What you're seeing over New York City
Most planes over New York City are airliners flying to or from one of three major airports: JFK in Queens, LaGuardia on Flushing Bay, and Newark across the harbor in New Jersey. On top of those you get a steady stream of tour and charter helicopters along the rivers, business jets heading for Teterboro, and long-haul flights crossing high above on their way to Europe or along the East Coast.
Because the three airports sit only a few miles apart, their arrival and departure paths are stacked and interleaved, which is why the sky over Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and northern New Jersey rarely goes quiet. Which neighborhoods get the low traffic depends on the wind: when it shifts, the airports change runways and whole flows move from one borough to another. An aircraft at 2,000 to 4,000 feet over Queens is almost always on approach to LaGuardia or JFK; one at 35,000 feet is simply passing through. Open the live map to see the callsign, type and destination of whatever is overhead, and read what the altitude numbers mean to tell the two apart.
Airports near New York City
- major hubJFKJohn F. Kennedy International Airport
KJFK · 13 miles east of downtown
The region's main international gateway, with large JetBlue, Delta and American operations and a busy cargo area. Live traffic at JFK ↗ - major hubLGALaGuardia Airport
KLGA · 8 miles northeast of downtown
A domestic airport hemmed in by Flushing Bay, served mostly by narrowbodies and regional jets under a federal perimeter rule. Live traffic at LGA ↗ - major hubEWRNewark Liberty International Airport
KEWR · 9 miles west of downtown
United's New York-area hub, with long-haul widebody service and a large FedEx and UPS cargo presence. Live traffic at EWR ↗ - relieverTEBTeterboro Airport
KTEB · 10 miles north of downtown
One of the busiest business-jet airports in the country, about 12 miles from Midtown. Live traffic at TEB ↗ - general aviationJRBDowntown Manhattan Heliport
KJRB · near downtown
A heliport at Pier 6 on the East River used by sightseeing and charter helicopters. Live traffic at JRB ↗
Common traffic over New York City
Delta and American split LaGuardia and run large operations at JFK, where JetBlue is the biggest carrier. United dominates Newark. Add dozens of foreign airlines at JFK and Newark, and the evening wave of transatlantic departures becomes one of the most recognizable patterns over the city: a string of 777-300ERs, 787s and A350s climbing out to the east and northeast.
A few local quirks are worth knowing:
- LaGuardia arrivals over Queens. On some configurations, jets line up for LaGuardia over central Queens following the Long Island Expressway, a procedure pilots know as the Expressway Visual. Others swing in over the Bronx or Flushing Bay.
- JFK's Canarsie approach. When JFK lands toward the southeast, many arrivals to its 13 runways come in over Brooklyn and Jamaica Bay and make a late turn toward the airport.
- Newark from the north. When Newark lands toward the southwest, arrivals can pass along the Hudson and over Jersey City, giving Manhattan's West Side a close view.
Below about 1,300 feet the Hudson and East Rivers have their own rules. The Hudson River corridor is a special flight rules area where tour helicopters, seaplanes and small aircraft fly visually without talking to the big airports' controllers. Expect sightseeing helicopters, NYPD Aviation, news helicopters and medevac flights, all low and slow. Most of the region's airspace is Class B, so even small planes above the rivers are tightly managed.
High above all of this, overflights between Boston, Washington and Florida, and transatlantic flights coming down from the North Atlantic tracks, cruise past at 30,000 feet and up.
Aircraft you'll often see here
Airbus A321
narrowbody airliner
Airbus A320
narrowbody airliner
Boeing 737-800
narrowbody airliner
Embraer E175
regional jet
Boeing 777-300ER
long-haul widebody twin-jet
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
long-haul widebody twin-jet
Airbus A220-300
small narrowbody airliner
Gulfstream G650 / G650ER
large-cabin business jet
Plane-spotting tips for New York City
Planeview Park in East Elmhurst, a small city park next to LaGuardia, is the classic close-up spot and puts you under one of the airport's approach paths. For Newark, the Bayonne and Jersey City waterfront gives wide views of arrivals and of helicopters working the harbor. Liberty State Park is good for both. In Manhattan, the Hudson River Greenway and the piers on the lower West Side are good places to watch the river corridor and the tour helicopters circling the Statue of Liberty. From a high floor in Midtown, look east toward Queens for LaGuardia traffic and south over the harbor for Newark. Summer thunderstorms often reroute or hold arrivals, so on stormy afternoons you may see jets in holding patterns well outside the city.
New York City sky questions
Why do so many planes fly over Queens?
LaGuardia and JFK are both in Queens, so arrivals and departures for at least one of them cross the borough in almost every runway configuration. Which neighborhoods get the traffic depends on the wind direction and the runways in use.
Are helicopters allowed to fly over the Hudson River?
Yes. The Hudson River corridor below about 1,300 feet is a special flight rules area open to helicopters, seaplanes and light aircraft that follow published procedures and report their positions. Tour, charter, police, news and medevac helicopters all use it.
Which New York airport is the plane overhead going to?
Look at its altitude and heading on the live map. A jet descending below 5,000 feet over Queens or the Bronx is usually headed for LaGuardia, one low over Brooklyn or Jamaica Bay for JFK, and one over Staten Island, Bayonne or Jersey City for Newark.
Nearby cities
Planes over Philadelphia (81 mi) · Planes over Hartford (100 mi) · Planes over Providence (155 mi) · Planes over Baltimore (169 mi)