Cork had the busiest year in its history in 2025, with 3.46 million passengers [11]. It has one main runway and a short second one, and the places spotters use are the lanes around the main runway and the top of the car park beside the terminal [4] [5] [6].
Watch it live
Skylark's runway-in-use summary covers Dublin only for now, so this guide does not guess which way Cork is operating today. The live map shows the aircraft Skylark is tracking around the airport, and which way the arrivals are lining up tells you the runway.
The two runways
| Runway | Length | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 16/34, main | 2,133 m [1] | 24 hours [1] |
| 07/25 | 1,310 m [1] | 24 hours [1] |
The numbers are headings. The main runway lies close to north and south: runway 16 points at about 160° true and runway 34 at about 340° [1]. Older guides call it 17/35. It was renamed 16/34 overnight on 26 April 2018, because the Earth's magnetic field had shifted its magnetic headings to 164° and 344° [2].
The main runway was rebuilt in 2020. The airport closed from 10 September for ten weeks while 47,000 tonnes of asphalt were laid, and the finished runway was officially opened on 20 November 2020 [3].
The short runway, 07/25, has satellite approaches but no instrument landing system [1]. In 2014 a local spotter described it as rarely used, mainly by the flying school and the odd regional turboprop [5].
Which runway, and when
Aircraft take off and land into the wind, so on the day it comes down to which way the wind is blowing along the main runway. We could not find a published figure for how often each direction is used at Cork.
- Runway 16. Arrivals come in from the north, and it has the better instrument landing system, certified to Category II [1].
- Runway 34. Arrivals come in from the south, and Lios Cross is the place for them [5] [2]. It has a Category I instrument landing system [1].
- In fog. Only runway 16 may be used for Category II arrivals in low visibility [1], so on a foggy day look north.
Both ends of the main runway have a 3° glide path, with arrivals crossing the threshold about 57 feet up on 16 and 54 feet on 34 [1]. That works out at roughly 320 feet of height for each nautical mile from the runway.
Where to stand
Match the place to the end of the runway in use. The spotting write-ups for Cork are older than for Dublin and Shannon, so check the date beside each source.
Lios Cross, for runway 34
- Where
- A crossroads on the south side of the airport [8]. Continue past the airport entrance on the N27 towards Kinsale, where it becomes the R600, and turn right at Bowens Cross, the third junction on the right and the first with roads both left and right. Lios Cross is about 1,000 m on [4].
- Runways
- Good views of the runway and the approach [4]. In 2014 it was the best known spot at Cork, good for every runway and especially runway 35 arrivals and departures, which is today's 34 [5] [2].
- Getting there
- By car. There is a little room to park on the left just before the crossroads [4].
In 2014 the lay-by opposite the grass verge held about 10 cars and was nearly always in use [5].
The road beside the runway
- Where
- Turn right at the Lios Cross crossroads. The road runs down the side of the runway, with gates along it where you can pull in [4].
- Runways
- Aircraft taking off and landing on the main runway [4].
- Getting there
- By car, from Lios Cross [4].
The Airport Police are usually fine with people pulling in at the gates, but the Gardaí do move cars on [4]. Do not block a gate.
The pull-in past the end of runway 16
- Where
- Just past the end of runway 16, after you turn the bend on the road that passes under the approach lights [4].
- Runways
- Runway 16 arrivals only. It is too far back from the threshold for aircraft taxiing out to depart [4].
Use it on a foggy day or whenever the aircraft are landing from the north [1].
The short-term car park roof
- Where
- The top floor of the multi-storey car park next to the terminal [6]. It is a short walk from the terminal along a covered walkway [7].
- Runways
- Aircraft on the ground and using the main runway [6], with views of the north apron and of aircraft taxiing out to depart from runway 16 and landing on it [4].
- Getting there
- Drive in and pay: the first 15 minutes are free, then €2.50 for up to an hour and €5.00 for up to two [7].
It is the easy option, and the only one here with the terminal a few minutes away. In 2014 the roof was reached by the lift from the terminal and had more than 100 spaces [5].
The cargo area and the old terminal
- Where
- The fence by the cargo area beside the Sixt car rental depot, and the fence by stands 6 and 7, reached by turning left at the roundabout past the business park and going down past the old terminal [4].
