Want the latest version of AeroAPI?
Important update: You have reached documentation for AeroAPI version 3, which will reach end-of-life October 2023. If you are currently using this version, please make plans to migrate to version 4 in the near future.
We recently introduced AeroAPI v4, FlightAware's next-generation RESTful API for accessing comprehensive flight data. Offering a more advanced and easier to use platform!
- RESTful/JSON - following latest standards and open API 3.1 specifications
- Enhanced flight information and deeper data content
- Comprehensive interactive online developer documentation
- Foresight predictions now available
- Custom Flight Alerting
Version 3.0 Beta
About
The AeroAPI is an innovative web service that allows customers to design their own applications that leverage the extensive aviation data offered by FlightAware. Applications can access and respond to information about current, upcoming, and recently completed flights.
Queries for in-flight aircraft return a set of matching aircraft based on a combination of parameters, like location, flight or tail number, origin and/or destination airport, aircraft type, and/or a low-to-high range of altitude and/or ground speed, plus others. For each matching aircraft, data returned includes the flight or tail number, the aircraft type, origin and destination, time the last position was received, and the longitude, latitude, groundspeed, and altitude of that position. Matching flight tracks can also be requested.
For airports, AeroAPI queries can return a list of scheduled flights, flights that have departed, flights that are enroute to the airport, and flights that have arrived at the airport.
What's new in Version 3.0 Beta
Version 3.0 is a major update to the previous functionality offered by AeroAPI 2.0 and focuses on these major areas of improvement:
- Making it easier for applications developers to obtain all of the data elements about a flight with fewer requests
- Exposing more data fields that were not previously available
- Improving usability by exposting values in alternate formats, such as timestamps in local time and alternate coding formats
- Simplifying pricing and make it easier to estimate your monthly costs by using a subscription model with predictable pricing
Version 3.0 is currently available for "Beta" testing by customers interested in getting a sneak peek at our upcoming API release and helping us by providing early feedback. During the beta period, only a portion of our planned functionality will be available for access. In particular, pushed notifications and geospatial (birdseye) queries are not currently available during the initial beta testing period but are expected to be offered closer to the official production launch date.
Additionally, since some aspects of the Version 3.0 API are not yet finalized, some aspects of the service should be expected to change between now and the official production launch. This may require modifications to any applications designed against the beta version of the API.
Legacy users of AeroAPI 1.0 and AeroAPI 2.0 will continue to be able to access those versions of the API without any changes to their applications. Each version uses a different endpoint URL which ensures that versions of the APIs are accessed independently.
Typical Uses
Possible uses of AeroAPI include:
- Integrating AeroAPI radar data with your existing flight operations software
- Using AeroAPI in mobile apps for flight status or notifications
- Compiling flight activity logs and records in your own database
- Creating a customized alerting system based on the current status of your fleet
- Streamlining flight planning by showing common routes as cleared by air traffic control between two airports
- Adding real flight data to your simulations
- Showing flight tracks in Google Earth
- Creating visualizations of traffic patterns
- Adding live flight information to your company's website