How does flight tracking work?
AirLive shows aircraft from ADS-B signals, which aircraft broadcast and volunteers’ receivers pick up.
ADS-B in one minute
Most airliners broadcast their identity, position, height and speed several times a second on a radio frequency. A small receiver with an aerial can pick that up from up to a few hundred miles away when the aircraft is in line of sight.
Where AirLive’s data comes from
From community networks of volunteers who share their receivers’ data. Coverage is best where there are many receivers and thinner in remote areas.
What you might not see
Some aircraft are not shown: those without a transponder, some military flights, and any aircraft that is out of range or turned off. Positions can be a few seconds old, so a plane may look slightly behind where it really is.
Watch for it
If an aircraft on the stream is missing from the list, it is probably not broadcasting or not within range of a receiver.