What's flying over St. Louis right now?

What you're seeing over St. Louis

Most airliners over St. Louis are flying to or from St. Louis Lambert International, about 13 miles northwest of downtown. Southwest is the airport's largest airline by a wide margin, so a lot of what you see is Southwest 737s, with American, Delta, United and others filling in.

What makes the St. Louis sky distinctive is its military and aerospace flavor. Boeing's defense division builds fighters at its plant next to Lambert, so F-15EX Eagle IIs and F/A-18 Super Hornets fly test flights over the area. Scott Air Force Base, across the Mississippi in Illinois, is the headquarters of Air Mobility Command, and its tankers and transports are a common sight. Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield adds business jets. Not every military flight appears on public tracking, and our guide to why some planes don't show up explains why a fighter you can clearly hear may be missing from the map.

Airports near St. Louis

• commercialSTLSt. Louis Lambert International Airport
  KSTL · 12 miles northwest of downtown
  The region's main airport, with Southwest as the largest carrier and Boeing's defense plant beside it. Live traffic at STL ↗
• relieverSUSSpirit of St. Louis Airport
  KSUS · 25 miles west of downtown
  A business-aviation airport in Chesterfield. Live traffic at SUS ↗
• general aviationCPSSt. Louis Downtown Airport
  KCPS · 5 miles southeast of downtown
  A general aviation airport in Cahokia Heights, Illinois, just across the river from downtown. Live traffic at CPS ↗
• militaryBLVScott AFB/MidAmerica St. Louis Airport
  KBLV · 20 miles east of downtown
  Headquarters of Air Mobility Command, sharing its airfield with a civilian airport. Live traffic at BLV ↗

Common traffic over St. Louis

Southwest dominates Lambert with 737-800s and MAX 8s, while American, Delta, United, Alaska and Frontier add more. Lambert has some international service, and FedEx and UPS freighters serve the airport.

Lambert's main runways run northwest-southeast:

• Northwest flow: arrivals approach from the southeast over north St. Louis County, and departures climb out to the northwest over St. Charles County and the Missouri River.
• Southeast flow: arrivals come in over St. Charles County, and departures climb out over Florissant, Ferguson and north St. Louis.

Boeing's St. Louis plant builds the F-15EX, F/A-18 Super Hornet and T-7 trainer, so test flights over the region are not unusual. Scott Air Force Base hosts Air Mobility Command headquarters and the Illinois Air National Guard's 126th Air Refueling Wing, which flies KC-135 tankers, plus C-40s and other transports.

Overflights between the East and West Coasts, and between Chicago and Texas, pass over St. Louis at cruise altitude. Helicopters include medevac services like ARCH, police and news crews. The Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois rivers converge near the city, and their valleys can produce morning fog. Lambert was once a TWA hub and later an American Airlines hub, which is why the airport has more runway and terminal space than today's schedule needs.

Aircraft you'll often see here

Plane-spotting tips for St. Louis

The parks and roads near Lambert's runway ends, especially in the Bridgeton and Florissant areas, give views of arrivals and departures. Boeing's St. Louis site sits on the airport's north side, and the public roads around it sometimes give glimpses of fighters taxiing. For Scott, the roads around MidAmerica Airport give views of military traffic. From the Gateway Arch grounds, look northwest to see Lambert traffic. Morning river fog can hide low aircraft, while spring and fall offer clear days. Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield is a relaxed place to watch business jets arrive, and the Missouri River bluffs in St. Charles County give views of northwest-flow departures climbing over the valley.

St. Louis sky questions

Nearby cities

Planes over Indianapolis (230 mi) · Planes over Kansas City (238 mi) · Planes over Memphis (240 mi) · Planes over Louisville (242 mi)