Dubai International Airport (DXB / OMDB) Plane Spotting Map & Live Active Runway Predictor

As of Wed 28 Oct, 01:30 local, the METAR/TAF wind vector predicts landing and departure 12R+12L. The METAR wind is variable at 1 kt. 12R is the long-runway pick because the wind is calm or variable. Closed runways: none listed.

At 08:00 local the sun is at 116° azimuth and 20° elevation. Al Rashidiya northwest scores 64/100, 1429 m from runway 12L, view bearing 142.8°, best as a afternoon spot with a 150-600mm lens. At 16:00 the sun is at 244° and 21°. Al Rashidiya northwest scores 78/100 on a 142.8° view. Morning and afternoon picks follow that bearing: a view that wants the sun in the east is a morning spot, and a view that wants it in the west is an afternoon spot.

The best time to plane spot at Dubai International Airport (DXB/OMDB) is the window marked CLEAN FRONT LIGHT for the fence you are using. Morning (07:00-11:00) front light: Al Khawaneej Road. Afternoon / golden hour (14:00-18:00) front light: no listed spot stays fully front-lit. Midday (11:00-14:00) is HIGH SUN / TOP LIGHT at 1 of 2 spotting locations. Read the Best Time of Day & Lighting Schedule by Spot table for the lens and the hours to avoid harsh backlit contrast.

OMDB spotting locations sun direction: Al Rashidiya northwest (runway 12L, 12R) is BACKLIT / GLARE in the morning, BACKLIT / GLARE at midday, and SIDE LIGHT in the afternoon. Recommended focal length 150-600mm. Best local hours for crisp fuselage illumination: 16:00-17:00. Avoid 07:00-13:00 harsh backlit contrast. Al Khawaneej Road (runway 30L, 30R) is CLEAN FRONT LIGHT in the morning, HIGH SUN / TOP LIGHT at midday, and SIDE LIGHT in the afternoon. Recommended focal length 150-600mm. Crisp fuselage illumination 07:00-12:00 local. No harsh backlit window between 07:00 and 18:00.

Al Rashidiya northwest is 1429 m from the 12L centerline, so the lens is 150-600mm. The bands are fixed from that distance: 70-200mm inside 250 m, 100-400mm from 250 m to 450 m, and 150-600mm beyond 450 m. The aircraft itself is about 754 m from this pin on a 700 m final.

Monitor Tower 118.75 MHz, Ground 118.35 MHz, Approach 124.9 MHz, ATIS 126.275 MHz. Online streams lag by 30 seconds or more. A handheld VHF airband scanner at the fence is the zero-delay way to hear a runway change on Tower 118.75 MHz.

No TAF wind shift in the next 6 hours flips the flow. Wind stays near variable at 1 kt, so 12R remains the favored arrival. The $3/mo Telegram Runway-Shift Alert pings you when D-ATIS or the METAR wind vector changes the active runway: https://planespottingmap.com/airport/OMDB#runway-alerts