Hi all,
I saw a report on Civil Spotters some time ago suggesting that a ‘spotters package’ could be had at the Sunway Hotel just East of Shenzhen Airport. I contacted Simon Yang via [email protected] and this was duly sorted direct. So not through ctrip or Agoda.

The rooms were Executive Deluxe Twin Size rooms at CNY 338 (£40) each per night including breakfast. They also offered to collect us from Guangzhou with a limo for 850 CNY (£99) but I declined that instead using the coach option which I’ve already reported to you.

If you need a hotel confirmation for your Chinese Visa application, the Sunway can email you one with all the guest names on, just ask.

The rooms along the top floor that would give great views overlooking both runways were 1012, 1014, 1016, 1018, 1020, 1022, 1024, 1026, 1028, 1030 & 1032. Although the view are great, you can’t see all that biz that is parked on the East side as too many building get in the way. Hotel coordinates are Latitude 22°39’2.73″N and Longitude 113°49’8.75″E.

We enjoyed our day here and left around 3pm using the hotel bus to go over to the airport terminal. I had been told that from there you could see the biz and cargo aircraft parked on the East side. We were told to go to the multi-storey car park nearest the terminal and find our way to the top where there are some high rise buildings and a deserted concourse.

Concourse coordinates are Latitude 22°37’37.29″N and Longitude
113°48’42.74″E. As it was so quiet up there, I didn’t think there would be any problem.

Well we just finished reading off what we could from the East side and then airport security cycled past us. He stopped to look and we took that as our cue to leave. We met back up with Grahame (bag guard) on the ground level and we were just about to set off back to the terminal when we found ourselves surrounded by lots of airport police.

So we were escorted under armed guard to a Police station within the terminal and held for around 30 minutes whilst they discussed what we were doing and what they were going to do about it. They whistled up an airline check-in lady who spoke very good English and she explained what we were doing to them in native.

It seems they were bothered by Ben’s big pole and thought we were taking photographs. Once convinced that we were just looking and not taking photographs, they were fine with it and quickly let us go. So be warned, no taking photographs in that area!

From the terminal there are signs to the nearby Shenzhen Fuyong Ferry Terminal. You take a free coach from the airport to the ferry terminal. Once at the ferry terminal, it’s all fairly obvious as to where to get your ticket and ferry to get on.

We were going on the Shenzhen to Macau route and once underway, I’d never seen so many ships before in my life.

