Why do planes fly over Derio and Zamudio?

Bilbao's main runway 12/30 points south-east straight at Derio and Zamudio. In the predominant west configuration, every arrival descends over the Arteaga (Derio) and Arteaga San Martin (Zamudio) hamlets toward the runway 30 threshold; when the wind flips to east configuration, departures climb out over the same area at low altitude. The Ministry of Transport's noise action plan names these hamlets as the most exposed zone around the airport. Drop a pin on the map above to see exact counts for your address.

Which areas near Bilbao Airport are quietest?

Central Bilbao itself — the Artxanda ridge shields the city and the runway axis points away from it, so overflight of the city centre is rare. Sondika sits beside the field but off the jet centreline, and hamlets like Basozabal and Elotxelerri near the crosswind runway are close but not directly overflown. The loudest spots are the 12/30 centreline communities: Arteaga, Derio, Loiu and the scattered Erandio farmhouses. Use the pin-drop tool above to compare any two addresses.

Do planes fly over Getxo and Leioa?

Yes, in the airport's predominant west configuration. Departures off runway 30 climb north-west over the dispersed homes of Loiu and Erandio, then partially overfly Leioa and Getxo at higher altitude before reaching the coast and the Bay of Biscay. Leioa hosts one of the airport's noise-monitoring terminals; Getxo sits outside the main noise footprint but overflights are still audible. The route-density layer on the map shows exactly where the track passes.

Why is the approach into Bilbao steeper than at other airports?

Runway 30 has a 3.4-degree glideslope (versus the standard 3 degrees) and a 460 m displaced threshold — measures tied to both the surrounding terrain and noise abatement. The Ministry's noise action plan explicitly lists the threshold displacement as a noise-attenuation measure — it keeps arriving aircraft slightly higher over the Derio–Zamudio side. The airport sits in the narrow, mountain-ringed Txorierri valley, which constrains approach paths on all sides.

What is the second runway at Bilbao Airport used for?

The crosswind runway 10/28 (1,910 m) handles almost exclusively light aircraft, training flights and helicopters — virtually all commercial jets use the main 2,600 m runway 12/30. That general-aviation circuit traffic adds a distinct layer of piston and helicopter noise immediately around the field, particularly over Sondika. AIP procedures restrict helicopter overflight of Erandio, Sondika, Loiu, Zamudio and Derio to limit it.

How does Bilbao Airport monitor aircraft noise?

Aena operates the SIRBIO noise-and-flight-track monitoring system, with five fixed terminals in Leioa, Erandio, Loiu, Derio and Zamudio, plus a public WebTrak-style map for replaying flight tracks. The independent map on this page adds a pin-drop noise estimate for any address, built from actual flight-position data.

Has Aena soundproofed homes around Bilbao Airport?

Yes. Under the acoustic easement and its associated insulation programme, Aena has soundproofed around 2,400 homes across the surrounding municipalities — Loiu, Sondika, Erandio, Derio and Zamudio. Homes inside the easement that exceed the noise-quality objectives qualify for funded insulation works such as acoustic glazing.

How do I complain about aircraft noise in Bilbao?

Noise complaints go to Aena, the airport operator, via the Bilbao Airport environmental channels on aena.es or by phone (+34 944 869 662; Aena central information +34 913 211 000). Complaints feed the SIRBIO monitoring reports and the Ministry of Transport's five-yearly noise action plan reviews. Attaching a date, time and location helps Aena match the event to a specific flight track.

Bilbao Flight Path Noise Map – Bilbao Airport (BIO)

Name: Aircraft noise observations near Bilbao Airport
Creator: Flight Path Noise
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Aircraft noise around Bilbao in October 2026

Loudest neighborhoods near Bilbao: Arteaga / San Esteban (Derio), Arteaga San Martin (Zamudio), Derio (town centre), Loiu (Lauro / Zabaloetxe), Erandiogoikoa / Goierri (Erandio). Quietest: Getxo, Larrabetzu, Bilbao — Uribarri / Artxanda hillside, Basozabal / Elotxelerri (Loiu). Busiest around 11 AM local time averaging 171 flights/day. Source: Flight Path Noise monitoring data, 30 days to 2026-10-19.

