How to use the flight radar

The map shows aircraft currently transmitting ADS-B signals over Europe and the rest of the world. The Europe, World, USA and Asia buttons switch the view with one click, and when you zoom out, badges show how many planes are flying over each country right now. The icon colour shows altitude. Green planes are low, so they are taking off or landing. Yellow and orange ones are climbing or descending. Red and purple ones are at cruising altitude, 10–12 km above the ground. Grey icons are aircraft on the apron, and dark green ones are military.

Click a plane to see the flight number, the route with a progress bar and estimated arrival time, aircraft type, registration, photo and altitude chart. The map draws the flight path since take-off and a dashed line to the destination airport. For passenger flights you will also see scheduled times, terminal, gate and delay.
Type the flight number from your ticket (e.g. BA851, FR1001, LH400), a registration or an airport name. We find the flight anywhere the aircraft is within range of receivers.
The “Show” pills above the map keep only selected planes on the map and in the list: airlines, take-offs and landings, military or emergencies.
Airport pages – over 1,100 major airports worldwide: aircraft flying to and from the airport right now, the latest take-offs and landings, aviation weather and runways.
Share sends a link to the flight via Facebook, X, WhatsApp or e-mail (or copies it) – it opens the radar straight on that plane.
Notify me when it lands – you get a notification when the plane starts its approach and when it lands. Just keep the page open, even in the background.

Positions in the area you are viewing refresh every few seconds, and between updates planes move along their track and speed. When you zoom out, the radar shows aircraft from the server cache immediately, and fresh data for the visible area arrives within seconds. Details are in our guide how flight radar works.

Frequently asked questions

Why can’t I see a particular plane?

A plane is visible only when it transmits ADS-B and is within range of at least one ground receiver. Some military aircraft, older planes and some private flights do not broadcast their position. Over oceans and in remote regions receiver coverage is thinner, and close to the ground it can be limited.

Where do the route and photo come from?

Aircraft only broadcast a callsign, so we match the route first from airline schedules (AirLabs) and, if missing, from the adsbdb.com route database. We check the route against where the flight took off and its heading – if it doesn’t match (common with cargo and charter flights), we show the departure airport or say the route is unknown. Photos come from planespotters.net and always credit the photographer.

Do I need to install an app?

No. The radar works in the browser on computers and phones, without logging in. If you want it at hand, you can install it like an app – with an icon on your home screen, free and without an app store.