- Runways
- Aircraft parked on stands 6 and 7 or taxiing past [4].
- Getting there
- At the Sixt fence, park in the rental pick-up spaces, not on the road: the double yellow lines there mark an emergency access route and the Airport Police enforce them strictly. By stands 6 and 7 there is no parking of its own [4].
Use discretion by stands 6 and 7. The Airport Police may move you on during the week, and it is usually fine at weekends [4].
Light and lenses
- Keep the sun behind you. Shooting into the sun is usually something to avoid unless you want a silhouette [9]. The main runway runs close to north and south [1], so the sun crosses it during the day: in general the eastern side is lit in the morning and the western side in the afternoon. We did not find a source for the light at each Cork spot.
- Lenses. A 70 to 300 mm zoom is the usual place to start, and a 150 to 600 mm gives a lot more reach for the money [9]. None of the Cork sources gives focal lengths, so bring the longest you have for Lios Cross.
- Shutter speed. Freeze a jet at 1/800 s or faster. Aer Lingus Regional flies ATR turboprops [16], so slow down to about 1/320 to 1/400 s for them and keep a little blur in the propellers [9].
Stay safe and legal
- Stay on public land. Stick to established places along the fence line so you do not draw the attention of airport security [9]. Everything on this page is a public road, a lay-by or a car park.
- Park legally. The Gardaí move cars on along the runway road, and the double yellow lines near the cargo area are strictly enforced because they keep an emergency route clear [4].
- No drones. Drone operators must check the Irish Aviation Authority's UAS geographical zones map before flying and, in the open category, must not fly above 400 ft [10]. Around an airport, leave the drone at home.
What you will see
Cork handled 3,461,453 passengers in 2025, and its busiest routes were London Heathrow, London Stansted and Malaga [12]. Five new destinations started that year, with Aer Lingus or SunExpress [11].
For summer 2026, KLM flies three times a day to Amsterdam, Air France daily to Paris with up to 10 flights a week at the peak, Lufthansa five or six times a week to Frankfurt, SWISS, with Edelweiss, twice a week to Zurich from 31 March, and Aer Lingus four times a day to London Heathrow [13]. KLM's Amsterdam flights are scheduled with Embraer 175, 190 and 195-E2 jets [14], so read up on the Embraer E-Jet.
Aer Lingus Regional flies from Cork to Glasgow and Bristol [15]. Emerald Airlines runs it with a fleet of ATR 72-600 turboprops [16]; the ATR 72 article shows what to look for.
Ryanair has three aircraft based at Cork [17]. On 2 September 2026 the group listed 411 Boeing 737 Next Generation jets and 210 737-8200 "Gamechangers" [18]; the 737-800 and 737 MAX articles show how to tell them apart.
At the fence
Get the sharp photo and know exactly what it is. Hold up the Skylark iPhone app and every aircraft on approach gets a label with its flight, airline, type and height. Tap I saw it and the sighting goes in your logbook with your own photo.
Sources
Facts checked against these sources on 29 September 2026. The spotting sources are older than the Dublin and Shannon ones, and places and access change; route and fleet numbers are as of the date given beside them.
- AIP Ireland, AD 2.EICK Cork, valid from 11 June 2026AirNav Ireland
- Cork Airport completes runway re-designationCork Airport
- Cork Airport runway 16-34 rehabilitationBreedon
- Cork Airport (last edited November 2019)SpottersWiki
- Spotting at Cork Airport, Ireland (ORK / EICK), May 2014orkeick.blogspot.com
- Ireland's best plane spotting locationsAirport Spotting
- Short-term car parkingCork Airport
- Lios Cross RoadsMapCarta
- Aviation Photography 101: a beginner's guide to shooting aircraftThe Aviationist
- Drones FAQ: geographical zonesIrish Aviation Authority
- "Simply the best": Cork Airport makes history with its busiest year everCork Airport
- Aviation Statistics Quarter 4 and Year 2025Central Statistics Office
- Cork Airport announces major expansion of European hub connectivity for summer 2026Cork Airport
- KLM flights from Amsterdam to CorkFlightmapper
- Cork Airport gets major expansion from Aer LingusThe Aviation Hub
- Aer Lingus RegionalWikipedia
- Cork Airport loses Rome and Polish routes as Ryanair shifts capacityIrish Examiner
- Our fleetRyanair