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.
Other Spotting Locations
Spots near Surfside Beach
General Aviation (southeast side)
Location
Surfside Beach
Surfside Beach, the stretch of beach immediately west of the airport, offers some very interesting unofficial spotting possibilities.
First of all, directly bordering the roundabout at the edge of the airport, an iron gate breaks the monotony of the airport perimeter fence. This offers the possibility to fit a larger (tele) lens through.
Secondly, you can move a little bit further away along the fence in the direction of the airport terminal (away from the beach). Disadvantage is that you'll have to deal with the fence again, but it still offers good possibilities.
When you walk in the opposite direction, along the beach a few other places provide good views, provided you can deal with the fence.
At the end of the beach, you are almost underneath the flight path. Unfortunately the fence will block your views in many cases, but it is still a very nice place to spend some time.
- JetPhotos.net sample photo: large
Finally, when you move over towards Havana, a very nice bar on the beach, or Pincho's, a restaurant and bar on a pier into the bay, you may be able to spot planes from quite a spectacular viewing point.