Flights by hour · last 30 days

12a6a12p6p

Average daily traffic

171

flights / day · 5,134 total

Busiest hour

11 AM

peak 91 dB

Loudest hour

11 AM

peak 91 dB

Loudest residential area

Arteaga / San Esteban (Derio)

76 dB avg · ~168 flights/day · Vacuum cleaner

Hamlet cluster almost under the runway 30 threshold; takes arrivals in the predominant west configuration and low-altitude departures in east configuration — the Ministry's noise plan names it the most affected zone

Does Bilbao Airport have a curfew?

Partial — the airport does close overnight (11:30 PM – 6:45 AM), but via operating hours, not a formal noise curfew.

Bilbao Airport’s published operating window is 6:45 AM to 11:30 PM local, and outside those hours the field is simply closed to traffic. Delayed flights can request an extension in advance — until about 12:40 AM per the current AIP and the Ministry of Transport’s noise action plan (Aena and 2025 press reports cite roughly 1:00 AM for previously notified delays) — and emergency and National Transplant Organisation medical flights are always exempt. Legally, though, this is an airfield operating-hours limitation rather than a noise-based operating restriction — the Ministry’s own Phase IV Noise Action Plan states that no operating restrictions under EU Regulation 598/2014 currently exist at Bilbao and none are planned through 2028. In practice the result is the same for residents: no scheduled overnight traffic. A night landing-charge surcharge (11 PM – 6:59 AM, up to +140% for the noisiest aircraft categories) discourages noisy late movements, and engine tests above idle are banned from midnight to 6 AM. In October 2025 the Spanish transport ministry confirmed the hours will stay unchanged despite the planned terminal expansion.

Bilbao Airport (BIO/LEBB) sits in the narrow, mountain-ringed Txorierri valley at Loiu, about 10 km north of central Bilbao — on the far side of the Artxanda ridge, which is why the city itself hears so little of it. Nearly all commercial jets use a single runway, 12/30, so the noise footprint is a tight NW–SE ribbon over Loiu, Sondika, Erandio, Derio and Zamudio, with the hamlets of Arteaga and Arteaga San Martin sitting almost under the runway 30 threshold. Arrivals descend on a steepened 3.4-degree glideslope to a 460 m displaced threshold — measures driven by both terrain and noise — and the field is closed to traffic overnight, from 11:30 PM to 6:45 AM, which caps the noise day at both ends.

Which neighborhoods are quietest — and which aren’t

Bilbao has two runways, but the noise story is really about one of them. The main runway 12/30 (2,600 m) runs NW–SE along the valley floor and carries virtually all commercial traffic. The crosswind runway 10/28 (1,910 m) is used almost exclusively by light aircraft, training flights and helicopters. The result is a narrow, predictable jet corridor — communities on the 12/30 centreline get most of the noise, while places just a kilometre or two off-axis get far less.

Area	Aircraft noise	Why
Arteaga / San Esteban (Derio)	✈︎✈︎✈︎	Almost under the runway 30 threshold; arrivals in west config, departures in east config
Arteaga San Martin (Zamudio)	✈︎✈︎✈︎	Named by the Ministry as the most exposed population; exceeds daytime noise objectives
Derio centre	✈︎✈︎✈︎	On the 12/30 extended centreline; highest readings on the monitoring network
Loiu (Lauro/Zabaloetxe)	✈︎✈︎✈︎	Farmhouses under NW departures and the runway 12 approach
Erandiogoikoa / Goierri	✈︎✈︎✈︎	Directly under west-config departure tracks
Zamudio centre	✈︎✈︎	On the SE corridor but slightly off-centreline; insulated homes
Sondika	✈︎✈︎	Beside the field; light-aircraft and helicopter circuits, not the jet centreline
Leioa	✈︎✈︎	Partially overflown by departures already at altitude
Aretxalde (Lezama)	✈︎✈︎	Under long finals and east-config climb-outs at moderate altitude
Getxo	✈︎	High-altitude departures heading to the coast; audible but outside the footprint
Larrabetzu	✈︎	Outer edge of the footprint; east-config departures at altitude
Central Bilbao	✈︎	Shielded by the Artxanda ridge and off the runway axis
Basozabal / Elotxelerri	✈︎	Near the crosswind runway but not directly overflown

The pattern worth internalising: exposure around Bilbao is less about distance than about alignment. Derio’s hamlets at 2.6 km are among the loudest spots in Bizkaia, while central Bilbao at 4 km is one of the quietest — because the ridge and the runway heading both work in the city’s favour. Under the acoustic easement, Aena has soundproofed around 2,400 homes across Loiu, Sondika, Erandio, Derio and Zamudio. If you’re weighing an address anywhere in the Txorierri, drop a pin on the map above and check the exact track density over that spot.

