Flight Radar UK — track flights live above the United Kingdom

The flight radar above shows every aircraft in view over the United Kingdom and Ireland right now, moving smoothly across the map, and lets you look up and follow any aircraft worldwide. Click any plane for a photo of the aircraft, its flight number, route with progress and time to go, altitude and speed, registration, squawk and the place it is flying over. Where available you also see the wind and outside temperature at cruising altitude, and a graph of altitude and speed builds up while you watch. Zoom in on your local airport or zoom out to watch traffic across the whole country: every aircraft in view stays on the map. It is free and works on any phone, tablet or computer: no download or account needed.

Live UK airspace map: how to use the flight radar

Every aircraft icon on the map is a real flight, updated in real time using ADS-B transponder data. To follow a specific flight, click its icon and press Follow: the map keeps the aircraft centred until you drag it. Use Share to send a link that opens that flight directly. To look up any flight in the world, use the magnifier on the radar and type the flight number, registration or callsign, for example BA117 or FR556: the map flies to that aircraft. Typing an airport code such as MAN flies the map to that airport. To watch a specific airport with its live arrival and departure boards, open its page below or search the airport name in the site menu.

Live arrivals and departures for UK airports

Check live arrival and departure times for the major airports of the UK and Ireland:

Track flights by airline

Waiting for someone on a specific flight? Our airline pages help you find and follow flights operated by British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair, TUI, Virgin Atlantic, KLM and Emirates.

What is a flight radar?

A flight radar (also called a flight tracker or plane finder) plots the live position of aircraft on a map. Aircraft continuously broadcast their position, altitude and speed via ADS-B transponders; a network of ground receivers picks up those signals and turns them into the moving map above. The same data supports professional aviation worldwide. Here you can use it free to follow any flight above the UK, whether you are meeting someone at the airport, spotting planes, or just curious about what is flying overhead.

Frequently asked questions

Is this flight radar free? Yes. The radar, the airport arrival and departure boards and the airline trackers on this site are all free to use.

How accurate is the live position? Positions come from the aircraft’s own ADS-B broadcasts, received by a network of ADS-B receivers plus our own receiver. New positions arrive roughly every 12 seconds and the aircraft glide smoothly in between. Coverage over the UK is excellent thanks to a dense receiver network.

Can I track a flight by flight number? Yes, any flight in the world: click the search icon on the radar and enter the flight number, for example BA117. The map flies to that aircraft; press Follow to keep it centred. You can also search a registration, callsign, airline, aircraft type, airport code or town.

Why can’t I see a specific plane? Two reasons. Some aircraft, mostly military and some private flights, are filtered from public data. And low-flying aircraft or aircraft far out over the sea drop out of receiver range: out of range, the radar continues the last known track as an estimated position, drawn translucent, until it is seen again.

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