What's flying over Cincinnati right now?

What you're seeing over Cincinnati

Over Cincinnati, there's a good chance the jet overhead is a freighter. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, across the Ohio River in Hebron, Kentucky, hosts both the Amazon Air Hub and DHL's main hub for the Americas, which makes it one of the busiest cargo airports in North America. Passenger airlines including Delta, which once ran a big hub there, Allegiant, Southwest, American and United fly from CVG too.

The cargo operations shape the sky in a way few cities experience. DHL's sort runs largely overnight, with a wave of arrivals late in the evening and departures before dawn, and Amazon's flights run around the clock. That means the night sky over Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati's western suburbs stays busy with 767s, 777s and A330 freighters long after passenger flights stop. Lunken Airport, in the Ohio River valley east of downtown, adds business jets, and Wilmington, northeast of the city, is another cargo base. Our guide to callsigns explains why an Amazon or DHL freighter often shows up under the name of the contract airline actually flying it, such as ABX or Atlas.

Airports near Cincinnati

• cargoCVGCincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
  KCVG · 9 miles southwest of downtown
  Home of the Amazon Air Hub and DHL's Americas hub, with passenger service as well. Live traffic at CVG ↗
• general aviationLUKCincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport
  KLUK · 5 miles east of downtown
  A historic city-owned airport in the Ohio River valley east of downtown, used by business jets. Live traffic at LUK ↗
• general aviationHAOButler County Regional Airport
  KHAO · 18 miles north of downtown
  A general aviation airport in Hamilton, north of Cincinnati. Live traffic at HAO ↗
• cargoILNWilmington Air Park
  KILN · 45 miles northeast of downtown
  A former DHL hub, now home base of ABX Air and the Air Transport Services Group. Live traffic at ILN ↗
• commercialDAYDayton International Airport
  KDAY · 57 miles north of downtown
  Dayton's airport, about 50 miles north, near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Live traffic at DAY ↗

Common traffic over Cincinnati

Cargo is the headline at CVG. DHL flies 767, 777 and A330 freighters, plus smaller jets and partner carriers, on routes to Europe, Latin America and across the US. Amazon Air's flights are operated by partners such as ABX, Atlas and Sun Country, mostly with 767s and A330s.

On the passenger side, Delta flies A321s, 737s and regional jets to its hubs, and Allegiant, Southwest, American, United and Frontier fly domestic routes, with Delta's transatlantic service in season.

CVG has four runways, three running north-south and one east-west:

• South flow, common with prevailing south and southwest winds: arrivals descend from the north over Cincinnati's west side and the Ohio River, and departures climb out to the south over Boone County.
• North flow: arrivals come in from the south over Boone County, and departures climb north over the river and Cincinnati's western suburbs.

The overnight cargo sort brings a concentrated burst of freighters late in the evening and another before dawn, so the night sky can be busier than the daytime one.

Lunken Airport handles business jets, including those of local corporations, and helicopters including UC Health's Air Care and Mobile Care medevac, police and news crews. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, adds military aircraft to the north, including C-17s. Overflights between the Northeast and the South and Southwest cross the region at cruise altitude.

Aircraft you'll often see here

Plane-spotting tips for Cincinnati

The roads around CVG's perimeter, especially along Aero Parkway and near the runway ends in Boone County, give views of freighters and passenger flights. Lunken Airport's Art Deco terminal and the adjoining Lunken Trail, a popular walking loop around the airport, are great for watching business jets in the river valley. Devou Park in Covington offers a sweeping view over the river and downtown, with CVG traffic visible to the southwest. From downtown, look southwest toward CVG. The Ohio River valley is often foggy in the mornings, especially in fall, while spring and early summer bring clearer evenings for watching the cargo wave arrive.

Cincinnati sky questions

Nearby cities

Planes over Louisville (89 mi) · Planes over Indianapolis (99 mi) · Planes over Columbus (100 mi) · Planes over Cleveland (222 mi)