ACARS is a digital messaging system for aircraft.
Via VHF radio or satellite, aircraft and air traffic controllers
automatically exchange short messages — about weather, routes, clearances and position.
This map shows where those messages originate from.
● MARKERS ON THE MAP
Purple — Aircraft position Exact location of the aircraft at that moment, received via satellite or VHF.
Red — Military aircraft Identified as military based on callsign or hex code.
Green — Airport (APT) An airport that appeared in a message as departure, destination or reference.
Blue — ATIS weather station ATIS = automatic weather report from an airport. Aircraft request this before landing: wind, visibility, QNH, active runway.
Yellow diamond — FIR boundary FIR = Flight Information Region. Aircraft reported in this airspace area (e.g. Amsterdam FIR, London FIR).
OO
Green OO — OOOI event OUT (door closed), OFF (wheels up), ON (landing), IN (arrived at gate). Click for flight history of that airport.
Orange triangle ! — NOTAM zone Active NOTAM with coordinates — drone zone, restricted area, obstacle or construction. Often shown with an orange circle or polygon on the map.
Red triangle ! — GPS interference warning SATCOM Direct alert — GPS jamming or spoofing detected in this FIR. Received via ACARS from aircraft flying through affected regions (Baltic, Mediterranean, Baghdad, Tehran, Tel Aviv etc.).
SIGMET zone — Significant Meteorological Information Hazardous weather received via ACARS, shown as a coloured polygon. Colours: red=thunderstorm/TS, orange=turbulence, blue=icing, purple=volcanic ash, yellow=other.
— LINES ON THE MAP
Purple — Flight route Line from departure airport via current position to destination. Clickable for flight details.
Orange — PDC clearance PDC = Pre-Departure Clearance. Departure clearance received digitally: squawk code, departure runway, climb altitude and destination.
Cyan — Ocean route (OCN) North Atlantic clearance (OC1/B2). Aircraft receives approval to cross the ocean via specific waypoints at high altitude.
Yellow triangle — Waypoint Navigation point along the route — ocean waypoints (N52W050), air traffic junctions (PIKIL, MIMKU) or military route points from flight plan.
Green — Dispatch route Flight plan with fuel data (RF label). Shows registration, aircraft type and fuel quantity in kg.
Red — Military route IFPS flight plan or FPN message from military flight. E.g. RRR (RAF) or RCH (USAF) from departure to destination.
▼ FILTER BUTTONS
All — show everythingMil — military flights onlyAPT — airports, ATIS and METARPDC — departure clearances and routesOCN — North Atlantic ocean routesOOOI — gate events (OUT/OFF/ON/IN)Click on marker or line → details on the right
