What you're seeing over San Jose
Over San Jose, the jet dropping low over downtown is almost certainly landing at San José Mineta International, which sits just north of the city center. SJC is so close that the city's downtown buildings have height limits set by the airport's approach paths. Southwest is the airport's largest airline, with Alaska, Delta, United, American and a few international carriers adding service to Silicon Valley.
With the prevailing northwest winds, SJC usually lands toward the northwest, which means arrivals come in from the southeast over downtown and the neighborhoods just southeast of it at low altitude. When winds shift, departures climb out over downtown instead. The South Bay also sees plenty of other traffic: SFO arrivals from the south pass overhead at higher altitude, business jets serve tech executives, and NASA's Moffett Field in Mountain View and small airports at Palo Alto and Reid-Hillview add more. For the busier airspace up the Peninsula, see our page on San Francisco.
Airports near San Jose
- commercialSJCSan José Mineta International Airport
KSJC · near downtown
Silicon Valley's airport, just north of downtown, with Southwest as the largest carrier. Live traffic at SJC ↗ - general aviationRHVReid-Hillview Airport
KRHV · 4 miles east of downtown
A county-owned general aviation airport on San Jose's east side. Live traffic at RHV ↗ - general aviationPAOPalo Alto Airport
KPAO · 15 miles northwest of downtown
A busy general aviation airport on the bay shore. Live traffic at PAO ↗ - militaryNUQMoffett Federal Airfield
KNUQ · 10 miles northwest of downtown
A former naval air station in Mountain View used by NASA Ames and the California Air National Guard. Live traffic at NUQ ↗ - major hubSFOSan Francisco International Airport
KSFO · 33 miles northwest of downtown
The Bay Area's main international airport, about 30 miles northwest of San Jose. Live traffic at SFO ↗
Common traffic over San Jose
Southwest is the largest airline at SJC, flying 737 MAX 8s and 737-800s, while Alaska, Delta, United, American and others add more, with some international service to Asia, Europe and Mexico.
SJC has two parallel runways running northwest-southeast:
- Northwest flow, the most common with prevailing northwest winds: arrivals descend from the southeast over downtown San Jose and the neighborhoods beyond it, and departures climb out to the northwest over Santa Clara and the bay.
- Southeast flow, less common and usually with storms: arrivals come in from the northwest over the bay and departures climb out over downtown.
The downtown height limits mean the buildings are lower than in many big cities, but arrivals still pass over the skyline at only a few hundred feet.
SFO arrivals from the south pass over the South Bay at higher altitudes, often on a long descent from the Monterey Bay area, and some SFO departures turn south over the area. Business jets serve tech executives at SJC, and Moffett Field hosts NASA research aircraft, the California Air National Guard's 129th Rescue Wing with C-130s and HH-60 helicopters, and some corporate aircraft.
Helicopters include San Jose Police, news crews and medevac services such as Stanford Life Flight. Reid-Hillview and Palo Alto add general aviation and flight training.
Aircraft you'll often see here
Boeing 737 MAX 8
narrowbody airliner
Boeing 737-800
narrowbody airliner
Boeing 737-700
narrowbody airliner
Boeing 737 MAX 9
narrowbody airliner
Airbus A320
narrowbody airliner
Airbus A321
narrowbody airliner
Embraer E175
regional jet
Cessna Citation Latitude
midsize business jet
Plane-spotting tips for San Jose
The parks and roads near SJC's runway ends, especially Guadalupe River Park, which runs alongside the airport, give views of arrivals and departures. The parking garages at the terminals offer elevated views. Downtown San Jose's rooftops and the area around San Pedro Square and the SAP Center give a close view of arrivals passing overhead in northwest flow. Shoreline Park in Mountain View offers views of Moffett and Palo Alto traffic. The South Bay's dry, sunny weather is good for spotting most of the year, though winter storms can bring low clouds. The Hiller Aviation Museum, at San Carlos Airport up the Peninsula, is a good stop on a rainy day.
San Jose sky questions
Why do planes fly so low over downtown San Jose?
San José Mineta International is just north of downtown, and in the usual northwest flow its arrivals come in from the southeast directly over the city center at low altitude.
Why are downtown San Jose's buildings so short?
The FAA sets height limits for buildings near airports, and downtown San Jose sits under SJC's approach paths, which limits how tall towers can be.
What is the large hangar in Mountain View?
That is Hangar One at Moffett Federal Airfield, a former naval air station now used by NASA Ames and other operators.
Nearby cities
Planes over San Francisco (42 mi) · Planes over Sacramento (89 mi) · Planes over Los Angeles (305 mi) · Planes over Riverside (344 mi)