Name: Flight Tracking API: Live Aircraft, Tracks and Delays
Brand: planetrack
SKU: api-planetrack-planetrack-flight-data
Availability: InStock
Author: API Market

Tristan Munday

# PlaneTrack Flight Data API

## Overview

The PlaneTrack Flight Data API gives you live aircraft positions, the recent track of any aircraft, completed flights for a callsign, and US on-time reliability for a flight, route or airport. The data comes from PlaneTrack.ai's own ADS-B receivers, community receivers around the world and the FAA SWIM stream. All calls are plain GET requests that return JSON.

It is built for developers of flight tracking maps, aviation analytics, airport and travel apps, and logistics tools. In our tests `/live` returned aircraft with callsign, position, altitude and speed refreshed every 15 seconds, the history of UAL1 showed its San Francisco to Singapore flight on a Boeing 787-9, and JFK to LAX over 30 days showed 836 flights with 78.8% on time.

## Features

*   **5 endpoints**: live positions, aircraft track, flight history, reliability and usage.
*   **Live positions**: refreshed every 15 seconds.
*   **Flight history**: departure and arrival airports, times, duration, aircraft type and registration.
*   **On-time reliability**: on-time share, delays over 45 minutes and a daily series for US flights, routes and airports.
*   **Privacy**: aircraft in the FAA LADD program are excluded.
*   **Rate limit**: 10 requests per second on every plan.

## Use Cases

*   **Flight tracking apps**: show aircraft on a map.
*   **Travel apps**: show how reliable a flight or route is before booking.
*   **Airport operations**: monitor departures and delays.
*   **Aviation analytics**: study routes, aircraft and punctuality.
*   **Logistics**: follow cargo flights.

## API Documentation

### Base URL

All requests use the following base URL.

```
https://prod.api.market/api/v1/planetrack/planetrack-flight-data
```

### Authentication

All requests are authenticated with the `x-api-market-key` header.

```
x-api-market-key: YOUR_API_KEY
```

Replace `YOUR_API_KEY` with your actual API key.

### Endpoints

#### 1. Live aircraft

Returns aircraft heard in the last `window_secs` seconds, one row per aircraft with its latest position.

**Method:** `GET`

**Endpoint:** `/live`

**Parameters:**

| Name | In | Description | Type | Required | Default | Max Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `window_secs` | query | Only aircraft seen within this many seconds | integer | No | `120` | - |
| `limit` | query | Maximum rows | integer | No | `5000` | - |

**Example Request:**

```bash
curl -X GET 'https://prod.api.market/api/v1/planetrack/planetrack-flight-data/live?window_secs=60&limit=3' \
  -H 'x-api-market-key: YOUR_API_KEY'
```

**Example Response (200 OK):**

```json
{
  "meta": {
    "tier": "pro",
    "credits_charged": 10,
    "credits_remaining": 999820,
    "credits_scope": "key",
    "commercial_use": true,
    "docs": "https://planetrack.ai/docs.html",
    "generated_at": "2026-11-11T20:36:52.355000+00:00",
    "next_update_at": "2026-11-11T20:37:07.355000+00:00",
    "update_interval_secs": 15,
    "faa_radar": {
      "state": "ok",
      "as_of": "2026-11-11T20:36:50.970866+00:00"
    }
  },
  "count": 3,
  "aircraft": [
    {
      "icao24": "a33e4d",
      "callsign": "AAL2365",
      "lat": 33.99266,
      "lon": -117.82943,
      "altitude": 7950,
      "heading": 263.0,
      "velocity": 292.0,
      "last_seen": "2026-11-11T20:36:52.355000+00:00"
    },
    {
      "icao24": "a176b1",
      "callsign": "N1937V",
      "lat": 38.368835,
      "lon": -91.59757,
      "altitude": 43000,
      "heading": 296.0,
      "velocity": 429.0,
      "last_seen": "2026-11-11T20:36:52.355000+00:00"
    },
    {
      "icao24": "adbb45",
      "callsign": "N984P",
      "lat": 28.99385,
      "lon": -82.19055,
      "altitude": 6575,
      "heading": 167.0,
      "velocity": 221.0,
      "last_seen": "2026-11-11T20:36:52.355000+00:00"
    }
  ]
}
```

#### 2. Aircraft track

Returns recent positions of one aircraft by its ICAO 24-bit hex address, oldest first.

