Aruba Spotter Day 2025 !
Aruba’s Reina Beatrix International Airport (TNCA/AUA) held “Spotter’s Day 2025” on Saturday, September 20th and I was fortunate enough to have been invited to attend. This chance to shoot airside all day simply could not be missed, so I booked flights and hotel as quickly as I could.
The activities began on Friday morning, with my group of spotters attending Airside Safety & Security Training at the airport. Following successful completion of the required exam, I took advantage of the afternoon to photograph rare runway 29 operations brought about by the day’s stormy weather conditions.
With bright sunshine and an already scorching temperature, the first Spotter’s Day since 2022 began in the airport’s VIP room with breakfast, introductions and some very nice “swag bags”. After going over the schedule for the day and a photography workshop by local photographer Ayrton Tromp, we formed multiple groups to board the vehicles taking us airside. Each group was accompanied by volunteer staff who made sure we could get around the airfield safely. These amazing volunteers understood what spotters were looking for, and combined that with their detailed knowledge of airport operations to make it all happen.
After the first few hours in the sun, all the groups decided it was time for cold drinks and food provided by the airport. The afternoon was set to be even hotter, but everyone was keen to get back out as soon as possible. Each group was free to move around the airfield as they wished, and it was interesting to see where people chose to position themselves throughout the day. We were all lucky enough to be allowed onto the runway during a lull in the flying, as well as onto taxiway Golf, which was still not officially open following its renovation. Following the arrival of the evening’s KLM flight, the volunteer staff gathered their groups and brought us back to the terminal.
This was a fantastic day spent with passionate people who enjoy aviation photography. My thanks go to the Aruba Airport Authority and all the volunteer staff for hosting this event and making it fun and enjoyable. They certainly set a very high bar for this type of event.
(Click on an image to enlarge)
