TPA planespotters buzzing with unique aircraft sightings this summer
Rarely seen liveries have been making special appearances in recent months as chartered flights and diversions touch down at TPA.
It’s been a summer filled with unique aircraft, new airlines, and rarely seen liveries, giving planespotters at Tampa International Airport plenty to photograph.
Daily afternoon thunderstorms this time of year can route flights from across the U.S., along with international widebodies bound for either Miami or Orlando, as diversions into Tampa until storms clear.
Additionally, this summer, the state of Florida chartered numerous flights for U.S. citizens escaping violence in the Middle East, resulting in some never-before-seen aircraft touching down at TPA.
These rare sightings of unique airlines and aircraft stir up big excitement for local planespotters, who spend hours watching and photographing arriving and departing aircraft from the roofs of TPA’s parking garages and in other safe spots around the airport.
“Some of the aircraft that I would go out of my way to photograph and really chase after would be any international traffic, heavies, anything with a special paint scheme,” said Dalton Hoch, an aviation enthusiast who gets a thrill out of spotting rare aircraft at airports across Florida.
“There's an overall sense of joy that comes from adding another aircraft type to your collection of photos. It draws a lot of people when there's a new or interesting aircraft that comes into an airport, and it really brings everyone together.”
Many of the stunning photographs are posted to TPA’s “The Plane Spot” Facebook page. Some also post videos showing aircraft, big and small, taking off and landing.
Here’s a look at some of our favorite aircraft shots from the past several months at TPA.
TAP Portugal A330
It’s not every day that an airline from Portugal lands at TPA, but in late June, this TAP Portugal A330 flew from Lisbon (LIS) to Tampa (TPA), carrying the Benfica FC soccer team as part of the FIFA Club World Cup. Steven Larson Jr. captured this amazing image of the flight lifting off from TPA’s Runway 1R, with the contrast of dark skies and Raymond James Stadium in the background. A+ photography, Steven!
Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner
The arrival of a Boeing 787 is somewhat rare at TPA, and one belonging to Ethiopian Airlines is even more rare! The chartered Dreamliner was just one in a series of flights arranged by the State of Florida and Governor Ron DeSantis to help evacuate U.S. citizens from Israel following the eruption of violence in the region. While everyone on board was thankful to be home, planespotters also welcomed the rare opportunity to see this African aircraft touch down in the late-night hours at TPA. The flight crew, in their lovely green uniforms, was a pleasure to see too.
Sky Lease Cargo 747-400F
It’s always a special occasion to see the “Queen of the Skies” at TPA, and this Sky Lease Cargo diversion was no exception. The Miami (MIA)-bound jumbo jet stopped in Tampa while waiting for weather over South Florida to clear, giving photographers ample opportunity to get some shots before it departed just before dark.
Antonov An-124
Among the largest aircraft in the world, the Antonov An-124 touched down at TPA with its 24 tires in April to pick up a giant delivery. The aircraft is capable of carrying 150 tons and is most often used when arriving in Tampa to transport aircraft simulators from nearby CAE. Because of its size and wide wingspan, TPA’s Airfield Operations team conducts a post-landing inspection to check for runway damage after it lands. Better bring the wide-angle lens!
Cayman Airways Express De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
From mammoth to miniature, planespotter Avi Johnson captured what is certainly one of the smallest passenger flights into TPA. Cayman Airways normally operates its nonstop service between TPA and Grand Cayman on a Boeing 737, but May 5, TPA got a bonus flight. The Cayman Airways Express DHC-6 Twin Otter specializes in taking off and landing on some of the ultra-short runways on the Caribbean islands, but on this day, it arrived at TPA from Tupelo, MS (TUP) with its brightly colored and fun-to-photograph Cayman livery. Puppies, kittens, and baby aircraft always make for the cutest photos.
Aer Lingus A330-300
It was a lucky day at TPA for planespotters looking to photograph an Aer Lingus flight to MCO, which had to divert due to rough weather over Central Florida. Nicknamed St. Aoife, the A330-300 can carry up to 317 passengers and dons the classic shamrock on its distinctive vertical stabilizer.
For those interested in getting into planespotting, Dalton advises checking out the Tampa Airport parking garages for great vantage points and using tools like FlightRadar24 to track aircraft arrivals.
“It’s a great resource for finding out when aircraft might arrive and for building a sense of community among planespotters,” he added.
Ultimately, the goal for many planespotters is to capture unique images that are not widely photographed. “It’s winner takes all,” Dalton said. “It becomes a bit of a competition between us, but in a very fun way.”