https://www.flickr.com/…/62861611@…/albums/72157678508903945

9H-VJF, Bombardier Aerospace Global 6000, (9503)
9M-AFB, Airbus A320-214, AirAsia (2633)
9M-AJC, Airbus A320-216, AirAsia (5914)
B-6004, Airbus A319-115, Air China (2508)
B-6362, Airbus A321-213, Air China (3623)
B-1833, Airbus A321-231, Air China (6159)
B-6942, Airbus A321-232, Air China (5432)
B-6091, Airbus A330-243, Air China (0867)
B-5977, Airbus A330-343X, Air China (1658)
B-6503, Airbus A330-343X, Air China (1333)
B-5213, Boeing 737-79L, Air China (34020)
B-6497, Boeing 737-89L, Air China (44930)
B-6499, Boeing 737-89L, Air China (44927)
B-2060, Boeing 777-2J6, Air China (29154)
B-2063, Boeing 777-2J6, Air China (29156)
B-2047, Boeing 777-39LER, Air China (60374)
B-1633, Airbus A320-216, Chengdu Airlines (6357)
B-8557, Airbus A320-214, China Eastern Airlines (7253)
B-6346, Airbus A320-232, China Eastern Airlines (3481)
B-6366, Airbus A321-211, China Eastern Airlines (3593)
B-8572, Airbus A321-211, China Eastern Airlines (7254)
B-6642, Airbus A321-231, China Eastern Airlines (4198)
B-6753, Airbus A321-231, China Eastern Airlines (4638)
B-6926, Airbus A321-231, China Eastern Airlines (5227)
B-5517, Boeing 737-89P, China Eastern Airlines (29653)
B-2656, Boeing 737-3Q8(SF), China Postal Airlines (26292)
B-2835, Boeing 757-236(PCF), China Postal Airlines (25598)
B-6739, Airbus A320-214, China Southern Airlines (4550)
B-1690, Airbus A320-232, China Southern Airlines (6551)
B-1697, Airbus A320-232, China Southern Airlines (6612)
B-1829, Airbus A320-232, China Southern Airlines (6106)
B-2351, Airbus A320-232, China Southern Airlines (0718)
B-2352, Airbus A320-232, China Southern Airlines (0720)
B-2367, Airbus A320-232, China Southern Airlines (0881)
B-2368, Airbus A320-232, China Southern Airlines (0895)
B-2369, Airbus A320-232, China Southern Airlines (0900)
B-2393, Airbus A320-232, China Southern Airlines (1035)
B-2395, Airbus A320-232, China Southern Airlines (1039)
B-2396, Airbus A320-232, China Southern Airlines (1057)
B-6653, Airbus A320-232, China Southern Airlines (4232)
B-6813, Airbus A320-232, China Southern Airlines (4864)
B-6908, Airbus A320-232, China Southern Airlines (5202)
B-6910, Airbus A320-232, China Southern Airlines (5061)
B-6911, Airbus A320-232, China Southern Airlines (5268)
B-9913, Airbus A320-232, China Southern Airlines (5484)
B-9952, Airbus A320-232, China Southern Airlines (5756)
B-8675, Airbus A321-211, China Southern Airlines (7366)
B-1616, Airbus A321-231, China Southern Airlines (6440)
B-1626, Airbus A321-231, China Southern Airlines (6504)
B-1845, Airbus A321-231, China Southern Airlines (6205)
B-1846, Airbus A321-231, China Southern Airlines (6211)
B-1880, Airbus A321-231, China Southern Airlines (6261)
B-6343, Airbus A321-231, China Southern Airlines (3493)
B-6353, Airbus A321-231, China Southern Airlines (3552)
B-6355, Airbus A321-231, China Southern Airlines (3566)
B-6356, Airbus A321-231, China Southern Airlines (3587)
B-6379, Airbus A321-231, China Southern Airlines (3681)
B-6630, Airbus A321-231, China Southern Airlines (4230)
B-6657, Airbus A321-231, China Southern Airlines (4266)
B-6659, Airbus A321-231, China Southern Airlines (4292)
B-6687, Airbus A321-231, China Southern Airlines (4430)
B-6913, Airbus A321-231, China Southern Airlines (5237)
B-6978, Airbus A321-231, China Southern Airlines (5534)
B-6112, Airbus A330-343X, China Southern Airlines (0937)
B-6500, Airbus A330-343X, China Southern Airlines (0954)
B-6501, Airbus A330-343X, China Southern Airlines (0964)
B-6502, Airbus A330-343X, China Southern Airlines (0958)
B-5163, Boeing 737-81B, China Southern Airlines (30708)
B-5596, Boeing 737-81B, China Southern Airlines (38964)
B-5738, Boeing 737-81B, China Southern Airlines (4443)
B-1925, Boeing 737-86N, China Southern Airlines (41250)
B-5323, Boeing 737-8Q8, China United Airlines (30725)
B-5642, Boeing 737-89L, Dalian Airlines (40017)
B-1532, Boeing 737-83Z, Donghai Airlines (42156)
B-1533, Boeing 737-83Z, Donghai Airlines (42157)
B-6980, Boeing 737-83Z, Donghai Airlines (61268)
B-6981, Boeing 737-83Z, Donghai Airlines (61271)