Flight patterns and runway use

Bilbao runs a two-configuration operation on runway 12/30, chosen by wind. West configuration (runway 30 in use) predominates across most of the year: arrivals descend from the south-east over the Arteaga (Derio) and Arteaga San Martin (Zamudio) hamlets toward the displaced runway 30 threshold, while departures climb out north-west over the scattered homes of Loiu and Erandio (Erandiogoikoa, Goierri, Zabaloetxe), then partially overfly the denser towns of Leioa and Getxo at higher altitude before reaching the coast and the Bay of Biscay. The Ministry’s noise action plan notes west config is preferred partly because it avoids low-altitude departures over the closest hamlets at the SE runway head — though those same hamlets then take the arrivals instead.

East configuration (runway 12) takes over when the weather shifts, typically in some months of the year. Departures then overfly Arteaga and Arteaga San Martin at low altitude and, further out, Aretxalde (Lezama) and Larrabetzu, while arrivals come in from the north-west over Erandio and Leioa.

The noise-abatement toolkit here is unusually thorough for an airport this size: displaced thresholds on runways 30 and 28, continuous-descent operations on arrivals, ground noise-attenuation procedures, AIP restrictions on helicopter overflight of Erandio, Sondika, Loiu, Zamudio and Derio, an engine-test ban above idle from midnight to 6 AM, and a noise-differentiated landing surcharge that adds up to +140% for the noisiest aircraft categories at night. Aena’s SIRBIO system tracks it all with five monitoring terminals — in Leioa, Erandio, Loiu, Derio and Zamudio — plus a public flight-track map.

One more local quirk: because the valley is hemmed in by mountains on all sides, approach paths are tightly constrained — arrivals to runway 30 pass over the large Derio cemetery — and the crosswind runway’s general-aviation circuits add a layer of light-aircraft and helicopter noise directly around the field that jet-noise maps don’t capture.

When is it quietest?

The overnight closure gives Bilbao a hard-edged daily profile:

11:30 PM – 6:45 AM: the field is closed. Only pre-approved delayed flights (until roughly 12:40 AM, or ~1:00 AM per Aena for notified delays), emergencies and transplant medical flights operate. Most nights are completely silent.
6:45 AM – 9 AM: the morning departure bank — the day’s first wave to Madrid, Barcelona and European hubs, plus inbound positioning arrivals.
Midday: moderate and steady; Bilbao is a point-to-point airport without big connecting banks, so traffic spreads fairly evenly.
5 PM – 9 PM: the evening peak, with returning rotations and the last international arrivals of the day.
9 PM – 11:30 PM: tapering, with the final arrivals racing the closure — late-running flights are the ones most likely to use the PPR extension window.

Wind matters too. A configuration flip from west to east moves the departure noise from the Erandio–Leioa side to the Derio–Zamudio side within minutes, so the same address can have noticeably different days depending on the weather. The hourly chart in the pin-drop report above shows the real distribution for any location.

How to check noise at your specific address

The map above is the answer to “is this spot loud?” Three steps:

Search your address or postcode in the bar at the bottom of the map.
Drop a pin — click the location marker that appears.
Read the noise report that opens in the sidebar: average daily noise (Leq), peak observed dB, flights per day passing within 2 km, and an hourly breakdown.

The Noise Heatmap layer (orange/red = louder) and the Route Density layer (purple/magenta = busier corridors) make Bilbao’s single-ribbon pattern obvious: one bright NW–SE band along the Txorierri valley, and very little else. If your address is in Derio, Zamudio, Loiu, Sondika or the rural Erandio hillsides, check it pin by pin — exposure changes street by street with alignment. Most of metropolitan Bilbao, shielded behind Artxanda, lands squarely in the quiet zone.