**Method:** `GET`

**Endpoint:** `/aircraft/{icao24}/track`

**Parameters:**

| Name | In | Description | Type | Required | Default | Max Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `icao24` | path | ICAO 24-bit address in hex, for example `a33e4d` | string | Yes | - | 6 characters |
| `minutes` | query | Lookback window in minutes | integer | No | `720` | - |
| `limit` | query | Maximum points, at least 10 | integer | No | `5000` | - |

**Example Request:**

```bash
curl -X GET 'https://prod.api.market/api/v1/planetrack/planetrack-flight-data/aircraft/a33e4d/track?minutes=60&limit=10' \
  -H 'x-api-market-key: YOUR_API_KEY'
```

**Example Response (200 OK):**

```json
{
  "meta": {
    "tier": "pro",
    "credits_charged": 20,
    "credits_remaining": 999780,
    "credits_scope": "key",
    "commercial_use": true,
    "docs": "https://planetrack.ai/docs.html",
    "marketplace": "apimarket"
  },
  "history": {
    "tier": "api_pro",
    "history_days": 365,
    "history_from": "2025-11-11"
  },
  "icao24": "a33e4d",
  "count": 10,
  "points": [
    {
      "icao24": "a33e4d",
      "lat": 36.520248,
      "lon": -109.30835,
      "received_at": "2026-11-11T19:37:07.392000+00:00"
    },
    {
      "icao24": "a33e4d",
      "lat": 36.514938,
      "lon": -109.335602,
      "received_at": "2026-11-11T19:37:22.424000+00:00"
    },
    {
      "icao24": "a33e4d",
      "lat": 36.505005,
      "lon": -109.386459,
      "received_at": "2026-11-11T19:37:37.407000+00:00"
    }
  ]
}
```

The `points` list above is shortened to three of 10 points.

#### 3. Flight history

Returns completed flights for a callsign.

**Method:** `GET`

**Endpoint:** `/flights/{callsign}/history`

**Parameters:**

| Name | In | Description | Type | Required | Default | Max Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `callsign` | path | ICAO callsign as flown, for example `UAL1` | string | Yes | - | - |
| `days` | query | Lookback in days | integer | No | `30` | 365 |
| `limit` | query | Maximum flights | integer | No | `50` | - |

**Example Request:**

```bash
curl -X GET 'https://prod.api.market/api/v1/planetrack/planetrack-flight-data/flights/UAL1/history?days=7&limit=3' \
  -H 'x-api-market-key: YOUR_API_KEY'
```

**Example Response (200 OK):**

```json
{
  "callsign": "UAL1",
  "date_range": {
    "from": "2026-11-04",
    "to": "2026-11-11"
  },
  "entitlement": {
    "effective_days": 7,
    "lookback_limit_days": 365,
    "requested_days": 7,
    "tier": "api_pro"
  },
  "flights": [
    {
      "aircraft": {
        "airline": "United Airlines",
        "registration": "N81105",
        "type": "B789"
      },
      "arrival": {
        "airport": "WSSS",
        "city": "SINGAPORE",
        "country": "SINGAPORE",
        "name": "SINGAPORE CHANGI"
      },
      "arrival_time": "2026-11-07T23:40:07.418000+00:00",
      "callsign": "UAL1",
      "data_quality": {
        "confidence_score": 0.9,
        "is_complete": true
      },
      "departure": {
        "airport": "KSFO",
        "city": "SAN FRANCISCO",
        "country": "USA",
        "name": "SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL"
      },
      "departure_time": "2026-11-07T07:14:07.411000+00:00",
      "flight_date": "2026-11-07",
      "flight_duration": "16h 26m",
      "id": 52320032,
      "statistics": {
        "average_speed": 425,
        "distance_nm": 7333,
        "max_altitude": 40000,
        "total_positions": 76
      }
    }
  ],
  "total_flights": 1,
  "meta": {
    "tier": "pro",
    "credits_charged": 20,
    "credits_remaining": 999850,
    "credits_scope": "key",
    "commercial_use": true,
    "docs": "https://planetrack.ai/docs.html",
    "marketplace": "apimarket"
  },
  "history": {
    "tier": "api_pro",
    "history_days": 365,
    "history_from": "2025-11-11",
    "requested_days": 7,
    "days": 7
  }
}
```

The `flights` list above is shortened to one flight.

#### 4. On-time reliability

Returns on-time performance for a US flight, route or departure airport. Send exactly one of `flight`, `route` or `airport`.

