Air, Thomsonfly, etc.