# Live Flight Tracker API – $2.7/1K (`fluyeporlaweb/live-flights-adsb`) Actor

Live aircraft positions from open ADS-B data: callsign, registration, type, altitude, speed near any point, or by callsign, hex, type or squawk. No login.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/fluyeporlaweb/live-flights-adsb.md
- **Developed by:** [Pablo Navarro](https://apify.com/fluyeporlaweb) (community)
- **Categories:** Travel, Developer tools, Automation
- **Security:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.70 / 1,000 aircraft

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Live Flight Tracker API – ADS-B Aircraft Positions

**Live flight tracker** API on **open ADS-B data from adsb.lol**: get **real-time aircraft positions with callsign, registration, aircraft type, altitude, ground speed, heading, squawk and distance** around any point, or find aircraft by callsign, ICAO hex, registration, type code, squawk or military status.

### What does it do?

- Aircraft around any coordinate (up to 250 nm), sorted by distance.
- Lookups by callsign (e.g. BAW123), ICAO hex, registration, ICAO type (A388, B789), squawk (7700 emergencies) or all military aircraft.
- Clean JSON: position, barometric/geometric altitude, on-ground flag, speed, track, vertical rate, emergency status.
- Aircraft in FAA privacy programs (PIA/LADD) are hidden by default.
- Open, community-fed ADS-B network (ODbL), not a scrape of a commercial tracker.

### Use cases

- **Aviation dashboards and spotting apps**: what is flying over an airport right now.
- **Logistics and travel**: check whether a flight is airborne.
- **Emergency monitoring**: squawk 7700/7600/7500 alerts on a schedule.
- **Research and journalism**: snapshots of traffic over a region.
- **AI agents** answering "what plane is that?" questions.

### Input

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `mode` | Example: point |
| `latitude` | Only for mode "point". Example: 51.47 (London Heathrow) |
| `longitude` | Only for mode "point". Example: -0.4543 |
| `radiusNm` | Only for mode "point". Example: 50 |
| `values` | Callsigns, hex codes, registrations, ICAO type codes or squawks, depending on mode. Example: A388 |
| `excludePrivacyFlagged` | Hide aircraft in the FAA PIA / LADD privacy programs. Example: true |
| `onlyWithPosition` | Example: true |
| `maxItems` | Example: 25 |

Example input:

```json
{
  "mode": "point",
  "latitude": "51.47",
  "longitude": "-0.4543",
  "radiusNm": 50,
  "maxItems": 25
}
```

### Output

Real output (first items of a run on 26 Oct 2026):

```json
[
  {
    "icao24": "406e11",
    "callsign": "VIR130C",
    "registration": "G-VOWS",
    "aircraftType": "B789",
    "aircraftDescription": null,
    "category": "A5",
    "latitude": 51.468338,
    "longitude": -0.457009,
    "altitudeBaroFt": null,
    "onGround": true,
    "altitudeGeomFt": null,
    "groundSpeedKt": 3.2,
    "trackDeg": null,
    "verticalRateFpm": null,
    "squawk": "7644",
    "emergency": "none",
    "isMilitary": false,
    "distanceNm": 0.142,
    "bearingDeg": 225.4,
    "secondsSincePosition": 24.838,
    "sourceType": "adsb_icao",
    "observedAt": "2026-10-31T08:51:23+00:00",
    "attribution": "Data: adsb.lol (https://adsb.lol), ODbL 1.0"
  },
  {
    "icao24": "a913d6",
    "callsign": "UAL958",
    "registration": "N684UA",
    "aircraftType": "B763",
    "aircraftDescription": null,
    "category": "A5",
    "latitude": 51.466641,
    "longitude": -0.45517,
    "altitudeBaroFt": null,
    "onGround": true,
    "altitudeGeomFt": null,
    "groundSpeedKt": 7.8,
    "trackDeg": null,
    "verticalRateFpm": null,
    "squawk": "7745",
    "emergency": "none",
    "isMilitary": false,
    "distanceNm": 0.204,
    "bearingDeg": 189.2,
    "secondsSincePosition": 1.002,
    "sourceType": "adsb_icao",
    "observedAt": "2026-10-31T08:51:23+00:00",
    "attribution": "Data: adsb.lol (https://adsb.lol), ODbL 1.0"
  }
]
```

Export the results as JSON, CSV or Excel, read them through the API, or send them to Google Sheets, Make, Zapier, n8n or webhooks. You can also run this Actor from AI agents through the Apify MCP server.

### Pricing

Pay per event: **$2.70 per 1,000 aircrafts** plus $0.00005 per run start. There is no extra platform usage charge.

### FAQ

**Where does the data come from?** adsb.lol, an open, community ADS-B / MLAT network whose data is published under the ODbL 1.0 licence.

**Is it real time?** Yes, positions are typically a few seconds old (see secondsSincePosition). Each run is a snapshot; schedule it for time series.

**Does it include origin and destination?** No, only what aircraft broadcast (ADS-B).

**Coverage?** Depends on volunteer receivers: excellent over Europe and North America, thinner over oceans.

**Why are some aircraft missing?** Privacy-flagged aircraft (PIA/LADD) are excluded by default; aircraft without a position are skipped.

**Can I schedule it?** Yes, e.g. every 5 minutes.

**Do I need a login or API key?** No. It uses the source's public API; you only need an Apify account.

**Can AI agents use it?** Yes. Call it through the Apify API, or from Claude, Cursor or any MCP client via the Apify MCP server.

### Data source and license

Data: [adsb.lol](https://adsb.lol) open data API, licensed under the [Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0](https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0/). Attribution "adsb.lol" is included in every result; derived databases must be shared under ODbL. Not affiliated with adsb.lol.

This Actor is not affiliated with or endorsed by the data source. You are responsible for using the data in line with the source's license and terms.

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

Example: point

## `latitude` (type: `string`):

Only for mode "point". Example: 51.47 (London Heathrow)

## `longitude` (type: `string`):

Only for mode "point". Example: -0.4543

## `radiusNm` (type: `integer`):

Only for mode "point". Example: 50

## `values` (type: `array`):

Callsigns, hex codes, registrations, ICAO type codes or squawks, depending on mode. Example: A388

## `excludePrivacyFlagged` (type: `boolean`):

Hide aircraft in the FAA PIA / LADD privacy programs. Example: true

## `onlyWithPosition` (type: `boolean`):

Example: true

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Example: 25

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "point",
  "latitude": "51.47",
  "longitude": "-0.4543",
  "radiusNm": 50,
  "excludePrivacyFlagged": true,
  "onlyWithPosition": true,
  "maxItems": 25
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `items` (type: `string`):

No description

## `summary` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "mode": "point",
    "latitude": "51.47",
    "longitude": "-0.4543",
    "maxItems": 25
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("fluyeporlaweb/live-flights-adsb").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "mode": "point",
    "latitude": "51.47",
    "longitude": "-0.4543",
    "maxItems": 25,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("fluyeporlaweb/live-flights-adsb").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "mode": "point",
  "latitude": "51.47",
  "longitude": "-0.4543",
  "maxItems": 25
}' |
apify call fluyeporlaweb/live-flights-adsb --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,fluyeporlaweb/live-flights-adsb"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/PN9RcEuBLC6bugs3E/builds/QdAiD1ml5rsyl5vbw/openapi.json