**Method:** `GET`

**Endpoint:** `/reliability`

**Parameters:**

| Name | In | Description | Type | Required | Default | Max Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `flight` | query | ICAO callsign, for example `UAL1` | string | One of | - | - |
| `route` | query | Origin and destination, for example `JFK-LAX` or `KJFK-KLAX` | string | One of | - | - |
| `airport` | query | Departure airport, for example `JFK` | string | One of | - | - |
| `days` | query | Lookback in days | integer | No | `30` | 90 |

**Example Request:**

```bash
curl -X GET 'https://prod.api.market/api/v1/planetrack/planetrack-flight-data/reliability?route=JFK-LAX&days=30' \
  -H 'x-api-market-key: YOUR_API_KEY'
```

**Example Response (200 OK):**

```json
{
  "meta": {
    "tier": "pro",
    "credits_charged": 20,
    "credits_remaining": 999800,
    "credits_scope": "key",
    "commercial_use": true,
    "docs": "https://planetrack.ai/docs.html",
    "marketplace": "apimarket"
  },
  "history": {
    "tier": "api_pro",
    "history_days": 365,
    "history_from": "2025-11-11"
  },
  "route": "KJFK-KLAX",
  "days": 30,
  "flights": 836,
  "on_time_pct": 78.8,
  "delayed_45_pct": 8.4,
  "avg_delay_min": 9.5,
  "daily": [
    {
      "date": "2026-10-12",
      "flights": 28,
      "on_time_pct": 75.0
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-10-13",
      "flights": 28,
      "on_time_pct": 64.3
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-10-14",
      "flights": 26,
      "on_time_pct": 73.1
    }
  ],
  "method": "Departure within 15 min of schedule, net of the origin airport's median taxi-out time. Source: FAA SWIM via PlaneTrack."
}
```

The `daily` list above is shortened to three days.

#### 5. Usage

Returns the status of the PlaneTrack account behind this listing. It counts as a request on your API.market plan. Your own quota is shown on your API.market dashboard.

**Method:** `GET`

**Endpoint:** `/usage`

**Parameters:**

None.

**Example Request:**

```bash
curl -X GET 'https://prod.api.market/api/v1/planetrack/planetrack-flight-data/usage' \
  -H 'x-api-market-key: YOUR_API_KEY'
```

**Example Response (200 OK):**

```json
{
  "tier": "pro",
  "commercial_use": true,
  "monthly_credits": 1000000,
  "credits_remaining": 999820,
  "credits_scope": "key",
  "last_30_days": {
    "requests": 15,
    "credits_used": 180
  },
  "marketplace": "apimarket"
}
```

## Status Codes

| Code | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | OK | The request succeeded and the JSON result is in the response body. |
| 400 | Bad Request | Invalid input, for example `give exactly one of flight, route or airport`. |
| 401 | Unauthorized | The `x-api-market-key` header is missing or the key is not valid. |
| 403 | Forbidden | Your key does not have an active subscription that includes this endpoint. |
| 404 | Not Found | No reliability data exists for that flight, route or airport. |
| 422 | Unprocessable Entity | A parameter is out of range, for example `limit` below 10 on `/aircraft/{icao24}/track`. |
| 429 | Too Many Requests | You went over 10 requests per second or used up the quota of your plan. |
| 500 | Internal Server Error | The request failed on the server. Retry once, then contact us if it continues. |
| 502 |  | The history backend is temporarily unavailable. |
| 503 | Service Unavailable | The service is temporarily unavailable. Retry after a short wait. |

## Rate Limits

Every plan allows up to 10 requests per second, and each subscription plan has its own monthly quota. When you go over a limit, the API returns `429 Too Many Requests`. Throttle your requests, back off before retrying, and honour the `Retry-After` header when it is present.

## FAQ

*   **What do the credit numbers in meta mean?**
    They belong to the PlaneTrack account behind this listing. On API.market each call counts as one request against your plan quota.

*   **How is on time defined?**
    A departure counts as on time when the aircraft left within 15 minutes of schedule, after subtracting the normal taxi-out time at the origin airport.

*   **Does reliability cover flights outside the US?**
    No. Reliability uses FAA data, so it covers US airspace only. Live positions, tracks and history are global.

*   **Where do I find an icao24 address?**
    Every row of `/live` carries the `icao24` of the aircraft.

## Contact Us

If you have any questions or need support, reach out through the chat embedded on this page or email us at hello@magicapi.com.


Live aircraft positions, per-aircraft tracks, flight history by callsign and US on-time reliability from ADS-B receivers and FAA data.

Flight Tracking API: Live Aircraft, Tracks and Delays