B-6982, Boeing 737-83Z, Donghai Airlines (61270)
B-1705, Boeing 737-86J, Donghai Airlines (39387)
B-1771, Boeing 737-8Q8, Donghai Airlines (41803)
B-5311, Boeing 737-8Q8, Donghai Airlines (29373)
B-5313, Boeing 737-8Q8, Donghai Airlines (30716)
B-7100, Boeing 737-8Q8, Donghai Airlines (41810)
B-5905, Airbus A330-343X, Hainan Airlines (1325)
B-5972, Airbus A330-343X, Hainan Airlines (1634)
B-5062, Boeing 737-76N, Hainan Airlines (28585)
B-5289, Boeing 737-79P, Hainan Airlines (39198)
B-5709, Boeing 737-808, Hainan Airlines (34709)
B-1501, Boeing 737-84P, Hainan Airlines (41382)
B-1928, Boeing 737-84P, Hainan Airlines (39208)
B-5358, Boeing 737-84P, Hainan Airlines (35077)
B-5427, Boeing 737-84P, Hainan Airlines (35285)
B-5580, Boeing 737-84P, Hainan Airlines (39224)
B-5581, Boeing 737-84P, Hainan Airlines (38143)
B-5623, Boeing 737-84P, Hainan Airlines (38148)
B-5636, Boeing 737-84P, Hainan Airlines (38149)
B-5661, Boeing 737-84P, Hainan Airlines (38152)
B-5685, Boeing 737-84P, Hainan Airlines (38155)
B-5797, Boeing 737-84P, Hainan Airlines (39202)
B-1793, Boeing 737-86J, Hainan Airlines (36122)
B-7880, Boeing 787-9, Hainan Airlines (60283)
B-6736, Airbus A320-214, Juneyao Airlines (4573)
B-1857, Airbus A321-211, Juneyao Airlines (6172)
B-8315, Airbus A321-231, Juneyao Airlines (6879)
B-1739, Boeing 737-9KFER, Okay Air (41114)
B-2969, Boeing 737-36R(BDSF), SF Airliines (30102)
B-2966, Boeing 737-33A(SF), SF Airlines (27462)
B-2598, Boeing 737-3J6(SF), SF Airlines (27128)
B-2017, Boeing 737-4K5(SF), SF Airlines (27102)
B-2883, Boeing 737-4K5(SF), SF Airlines (27830)
B-2899, Boeing 757-21B(PCF), SF Airlines (24401)
B-7342, Boeing 757-2G5(PCF), SF Airlines (26278)
B-2820, Boeing 757-2Z0(PCF), SF Airlines (25885)
B-2839, Boeing 757-2Z0(PCF), SF Airlines (27269)
B-2840, Boeing 757-2Z0(PCF), SF Airlines (27270)
B-6996, Boeing 767-338ER(BCF), SF Airlines (29118)
B-5118, Boeing 737-85N, Shandong Airlines (33664)
B-6986, Boeing 737-85N, Shandong Airlines (41627)
B-7086, Boeing 737-85N, Shandong Airlines (44928)
B-6096, Airbus A330-343X, Shanghai Airlines (0862)
B-5145, Boeing 737-8Q8, Shanghai Airlines (33007)
B-6159, Airbus A319-112, Shenzhen Airlines (2905)
B-6165, Airbus A319-112, Shenzhen Airlines (2935)
B-6153, Airbus A319-115, Shenzhen Airlines (2841)
B-6197, Airbus A319-115, Shenzhen Airlines (2684)
B-1683, Airbus A320-214, Shenzhen Airlines (6564)
B-1685, Airbus A320-214, Shenzhen Airlines (6686)
B-6297, Airbus A320-214, Shenzhen Airlines (2980)
B-6351, Airbus A320-214, Shenzhen Airlines (3366)
B-6357, Airbus A320-214, Shenzhen Airlines (3440)
B-6358, Airbus A320-214, Shenzhen Airlines (3435)
B-6563, Airbus A320-214, Shenzhen Airlines (3698)
B-6567, Airbus A320-214, Shenzhen Airlines (3887)
B-6647, Airbus A320-214, Shenzhen Airlines (4226)
B-6649, Airbus A320-214, Shenzhen Airlines (4208)
B-6855, Airbus A320-214, Shenzhen Airlines (4876)
B-6938, Airbus A320-214, Shenzhen Airlines (5110)
B-8077, Airbus A320-214, Shenzhen Airlines (6708)
B-9908, Airbus A320-214, Shenzhen Airlines (5369)
B-9979, Airbus A320-214, Shenzhen Airlines (5731)
B-1601, Airbus A320-232, Shenzhen Airlines (6197)
B-1602, Airbus A320-232, Shenzhen Airlines (6217)
B-6571, Airbus A320-232, Shenzhen Airlines (3935)
B-6749, Airbus A320-232, Shenzhen Airlines (4633)
B-6780, Airbus A320-232, Shenzhen Airlines (4726)
B-6833, Airbus A320-232, Shenzhen Airlines (4920)
B-8409, Airbus A320-232, Shenzhen Airlines (6984)
B-8413, Airbus A320-232, Shenzhen Airlines (7197)
B-5360, Boeing 737-86J, Shenzhen Airlines (30062)
B-5365, Boeing 737-86J, Shenzhen Airlines (30501)
B-5317, Boeing 737-86N, Shenzhen Airlines (32686)
B-5322, Boeing 737-86N, Shenzhen Airlines (32688)
B-1710, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (39158)
B-1713, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (39161)
B-1759, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (40826)
B-1936, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (39141)
B-1937, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (37619)
B-1939, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (37621)
B-1973, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (37624)
