What's flying over Cleveland right now?

What you're seeing over Cleveland

Most airliners over Cleveland are going to or from Cleveland Hopkins International, about ten miles southwest of downtown. Hopkins was once a Continental and then United hub, and today Southwest, Frontier, United, American and Delta carry most of its passengers on point-to-point routes, with NASA's Glenn Research Center right next door on the airport's western edge.

Cleveland's location on Lake Erie shapes a lot of its traffic. Burke Lakefront Airport, on the shoreline right next to downtown, handles business jets and private planes, and its approaches sit just offshore, giving residents a close look at aircraft over the water. Many overflights between Chicago and the East Coast cross the lake, and some international flights to Europe pass high overhead. Lake-effect snow in winter can bring sudden low clouds and reduced visibility, affecting operations at both airports. When a jet seems to be skimming the lake, our guide to identifying a plane overhead will help you tell a Burke arrival from a distant overflight.

Airports near Cleveland

• commercialCLECleveland Hopkins International Airport
  KCLE · 10 miles southwest of downtown
  Cleveland's main airport, southwest of downtown, next to NASA's Glenn Research Center. Live traffic at CLE ↗
• general aviationBKLCleveland Burke Lakefront Airport
  KBKL · near downtown
  A lakeshore airport next to downtown, home to the Cleveland National Air Show. Live traffic at BKL ↗
• relieverCGFCuyahoga County Airport
  KCGF · 12 miles northeast of downtown
  A general aviation and business-jet airport in Richmond Heights, east of downtown. Live traffic at CGF ↗
• commercialCAKAkron-Canton Airport
  KCAK · 42 miles south of downtown
  A commercial airport about 40 miles south of Cleveland. Live traffic at CAK ↗

Common traffic over Cleveland

Southwest, Frontier, United, American and Delta fly most of the airline traffic at Hopkins, with 737s, A320-family jets and regional jets on routes to hubs and leisure destinations. Spirit and others add seasonal service, and a few flights connect Cleveland with Canada and Europe. FedEx and UPS serve Hopkins.

Hopkins has three runways, two parallel ones running northeast-southwest and one crossing runway:

• Southwest flow, common with prevailing southwest winds: arrivals descend from the northeast over Lakewood, Cleveland's west side and Brook Park, and departures climb out to the southwest over Strongsville and Berea.
• Northeast flow: arrivals come in from the southwest over Berea and Middleburg Heights, and departures climb over the west side and Lakewood toward the lake.

Burke Lakefront handles business jets, including those of local corporations and visiting sports teams, and its approaches cross the lake just offshore. Cuyahoga County Airport, east of downtown, adds more business aviation.

Each Labor Day weekend, the Cleveland National Air Show at Burke Lakefront brings military jets and aerobatic performers low over the lakefront. Military flying otherwise comes mostly from bases elsewhere in Ohio, with occasional transports and tankers passing through, and the Coast Guard flies helicopters from Air Station Detroit along the lake. Helicopters include Metro Life Flight and Cleveland Clinic medevac services, police and news crews. Overflights between Chicago, New York and Boston cross Lake Erie at cruise altitude, often within sight of downtown.

Aircraft you'll often see here

Plane-spotting tips for Cleveland

The parking areas and roads around Hopkins, especially near the runway ends along Brookpark Road, are long-time favorites with spotters. Burke Lakefront is easy to watch from Voinovich Bicentennial Park and the area around the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center. Edgewater Park on the west side offers views over the lake toward Burke and of arrivals to Hopkins on approach. From downtown, look southwest toward Hopkins. Lake-effect snow can bring sudden low clouds in winter, while summer evenings over the lake are often clear and calm. The International Women's Air and Space Museum, inside Burke Lakefront's terminal, is a small but worthwhile stop.

Cleveland sky questions

Nearby cities

Planes over Detroit (90 mi) · Planes over Pittsburgh (115 mi) · Planes over Columbus (126 mi) · Planes over Buffalo (173 mi)