Queen Beatrix International Airport
| Continent: Central America and Caribbean | Country: Netherlands | Region: Aruba |
| Queen Beatrix International Airport | |
| Location | Oranjestad, Aruba |
| IATA code | AUA |
| ICAO code | TNCA |
| Airport type | Commercial |
| Website | [www.airportaruba.com www.airportaruba.com] |
| Overview map | [maps.google.com/maps?q=Oranjestad,+Aruba&ll=12.501359,-70.014668&spn=0.071407,0.118721&t=k&hl=en Google Maps] |
| Communications | |
| Tower | 118, 121.9, 123.1 |
| Ground | 121.9 |
| Clearance | |
| Approach | 120.9, 128.85 |
| ATIS | 132.1 |
Official Spotting Locations
Main road "bus stops"
Location
Aruba Airport has more or less official spotting locations along the main road from town (Oranjestad) to the airport. This road runs parallel with the runway (Runway 11/29). A few structures resembling bus stops, with benches, are provided to watch airport traffic. Most of the time you will find a few cars parked and people watching planes, but this isn't actually a good location due to the high perimeter fence. Only point and shoot cameras will have lenses small enough to fit through the fence, and this makes it difficult to make anything else than side-on shots.
Air traffic will mainly use runway 11, due to the predominant north-east trade winds. This means take-offs and landings from right to left, and taxiing traffic in the opposite direction. Only a few days per year really, this scheme is inversed.
Thanks to the orientation, viewing points along the main road provide reasonable lighting in the afternoon but lighting is generally quite harsh and difficult in Aruba.