B-1993, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (37623)
B-5381, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (35528)
B-5400, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (35529)
B-5412, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (35533)
B-5440, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (35534)
B-5606, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (39143)
B-5613, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (39147)
B-5615, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (39148)
B-5616, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (39149)
B-5618, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (39151)
B-5619, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (39152)
B-5673, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (39155)
B-5736, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (39132)
B-5771, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (39134)
B-5778, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (39137)
B-5859, Boeing 737-87L, Shenzhen Airlines (39138)
B-5357, Boeing 737-8AL, Shenzhen Airlines (35081)
B-5378, Boeing 737-8AL, Shenzhen Airlines (35085)
B-5379, Boeing 737-8AL, Shenzhen Airlines (35087)
B-5410, Boeing 737-8AL, Shenzhen Airlines (35088)
B-5103, Boeing 737-97L, Shenzhen Airlines (33645)
B-5105, Boeing 737-97L, Shenzhen Airlines (33646)
B-6175, Airbus A319-133, Sichuan Airlines (3116)
B-8372, Airbus A320-214, Sichuan Airlines (6982)
B-6322, Airbus A320-232, Sichuan Airlines (3158)
B-6708, Airbus A320-214, Spring Airlines (4375)
B-6852, Airbus A320-214, Spring Airlines (4809)
B-8435, Airbus A320-214, Spring Airlines (7016)
B-8646, Airbus A320-214, Spring Airlines (7122)
B-6436, Airbus A319-115, Tibet Airlines (4766)
B-2326, Airbus A300B4-605RF, Uni-Top Airlines (754)
B-8110, Airbus A320-214, West Air (4231)
B-8421, Airbus A320-214, West Air (6931)
B-5303, Boeing 737-85C, Xiamen Airlines (35050)
B-5318, Boeing 737-85C, Xiamen Airlines (30723)
B-5790, Boeing 737-85C, Xiamen Airlines (38402)
B-7195, Boeing 737-85C, Xiamen Airlines (43885)
B-7848, Boeing 737-85C, Xiamen Airlines (42931)
B-5309, Boeing 737-86N, Xiamen Airlines (32689)
B-5388, Boeing 737-86N, Xiamen Airlines (35635)
B-5057, Boeing 737-330QC, Yangtze River Express (23837)
B-2578, Boeing 737-33A(SF), Yangtze River Express (25603)
B-5711, Boeing 737-84P, Yangtze River Express (39195)
B-1867, Airbus A320-214, Zhejiang Loong Airlines (6055)
B-8336, Airbus A320-214, Zhejiang Loong Airlines (6805)
B-8105, Bombardier Aerospace Global 6000 (9510)
B-3077, Bombardier Challenger 605 (5820)
B-3909, Hawker Beechcraft 900XP (HA-0167)
B-8116, Bombardier Aerospace Challenger 300 (20350)
B-8272, Gulfstream Aerospace Gulfstream G550 (5405)
B-18003, Boeing 777-309ER, China Airlines (43977)
B-18353, Airbus A330-302, China Airlines (0920)
HL8259, Airbus A330-323X, Asiana Airlines (1340)
HL8025, Airbus A330-323, Korean Air (1611)
N333GW, Gulfstream Aerospace Gulfstream G450 (4205)
N888HZ, Gulfstream Aerospace Gulfstream G550 (5197)
N882FD, Boeing 777-F28, Federal Express (32969)
P4-VNL, Airbus A319-115(CJ) (2921)

On airways:
9M-XBC, Airbus A330-343X, AirAsia X (1659)
B-8606, Airbus A320-214, Chengdu Airlines (7111)
B-1917, Boeing 737-81B, China Southern Airlines (41316)
B-5166, Boeing 737-81B, China Southern Airlines (33006)
B-4061, Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-700, Chinese Air Force (10183)
B-5650, Boeing 737-85N, Shandong Airlines (38641)
B-5536, Boeing 737-8AL, Shandong Airlines (37424)
B-5545, Boeing 737-86N, Shanghai Airlines (36803)
B-6706, Airbus A320-214, Spring Airlines (4366)
B-9963, Airbus A320-214, Tianjin Airlines (4600)
B-6420, Airbus A319-133, West Air (5105)
B-5605, Boeing 737-86N, Xiamen Airlines (38022)
JU-1015, Boeing 737-8SH, MIAT Mongolian Airlines (41318)
VN-A667, Airbus A321-211, VietJetAir (6936)

After a delayed departure from Shenzhen and the subsequent ferry crossing, we caught a taxi from the ferry terminal to our airport hotel. The hotel you want here is the Golden Crown China Hotel as it towers over the terminal and aircraft ramp.