Frequently asked questions

Why do planes fly over Derio and Zamudio?: Bilbao's main runway 12/30 points south-east straight at Derio and Zamudio. In the predominant west configuration, every arrival descends over the Arteaga (Derio) and Arteaga San Martin (Zamudio) hamlets toward the runway 30 threshold; when the wind flips to east configuration, departures climb out over the same area at low altitude. The Ministry of Transport's noise action plan names these hamlets as the most exposed zone around the airport. Drop a pin on the map above to see exact counts for your address.
Which areas near Bilbao Airport are quietest?: Central Bilbao itself — the Artxanda ridge shields the city and the runway axis points away from it, so overflight of the city centre is rare. Sondika sits beside the field but off the jet centreline, and hamlets like Basozabal and Elotxelerri near the crosswind runway are close but not directly overflown. The loudest spots are the 12/30 centreline communities: Arteaga, Derio, Loiu and the scattered Erandio farmhouses. Use the pin-drop tool above to compare any two addresses.
Do planes fly over Getxo and Leioa?: Yes, in the airport's predominant west configuration. Departures off runway 30 climb north-west over the dispersed homes of Loiu and Erandio, then partially overfly Leioa and Getxo at higher altitude before reaching the coast and the Bay of Biscay. Leioa hosts one of the airport's noise-monitoring terminals; Getxo sits outside the main noise footprint but overflights are still audible. The route-density layer on the map shows exactly where the track passes.
Why is the approach into Bilbao steeper than at other airports?: Runway 30 has a 3.4-degree glideslope (versus the standard 3 degrees) and a 460 m displaced threshold — measures tied to both the surrounding terrain and noise abatement. The Ministry's noise action plan explicitly lists the threshold displacement as a noise-attenuation measure — it keeps arriving aircraft slightly higher over the Derio–Zamudio side. The airport sits in the narrow, mountain-ringed Txorierri valley, which constrains approach paths on all sides.
What is the second runway at Bilbao Airport used for?: The crosswind runway 10/28 (1,910 m) handles almost exclusively light aircraft, training flights and helicopters — virtually all commercial jets use the main 2,600 m runway 12/30. That general-aviation circuit traffic adds a distinct layer of piston and helicopter noise immediately around the field, particularly over Sondika. AIP procedures restrict helicopter overflight of Erandio, Sondika, Loiu, Zamudio and Derio to limit it.
How does Bilbao Airport monitor aircraft noise?: Aena operates the SIRBIO noise-and-flight-track monitoring system, with five fixed terminals in Leioa, Erandio, Loiu, Derio and Zamudio, plus a public WebTrak-style map for replaying flight tracks. The independent map on this page adds a pin-drop noise estimate for any address, built from actual flight-position data.
Has Aena soundproofed homes around Bilbao Airport?: Yes. Under the acoustic easement and its associated insulation programme, Aena has soundproofed around 2,400 homes across the surrounding municipalities — Loiu, Sondika, Erandio, Derio and Zamudio. Homes inside the easement that exceed the noise-quality objectives qualify for funded insulation works such as acoustic glazing.
How do I complain about aircraft noise in Bilbao?: Noise complaints go to Aena, the airport operator, via the Bilbao Airport environmental channels on aena.es or by phone (+34 944 869 662; Aena central information +34 913 211 000). Complaints feed the SIRBIO monitoring reports and the Ministry of Transport's five-yearly noise action plan reviews. Attaching a date, time and location helps Aena match the event to a specific flight track.

Sources and further reading

Plan de Acción contra el Ruido, Fase IV — Aeropuerto de Bilbao — Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible (DGAC), Spain
Bilbao Airport — official site — Aena
Bilbao Airport — Wikipedia
El aeropuerto de Bilbao mantendrá su horario operativo pese a la ampliación — Deia
Aena insonoriza casi 2.400 viviendas en el entorno del aeropuerto de Bilbao — Radio Nervión
Bilbao Airport noise information (BIO/LEBB) — Boeing (airport noise regulation database)

Data updated 2026-10-19 — live ADS-B monitoring, rolling 30-day statistics (methodology). Article text revised 2026-07-17.

30 dB	Whisper
45 dB	Quiet residential
55 dB	Normal conversation
65 dB	Busy road
75 dB	Vacuum cleaner
85 dB	Heavy traffic
95 dB	Motorcycle nearby

Flight Noise

Layers

Live Tracking

Filters

Saved Pins

Flight Noise — User Manual

What is this?

Live Tracking

Heatmap

Flight Paths

Point Analysis

Noise Level Reference

Filters

Tips

Share this map

Pins shared with you

Bilbao Flight Path Noise Map – Bilbao Airport (BIO)

Aircraft noise around Bilbao in October 2026

Does Bilbao Airport have a curfew?

