Wondering what just rumbled over the garden, or whether the flight from Málaga is running late? Our UK flight radar puts the aircraft above England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on one live map. It is free, opens straight in your browser on a laptop or mobile, and needs no download or account.
On this page
- Opening the live map in three steps
- UK flight radar: the main airports at a glance
- British airspace: stacks, ocean tracks and quiet corners
- What plane is flying over me right now?
- Track a flight before you set off for arrivals
- Behind the map: ADS-B, MLAT and satellites
- Reading the flight panel: a quick glossary
- UK flight tracker FAQ
Opening the live map in three steps
- Press “Start Flight Radar” in the box above. A brief rewarded advert plays first; once it finishes, the radar loads.
- Drag the map across to Britain and pinch or scroll until your town or county fills the screen.
- Tap any aircraft symbol. A card pops up with the airline, origin, destination, height and speed, plus a line showing where the plane has been.
UK flight radar: the main airports at a glance
Zoom in on any of these to watch departures climb out and arrivals line up on final approach.
| Airport | IATA | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow | LHR | The country’s busiest airport and home base of British Airways. Night flights are restricted, so the first long-haul arrivals appear on the map before 6am. |
| London Gatwick | LGW | Runs mostly off a single runway, so movements follow each other in a tight rhythm. A major easyJet base. |
| Manchester | MAN | The largest airport outside the London area and a key base for Jet2 holidays. |
| London Stansted | STN | Out in Essex, busy with low-cost European routes and overnight cargo. |
| Edinburgh | EDI | Scotland’s busiest airport, with frequent shuttles to London. |
| Birmingham | BHX | The main gateway for the Midlands, mixing city routes and sun holidays. |
| Glasgow | GLA | Links the west of Scotland with London, Europe and the islands. |
A registration beginning with G- tells you the aircraft is registered in the United Kingdom.
British airspace: stacks, ocean tracks and quiet corners
Hobbyist receivers are spread densely across most British towns, so coverage is excellent. NATS controls the traffic, and a few patterns stand out:
- Holding stacks around London. At busy times, Heathrow arrivals fly oval loops over Biggin Hill, Lambourne, Ockham and Bovingdon while waiting for a landing slot. On the map they look like tidy racetracks.
- The Atlantic queue. Through the day, lines of jets head out past the west coasts of Britain and Ireland towards North America on organised oceanic tracks. Overnight the flow reverses as eastbound flights stream back in.
- Remote patches. Over the Highlands, the islands and open sea, receivers are thinner on the ground, so low light aircraft and helicopters can blink out for a while.
What plane is flying over me right now?
- Open the radar and centre the map on your postcode area.
- Note which way the aircraft in the sky is heading, then find the symbol pointing the same direction.
- Tap it to reveal the airline, aircraft type and destination.
A jet leaving a white trail high above you is usually cruising, often to or from continental Europe. A louder aircraft with its wheels down near Hounslow, Crawley or Wythenshawe is almost certainly about to land.
Track a flight before you set off for arrivals
Collecting a relative from Heathrow or Manchester? Follow the actual aircraft rather than the timetable:
- Check it has left. If the plane is still on the stand at its origin, the landing time will slip too.
- Time the drive. Set off once the flight is a sensible distance out, instead of circling the drop-off zone or feeding the short-stay car park.
- Allow for the terminal. After touchdown, passengers still taxi in, clear passport control and collect bags.
For gate changes and cancellations, the airline and the airport’s arrivals board remain the official word.
Behind the map: ADS-B, MLAT and satellites
Despite the name, no radar dish is involved. Modern aircraft calculate their own GPS position and broadcast it several times a second using ADS-B on 1090 MHz. Volunteers with rooftop aerials pick up those messages, and the tracker stitches them into one picture. In Europe, larger aircraft have been required to carry ADS-B since 2020.
Some older transponders send a signal but no position. When that signal reaches at least four receivers, multilateration (MLAT) works out the location from tiny timing differences. Far out over the Atlantic, satellite receivers and estimated positions keep the flight on screen. Our AirNav Radar guide and Flightradar24 overview explain how each service gathers its data.
Reading the flight panel: a quick glossary
- Flight number: the airline code plus digits, such as BA for British Airways or VS for Virgin Atlantic. The map sometimes shows the radio callsign instead, so an easyJet (U2) flight may appear as EZY.
- Altitude: given in feet. A cruising height of 37,000 feet is roughly 11,300 metres.
- Ground speed: shown in knots over the ground. 450 knots is about 518 mph, and a strong jet stream can push eastbound flights well beyond that.
- Squawk: the four-digit transponder code. 7700 signals an emergency; 7600 means the crew has lost radio contact.
UK flight tracker FAQ
Do I need an app to use the UK flight radar?
No. The live map runs in any modern browser on a computer, tablet or mobile, and opens after a short advert without a login.
Why are planes going round in circles over Surrey and Essex?
Those are holding stacks. When Heathrow is busy, arrivals wait in oval loops over Ockham, Biggin Hill, Lambourne or Bovingdon until controllers call them in.
Why can I hear planes over London so early in the morning?
Heathrow limits night flights, but the first long-haul arrivals land very early, before 6am. Open the radar at dawn and you will see them lining up over the capital.
Can I look up a British plane by its registration?
Yes. UK-registered aircraft carry a registration beginning with G-, shown in the flight details when you tap the symbol.
Why did a flight to the Scottish islands drop off the map?
Low-flying aircraft over remote areas can move out of range of the nearest receiver. It usually reappears once it climbs or nears a town with an aerial.
Where can I find more help with flight tracking?
Our general FAQ covers missing aircraft, delays and accuracy, and the how-to guide walks through every feature.