Hamad International Airport (DOH / OTHH) Plane Spotting Map & Live Active Runway Predictor

As of Wed 28 Oct, 00:00 local, the METAR/TAF wind vector predicts landing and departure 16L+16R. The METAR wind is calm. 16L is the long-runway pick because the wind is calm or variable. Closed runways: none listed.

At 08:00 local the sun is at 123° azimuth and 29° elevation. Short final 16L - sunny side scores 74/100, 1234 m from runway 16L, view bearing 185.2°, best as a midday spot with a 150-600mm lens. At 16:00 the sun is at 250° and 11°. Short final 16L - sunny side scores 85/100 on a 126.7° 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 Hamad International Airport (DOH/OTHH) is the window marked CLEAN FRONT LIGHT for the fence you are using. Morning (07:00-11:00) front light: no listed spot stays fully front-lit. 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 0 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.

OTHH spotting locations sun direction: Short final 16L - sunny side (runway 16L) is SIDE LIGHT 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: 15:00. Avoid 10:00-14:00 harsh backlit contrast. Short final 16R - sunny side (runway 16R) is SIDE LIGHT 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: 15:00. Avoid 10:00-14:00 harsh backlit contrast.

Short final 16L - sunny side is 1234 m from the 16L 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 573 m from this pin on a 700 m final.

Monitor Tower 118.525 MHz, Approach 121.1 MHz, ATIS 128.85 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 118.525 MHz.

TAF at Wed 28 Oct, 04:00 shifts the wind to 320° at 5 kt, favoring 34R+34L in about 3.1 hours. 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/OTHH#runway-alerts