What's flying over Indianapolis right now?

What you're seeing over Indianapolis

Over Indianapolis, the jet overhead may well be a FedEx freighter. Indianapolis International, about seven miles southwest of downtown, is FedEx's second-largest hub after Memphis, and its overnight sort fills the sky with big freighters late in the evening and early in the morning. On the passenger side, the airport is served mostly by Southwest, American, Delta and United, with no single hub airline.

Indianapolis also has a local airline connection: Republic Airways, one of the country's largest regional airlines, is headquartered here, and its E170s and E175s fly for American, Delta and United. IND's parallel runways run northeast-southwest, so arrivals and departures cross the city's south and west sides, while downtown sees aircraft at moderate altitudes. Business jets head to Indianapolis Executive in Zionsville and Indianapolis Metropolitan in Fishers, and race weekends bring a flood of private jets. The best show comes after dark, when the FedEx arrivals stack up; our night spotting guide explains how to read their lights.

Airports near Indianapolis

• cargoINDIndianapolis International Airport
  KIND · 8 miles southwest of downtown
  FedEx's second-largest hub and the city's passenger airport, with a modern midfield terminal. Live traffic at IND ↗
• general aviationKEYEEagle Creek Airpark
  KEYE · 8 miles northwest of downtown
  A general aviation airport on the northwest side, near Eagle Creek Park. Live traffic at KEYE ↗
• relieverKTYQIndianapolis Executive Airport
  KTYQ · 19 miles north of downtown
  A business-aviation airport near Zionsville, north of the city. Live traffic at KTYQ ↗
• relieverKUMPIndianapolis Metropolitan Airport
  KUMP · 13 miles northeast of downtown
  A general aviation airport in Fishers on the northeast side. Live traffic at KUMP ↗
• militaryGUSGrissom Air Reserve Base
  KGUS · 61 miles north of downtown
  An Air Force Reserve base about 60 miles north with KC-135 tankers. Live traffic at GUS ↗

Common traffic over Indianapolis

FedEx dominates IND's cargo side, flying 767 and 777 freighters, A300s and smaller feeder aircraft to and from destinations across the US and beyond. Most of these flights come and go at night as part of the overnight sort, and a few daytime banks keep the cargo side busy around the clock. Amazon and UPS also operate at IND.

On the passenger side, Southwest flies 737s, and American, Delta, United, Allegiant, Alaska, Frontier and others add more. Republic Airways' E175s are a common sight, operating for the major carriers.

IND's main runways run northeast-southwest, with a third, crossing runway:

• Southwest flow, very common with prevailing southwest winds: arrivals descend from the northeast over the west side and Speedway, and departures climb out over Mooresville and Plainfield.
• Northeast flow: arrivals come in from the southwest over Plainfield and Mooresville, and departures climb out over the west side toward downtown.

Race weekends at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, especially the Indianapolis 500 each May, bring a surge of business jets to IND and the reliever airports and temporary flight restrictions over the Speedway. Military flying includes Grissom's KC-135s, and the Indiana Air National Guard flies fighters from Fort Wayne to the northeast. Helicopters include IU Health LifeLine medevac, Indianapolis Police, and news crews, especially during race season. Overflights between Chicago and the South, and between the East Coast and the West, cross at cruise altitude.

Aircraft you'll often see here

Plane-spotting tips for Indianapolis

The roads around IND's perimeter, especially along Ameriplex Parkway on the south side and near the runway ends in Plainfield and Mooresville, give views of arrivals and departures. The airport's cell phone lot is a handy waiting spot. Eagle Creek Park on the northwest side offers a pleasant place to watch general aviation and higher traffic. In May, the area around the Speedway sees heavy helicopter and business-jet traffic. From downtown, look southwest toward the airport. Late evening is the best time to watch the FedEx wave arrive, with landing lights stretching across the sky. In May, news and medevac helicopters circle over the Speedway throughout race week.

Indianapolis sky questions

Nearby cities

Planes over Cincinnati (99 mi) · Planes over Louisville (107 mi) · Planes over Chicago (165 mi) · Planes over Columbus (168 mi)