# PlanesLive Scraper - FlightRadar24 Alternative (`igolaizola/planeslive-scraper`) Actor

Scrape live and historical flight data from PlanesLive by airport route, flight code, or coordinates. Export JSON/CSV for analytics, dashboards, and monitoring. Reliable, proxy-ready, and a strong FlightRadar24 API alternative for building flight data products.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/igolaizola/planeslive-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Iñigo Garcia Olaizola](https://apify.com/igolaizola) (community)
- **Categories:** Travel, Integrations, Automation
- **Stats:** 30 total users, 2 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.40 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

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

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## 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.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## PlanesLive scraper - FlightRadar24 alternative

Track live flights, routes, and nearby air traffic from PlanesLive. Perfect for analytics, aviation dashboards, monitoring routes, and building flight data products.

### 🤖 What does PlanesLive Scraper do?

This actor fetches flight data from PlanesLive and saves it to a dataset (JSON/CSV). You can search by:

- ✈️ Route: by origin and destination airport codes (IATA like JFK, SFO)
- 🧾 Flight: by flight code (e.g., AAL123, AFR454)
- 📍 Nearby: by coordinates and radius (e.g., flights within 50–300 km)

It supports optional dates for historical queries and a `maxItems` cap for output size.

### 💡 Why use this flight scraper?

- 📈 Build real‑time aviation dashboards and alerts
- 🗺️ Analyze routes, fleets, and flight patterns
- 🔎 Monitor specific flights or airport pairs
- 📊 Power logistics, travel, and operations research

### 🚀 How to use

1. Add the actor to your Apify account.
2. Choose one of the input modes: Route, Flight, or Nearby.
3. Set `maxItems` and optional `dates` or `distance`.
4. Run the actor and download results from the Dataset tab.

### 📝 Input Parameters

Supply inputs as JSON. You can combine modes, but at least one of `origins`/`destinations`, `flights`, or `coordinates` must be provided.

| Parameter            | Type / Options                 | Default | Description                                                                                    |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------ | ------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `maxItems`           | integer (>= 1)                 | `10`    | Required. Maximum number of items to save.                                                     |
| `origins`            | array<string> (IATA)           |         | Origin airport codes, e.g., `JFK`, `LAX`. Requires `destinations`.                             |
| `destinations`       | array<string> (IATA)           |         | Destination airport codes. Requires `origins`.                                                 |
| `flights`            | array<string>                  |         | Flight codes, e.g., `AAL123`, `AFR454`.                                                        |
| `coordinates`        | array<string> (`"lat,lon"`)    |         | Coordinates for Nearby search, e.g., `"40.641766,-73.780968"`.                                 |
| `distance`           | string: `"50"` `"100"` `"300"` | `"50"`  | Radius in km for Nearby search with `coordinates`.                                             |
| `dates`              | array<string> (`YYYY-MM-DD`)   |         | Dates for historical queries. If empty, today's date is used where applicable. Not for Nearby. |

Important rules:

- If `origins` are provided, `destinations` must also be provided (and vice versa).
- Nearby search requires `coordinates`; `distance` defaults to `50` if omitted.

### 🔧 Examples

Route — JFK to SFO on two dates:

```json
{
  "maxItems": 100,
  "origins": ["JFK"],
  "destinations": ["SFO"],
  "dates": ["2025-09-20", "2025-09-21"]
}
```

Flight — Track a specific flight code on a date:

```json
{
  "maxItems": 50,
  "flights": ["LY2", "AAL92"],
  "dates": ["2025-09-21"]
}
```

Nearby — Flights within 100 km of JFK coordinates:

```json
{
  "maxItems": 200,
  "coordinates": ["40.641766,-73.780968"],
  "distance": "100"
}
```

### 📊 Output

Each dataset item is a flight object from PlanesLive. Fields vary by flight, but commonly include:

