Planespotting at Haneda Airport Terminal 3
Planespotting at Haneda Airport Terminal 3 again! Well, it was the first time to visit it in more than one year. I’ve photographed more aircraft from different locations, so I thought I should try it again. At the end of my afternoon, I wasn’t disappointed.
To start, I took a different route to Haneda Airport from the one I usually take. Normally, I would take Tokyo Monorail from Hammamatsucho. This time I used the Keikyu Line from Shinagawa. And I was doubly lucky because I got went straight to the airport. There was no need to transfer at Keikyu Kamata.
The Keikyu line is much cheaper than Tokyo Monorail. It can take a little longer to get to the airport though. But the train fare difference is substantial. Anyway, it is something for you to think about if you ever go there.
When I got to the airport, it was busy. There were plenty of flights, and the observation deck was crowded. Aircraft photographers were everywhere.
I was a little disappointed though. In front of Terminal 3 was runway 16R/34L. On that day, it only took landings. Takeoffs only happened on 16L and 23, but they were far from me. They were too far even for the Fujifilm XF 100-400 lens.
More importantly, all landings happened on 34L. There was a downside to that. I couldn’t photograph approaching aircraft against Tokyo Skytree or Tokyo Tower. But it was possible with anything taxiing. So it wasn’t a complete loss.
Airline companies I saw at Haneda Airport
- AIRDO
- ANA
- China Airlines (an Airbus in Pokemon livery)
- Delta
- JAL (one Boeing 767 in Disney livery)
- Philippine Airlines
- Qantas
- Sky Airlines
- Star Flyer
- Vietnam Airlines
Something non-aircraft to photograph
Do you know Tokyo Aqualine? It’s an expressway that joins Kawasaki and Chiba prefectures. 9.6 kilometers of it goes under Tokyo Bay! It’s an incredible piece of engineering.
It has a gigantic rectangular air intake to provide ventilation. The thing sits on an island. If you can position yourself correctly, you can photograph airliners flying near it.
Best time to shoot Haneda Airport Terminal 3
I recommend planespotting at Haneda Airport in the afternoon. The sun will light the planes. They will be backlit in the morning.
What camera and lens did I use?
- Camera Body: Fujifilm X-T3
- Lens: Fujifilm 100-400mm
Time spent Planespotting at Haneda Airport Terminal 3
- First photo was taken at 2:45 pm
- Last photo was taken at 4:50 pm.
- Sunset was at 4:30 pm.
Conclusion
I had a good afternoon. Flights were plentiful and jetliners varied. Haneda Airport is a great place for planespotting and I’d like to go again soon. If you have tips or comments for photographing there please leave them below.
More planespotting articles:
External Haneda Airport planespotting websites:
- Tokyo Haneda Intl. Airport – Spotting Guide on Spotterguide.net