This page is dedicated to those members of the aviation community interested in the movement of aircrafts, flight arrivals and departures, destinations and distances, and those who enjoy sharing their passion with other plane spotters.
We welcome your suggestions and ideas, so please email us at yssy.planespotter@syd.com.au.
Get Your Camera And Tripods Ready!
Make sure you download the Sydney Airport iPhone app to keep you up to date when each aircraft is arriving / departing Sydney! Click HERE.
- Scoot Airlines (TZ) has confirmed that its first service will be Sydney. First flight will arrive from Singapore - Sydney on Tuesday 5 June 2012. Approximate inaugural arrival time 9:00am (TZ002) and departing Sydney at 12:50pm (TZ001).
- Qantas Airways (QF) has welcomed back the return of their first A380 (VH-OQA) from Singapore on Sunday 22 April 2012. Her first commercial flight will be on Saturday 28 April to Hong Kong (QF127) departing Sydney at 10:40am.
- Sydney Plane Spotting Weekend is on from 11 - 13 May 2012. Interested? Check out all the details on the YSSY Forum thread.
Image Of The Month
Good things come to those who wait... patiently. Flight D7222 arrived 10 minutes early on its inaugural flight after taking four years to secure the rights to serve Sydney. D7 will operate a daily service from Monday 2 April 2012, injecting 274,456 seats per year.
| Image of the month: |
James Morgan Photography / Ian Bird |
| Caption: |
AirAsia X touching down on the runway for the first time |
| Aircraft registration: |
9M-XXG (Southern Cross) |
| Camera used: |
Nikon D3 70.0-200.0mm f/2.8 |
| Date taken: |
2 April 2012 - 9:39am |
| Image of the month: |
James Morgan Photography / Ian Bird |
| Caption: |
AirAsia X taxiing down the runway |
| Aircraft registration: |
9M-XXG (Southern Cross) |
| Camera used: |
Nikon D3 70.0-200.0mm f/2.8 |
| Date taken: |
2 April 2012 - 9:39am |
| Image of the month: |
James Morgan Photography / Ian Bird |
| Caption: |
AirAsia X arrive at gate with Malaysian flag being flown outside the window |
| Aircraft registration: |
9M-XXG (Southern Cross) |
| Camera used: |
Nikon D3 70.0-200.0mm f/2.8 |
| Date taken: |
2 April 2012 - 9:55am |
| Image of the month: |
James Morgan Photography / Ian Bird |
| Caption: |
AirAsia X CEO Azran Osman-Rani with flight attendants on tarmac |
| Aircraft registration: |
9M-XXG (Southern Cross) |
| Camera used: |
Nikon D3 70.0-200.0mm f/2.8 |
| Date taken: |
2 April 2012 |
| Image of the month: |
James Morgan Photography / Ian Bird
|
|
Caption:
|
Cutting of the cake at media conference.
|
|
People:
|
Sydney Airport CEO Kerrie Mather, AirAsia X CEO Azran Osman-Rani,
AirAsia X Chairwoman Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, Destination NSW CEO Sandra Chipchase and AirAsia X flight attendants
|
|
Camera used:
|
Nikon D3 70.0-200.0mm f/2.8
|
|
Date taken:
|
2 April 2012
|
| Image of the month: |
Reheat Images / Chris Denton |
| Caption: |
Qantas Airbus A380-842 ’Nancy-Bird Walton’ arrives back in Sydney after being repaired in Singapore. |
| Aircraft registration: |
VH-OQA (Nancy-Bird Walton) |
| Camera used: |
Nikon D3S and AF-S VR 200-400mm Zoom-Nikkor F/4.0G IF-ED
ISO500, 1/1600sec, F/8.0, 200mm |
| Date taken: |
22 April 2012 |
Yesteryear Images Of The Month
| Image of the month: |
Grahame Hutchison |
| Caption: |
The Bird of Paradise arrives on Runway 16 |
| Aircraft registration: |
P2-ANG |
| Date taken: |
5 December 1987 |
| Image of the month: |
Grahame Hutchison |
| Caption: |
Air Niugini departing Sydney. |
| Aircraft registration: |
B707 P2-ANB |
| Date taken: |
March 1983 |
Known Spotting Locations
- Observation Deck at International Terminal
- 16L Mound
- 25 Threshold
- Barton Park Hill
- The Beach
- Hammond Place
- Qantas Drive
- Sheps Hill (Tower Mound)
Aircraft Registrations
Aircraft are allocated a registration code similar to the issue of a licence plate for a motor vehicle. This registration code is recorded with the government and aircraft owners. There are websites online to track the aircrafts’ past history as airlines trade aircrafts when they are no longer required in their fleet. All Australian aircrafts (Qantas Airways, Virgin Australia, Jetstar Airways, Regional Express, Brindabella Airlines and Aeropelican Air Services) have the registration VH followed by three letters. No two aircrafts have the same registration code.
Certain airlines will add an identification mark to their aircrafts to identify them within the fleet. These can be represented in numeric or alphabetical form.
| Registration: |
VH-XFB |
| Manufacturer: |
Airbus |
| Model: |
A330 - 243 |
| Built: |
2000 |
| Delivery / First registered in Australia: |
19 April 2011
|
Aircraft Types
Sydney Airport hosts a variety of aircraft each day including Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, Saab and on occasion military aircraft. A table outlining the fleet of each carrier for the Northern Winter 2011 scheduling season is below.
Security and Restricted Areas
Warning signs are installed to restrict entry to these areas. Please play by the rules and adhere to these notices so that we may enjoy the privilege of close up plane spotting.
Location Information
- Identifier IATA/FAA: SYD ICAO: YSSY
- Latitude / Longitude -33.946111 / 151.177222
- Elevations 21 feet
- From city 8 kilometres
- Time zone GMT + 11 (2 October 2011 - 1 April 2012); standard time GMT + 10; daylight saving GMT + 11
Runways
- 16R/34L - main north south runway (3,962 metres)
- 16L/34R - parallel north south runway (2,438 metres)
- 07/25 - east west runway (2,530 metres)
Ownership and Management
- MAp and its affiliates own 85 per cent
- HOCHTIEF AirPort GmbH and its affiliates own 12 per cent
- Australian super funds own 3 per cent
Timetables
Historical Aerial Images of Sydney Airport
Radio Frequencies
Links
Below are some helpful links. Please send through other links that may be beneficial to other aviation enthusiasts.