- `id`, `icao`, `iata`, `flight_type`, `status`
- `aircraft` — `regno`, `icao` type, `manufacturer`, `model`, `photo_url`
- `origin`, `destination`, `airline_icao`, `airline_logo_s`, `airline_logo_l`
- `departure`, `departure_actual`, `departure_terminal`
- `arrival`, `arrival_actual`, `arrival_terminal`
- `route_time`, `waypoints`, `positions`
- Optional: `seats`, `meals`, `shared_codes`

Sample (shortened):

```json
{
  "id": "98661756-22d7-4e5d-bcd9-a4bae2b3fbec",
  "icao": "ELY2",
  "iata": "LY2",
  "status": 3,
  "aircraft": {
    "regno": "4XEDI",
    "icao": "B789",
    "manufacturer": "Boeing",
    "model": "B789"
  },
  "airline_icao": "ELY",
  "origin": "KJFK",
  "departure": "2025-09-21T17:30:00-04:00",
  "destination": "LLBG",
  "arrival": "2025-09-22T10:50:00+03:00",
  "airline_logo_s": "https://…/ELY_S.png",
  "airline_logo_l": "https://…/ELY_L.png"
}
```

### ⚙️ Notes & Best Practices

- Provide realistic `maxItems` to avoid over‑fetching.
- Use `dates` for stable historical queries; omit for today's flights.
- When using `coordinates`, choose a reasonable `distance` (`50`, `100`, `300`).
- Apify Residential proxies are recommended for reliability.

### 💳 Pricing

Apify's Free plan includes monthly credits for small tests. For production workloads, the Personal or Business plans are recommended. See [Apify Pricing](https://apify.com/pricing) for details.

### ❓ FAQ

- Does `dates` apply to Nearby searches? No; Nearby lists current flights around the coordinates.
- Can I pass only `origins`? No. If `origins` are provided, `destinations` are required (and vice versa).
- What airport codes should I use? Use IATA codes like `JFK`, `SFO`, `LAX`.

### 📥 Integrations

- Use Apify's API to stream dataset items into your app or warehouse.
- Export results as JSON, CSV, or via Apify Integrations (Zapier/Make, webhooks, etc.).

### 🆘 Support

Need help or a custom feature? Create an issue or contact us at [t.me/igolaizola](https://t.me/igolaizola). Happy flying! ✈️

### ⚖️ Legal & Ethics

Web data collection may be subject to website Terms of Service, intellectual property rights, and data privacy laws (e.g., GDPR, CCPA). Use this actor responsibly:

- Review and comply with PlanesLive's terms and acceptable‑use policies.
- Respect robots.txt and rate limits; avoid disruptive behavior.
- Do not collect or process personal data unless you have a lawful basis.
- Ensure your use complies with your jurisdiction's laws and your organization's policies. When in doubt, seek legal advice.

### 📜 Disclaimer

This Actor is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by PlanesLive or its owners/operators. All trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

# Actor input Schema

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

Maximum number of properties to scrape

## `origins` (type: `array`):

List of origin airport codes (e.g. JFK, LAX)

## `destinations` (type: `array`):

List of destination airport codes (e.g. SFO, LAX)

## `flights` (type: `array`):

List of flight codes (e.g. AAL123, AFR454)

## `coordinates` (type: `array`):

List of coordinates in 'lat,lon' format (e.g. 40.641766,-73.780968)

## `distance` (type: `string`):

Distance in kilometers for nearby flights search (requires coordinates)

## `dates` (type: `array`):

List of dates in YYYY-MM-DD format. (Not applied for coordinates search.)

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "origins": [
    "JFK"
  ],
  "destinations": [
    "SFO"
  ],
  "distance": "50"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (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 = {
    "origins": [
        "JFK"
    ],
    "destinations": [
        "SFO"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("igolaizola/planeslive-scraper").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 = {
    "origins": ["JFK"],
    "destinations": ["SFO"],
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("igolaizola/planeslive-scraper").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 '{
  "origins": [
    "JFK"
  ],
  "destinations": [
    "SFO"
  ]
}' |
apify call igolaizola/planeslive-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,igolaizola/planeslive-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

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/bao2SuAE9RF18oabX/builds/tmJiMkIqBhmq3o1A6/openapi.json