Which neighborhoods are quietest — and which aren’t

Flight patterns and runway use

When is it quietest?

How to check noise at your specific address

Frequently asked questions

Sources and further reading

Other airports we track

🇦🇺 Adelaide, Australia

🇪🇸 Alicante, Spain

🇳🇱 Amsterdam, Netherlands

🇦🇺 Archerfield, Australia

🇬🇷 Athens, Greece

🇺🇸 Atlanta, USA

🇳🇿 Auckland, New Zealand

🇺🇸 Austin, USA

🇮🇩 Bali, Indonesia

🇦🇺 Ballina, Australia

🇺🇸 Baltimore, USA

🇮🇳 Bangalore, India

🇹🇭 Bangkok, Thailand

🇦🇺 Bankstown, Australia

🇪🇸 Barcelona, Spain

🇫🇷 Basel, France

🇱🇧 Beirut, Lebanon

🇬🇧 Belfast City, UK

🇩🇪 Berlin, Germany

🇨🇦 Billy Bishop, Canada

🇬🇧 Birmingham, UK

🇨🇴 Bogotá, Colombia

🇺🇸 Boston, USA

🇦🇺 Brisbane, Australia

🇬🇧 Bristol, UK

🇧🇪 Brussels, Belgium

🇧🇪 Brussels Charleroi, Belgium

🇭🇺 Budapest, Hungary

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires, Argentina

🇦🇺 Canberra, Australia

🇿🇦 Cape Town, South Africa

🇨🇴 Cartagena, Colombia

🇺🇸 Charlotte, USA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai, Thailand

🇺🇸 Chicago, USA

🇺🇸 Chicago O'Hare, USA

🇳🇿 Christchurch, New Zealand

🇩🇪 Cologne, Germany

🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark

🇵🇪 Cusco, Peru

🇻🇳 Da Nang, Vietnam

🇺🇸 Dallas, USA

🇮🇳 Delhi, India

🇺🇸 Denver, USA

🇺🇸 Detroit, USA

🇺🇸 DFW, USA

🇶🇦 Doha, Qatar

🇹🇭 Don Mueang, Thailand

🇦🇪 Dubai, UAE

🇮🇪 Dublin, Ireland

🇩🇪 Düsseldorf, Germany

🇬🇧 Edinburgh, UK

🇳🇱 Eindhoven, Netherlands

🇵🇹 Faro, Portugal

Adelaide, Australia

Alicante, Spain

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Archerfield, Australia

Athens, Greece

Atlanta, USA

Auckland, New Zealand

Austin, USA

Bali, Indonesia

Ballina, Australia

Baltimore, USA

Bangalore, India

Bangkok, Thailand

Bankstown, Australia

Barcelona, Spain

Basel, France

Beirut, Lebanon

Belfast City, UK

Berlin, Germany

Billy Bishop, Canada

Birmingham, UK

Bogotá, Colombia

Boston, USA

Brisbane, Australia

Bristol, UK

Brussels, Belgium

Brussels Charleroi, Belgium

Budapest, Hungary

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Canberra, Australia

Cape Town, South Africa

Cartagena, Colombia

Charlotte, USA

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chicago, USA

Chicago O'Hare, USA

Christchurch, New Zealand

Cologne, Germany

Copenhagen, Denmark

Cusco, Peru

Da Nang, Vietnam

Dallas, USA

Delhi, India

Denver, USA

Detroit, USA

DFW, USA

Doha, Qatar

Don Mueang, Thailand

Dubai, UAE

Dublin, Ireland

Düsseldorf, Germany

Edinburgh, UK

Eindhoven, Netherlands

Faro, Portugal

Florence, Italy

Fort Lauderdale, USA

Frankfurt, Germany

Funchal, Portugal

Gatwick, UK

Geneva, Switzerland

Glasgow, UK

Gold Coast, Australia

Hamburg, Germany

Hanoi, Vietnam

Heathrow, UK

Helsinki, Finland

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Hobart, Australia

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Honolulu, USA

Houston, USA

Houston IAH, USA

Ibiza, Spain

Jandakot, Australia

John Wayne, USA

Kathmandu, Nepal

Keflavík, Iceland

Kraków, Poland

Las Vegas, USA

LAX, USA