What's flying over Memphis right now?

What you're seeing over Memphis

Over Memphis, the plane overhead is almost certainly a FedEx jet. Memphis International, about seven miles southeast of downtown, is the home of the FedEx World Hub, and for decades it has ranked among the busiest cargo airports in the world. Every night, hundreds of purple-tailed freighters converge on Memphis from across the country and around the globe, packages are sorted, and the jets depart again in the early morning hours.

Delta once ran a passenger hub at Memphis but scaled it back years ago, so today the airport's passenger side is fairly modest, with Southwest, Delta, American, United and Allegiant flying mostly to hubs and leisure destinations. The real show happens at night: from late evening into the early morning, FedEx arrivals stream in one after another, lining up over the city and the Mississippi state line, and then the departure wave thunders out before dawn. The Tennessee Air National Guard's C-17s are based at MEM too. Use the live map to watch the waves, and our guide on spotting planes at night to identify the landing lights.

Airports near Memphis

• cargoMEMMemphis International Airport
  KMEM · 8 miles southeast of downtown
  Home of the FedEx World Hub and the Tennessee Air National Guard's C-17s. Live traffic at MEM ↗
• general aviationNQAMillington-Memphis Airport
  KNQA · 18 miles northeast of downtown
  A former naval air station north of Memphis, now a general aviation and industrial airport. Live traffic at NQA ↗
• general aviationOLVOlive Branch Airport
  KOLV · 19 miles southeast of downtown
  A general aviation and business-jet airport just across the Mississippi state line. Live traffic at OLV ↗
• general aviationMKLMcKellar-Sipes Regional Airport
  KMKL · 71 miles northeast of downtown
  Jackson, Tennessee's airport, about 80 miles northeast. Live traffic at MKL ↗

Common traffic over Memphis

FedEx dominates MEM. Its fleet includes 767-300 freighters, 777F freighters and older A300s, plus feeder aircraft such as Cessna Caravans and ATR turboprops that fly to smaller towns across the region. The busiest period is overnight: arrivals peak late at night, followed by a departure wave in the early morning, with smaller daytime sorts.

On the passenger side, Southwest, Delta, American, United, Allegiant and others fly 737s, A320-family jets and regional jets.

MEM has three parallel runways running north-south and one crossing runway:

• South flow, common with prevailing south winds: arrivals descend from the north over midtown, East Memphis and Germantown, and departures climb out to the south over Southaven and Horn Lake in Mississippi.
• North flow: arrivals come in from the south over northern Mississippi, and departures climb north over the city.

During the overnight wave, FedEx can land aircraft on multiple runways at once, creating a stream of landing lights stretching across the night sky.

The Tennessee Air National Guard's 164th Airlift Wing flies C-17s from MEM. Naval Support Activity Mid-South, at Millington, no longer has an active flying mission. Helicopters include Hospital Wing medevac, Memphis Police and news crews. Overflights between the Southeast and the Southwest pass high over the region, and spring and summer storms along the Mississippi can cause sudden reroutes and holding, especially during the FedEx night sort.

Aircraft you'll often see here

Plane-spotting tips for Memphis

The roads around MEM's perimeter, especially near the runway ends along Democrat Road and Shelby Drive, give views of FedEx jets taxiing and landing. Late evening is the best time to watch the arrival wave, with landing lights lined up across the sky. The Mississippi Riverfront and Big River Crossing downtown give wide views of the sky, though aircraft are higher there. The FedEx Forum and other downtown landmarks are named for the company that dominates the airport. Summer heat and humidity can create haze, while fall offers the clearest skies for night spotting. Shelby Farms Park, east of the city, is a huge open space with wide sky views and FedEx traffic passing at moderate altitude.

Memphis sky questions

Nearby cities

Planes over Nashville (196 mi) · Planes over Birmingham (216 mi) · Planes over St. Louis (240 mi) · Planes over Louisville (320 mi)