Frequently Asked Questions
General questions on APIs
An API call is basically one successful action of pulling data with any of our APIs. This can be one flight within a complete schedule on a given date, or the complete schedule itself. Regardless of the amount of data the API returns, each action of pulling data counts as 1 API call. If the API returns an error whether because the endpoint is incorrectly used or the data you request is unavailable, this does not count as an API call and does not consume your call limit.
Categories of data the APIs cover
An API call is basically one successful action of pulling data with any of our APIs. This can be one flight within a complete schedule on a given date, or the complete schedule itself. Regardless of the amount of data the API returns, each action of pulling data counts as 1 API call. If the API returns an error whether because the endpoint is incorrectly used or the data you request is unavailable, this does not count as an API call and does not consume your call limit.
Yes, you may track the real-time location of these via the Flights Tracker API. However, if they are not part of a pre-determined and publicly available schedule (which often is the case), they would not be available to get via the Schedules API.
Yes, you may track the real-time location of these via the Flights Tracker API. If they are part of a certain airport’s schedule, you may track these via the Schedules API as well.
Please visit the tables on our documentation page where each value is described for each API. If anything’s unclear, contact us anytime!
All the aircraft Aviation Edge tracks operate in public airspace. They are broadcasting their locations and intentions on public radio frequencies. They depart and arrive at airports where they have their identification number painted on the aircraft. All information the APIs return is already publicly accessible to anyone. We’ve just developed a way of doing this more accurately and collectively. As a result, there is no concern over violating any personal data by using our APIs and databases.All the aircraft Aviation Edge tracks operate in public airspace. They are broadcasting their locations and intentions on public radio frequencies. They depart and arrive at airports where they have their identification number painted on the aircraft. All information the APIs return is already publicly accessible to anyone. We’ve just developed a way of doing this more accurately and collectively. As a result, there is no concern over violating any personal data by using our APIs and databases.
Occasionally it happens that some airlines have their flight numbers duplicate in the air with different airlines. These would be “codeshared flights”. When tracking two flights with the same number at the same time for this reason (which is a rare thing), some data may be inaccurate. This is unfortunately unavoidable and out of the scope of our Service Level Agreement (SLA).
Some local airports with very little traffic, military airports, a portion of private airports and heliports may not be included. If you come across these, let us know and we can add them, though!
No, we do not provide any data regarding flight tickets and seat availability (booking information).
Yes, here are the main 3 APIs that can be useful for travel and booking agents:
- Future Schedules API: provides flight details of future dates and it is possible to filter the data based on departure/arrival airport, airline, flight number, and more. So, your clients can choose a date and an arrival/departure airport and view scheduled flights from a list to choose from. This schedule data is also available for real-time and historical schedules if you are interested.
- Autocomplete API: This one allows your users to select an airport off the list based on the letters they enter. The API will return all options that include that set of letters in it.
- Passive Database APIs: Countries, Cities, Airlines, Airports, Airplanes, Time zones APIs, and more to display these details on your website.
Yes, we do! Flight delays and cancellations are included in our real-time Schedules API (for ongoing schedules) and in our Historical Schedules API (for past days). Delays in the response are in minutes.
Our services support many languages. We currently have name translations for airports and improving the cities’ translations rapidly, among others.
All times in the API responses are the local current time of the airports.
It may take a few minutes to first obtain the position and information of an aircraft when a flight lifts off. Wait a few minutes and the information will be provided.
Yes, check out our Historical Schedules API! It is currently possible to get dates up to 1 year earlier than the current date but this will expand soon! Contact for more detail if needed.
Yes, check out our Future Schedules API! You may get up to 1 year ahead of the current date. The data for this API is based on historical data and uses an algorithm to create a schedule for a date in the future. As a result, such changes may not reflect right away.
The API was designed to return at least 7 days ahead of the current date. It is currently not possible to directly request dates that are up to 7 days ahead of the current date.
One quick solution to this is to pull these dates beforehand when they are available. For example, you would not be able to request between 2022-01-01 and 2021-01-08 on 2022-01-01, but this window was available to pull a week ago.
No, we do not have reason data or the codes regarding these. this is to pull these dates beforehand when they are available. For example, you would not be able to request between 2022-01-01 and 2021-01-08 on 2022-01-01, but this window was available to pull a week ago.
No, we do not have data regarding denied boarding.
Yes, we have this information in all 3 of our schedule APIs (real-time, historical, and future). However, the availability of this data a bit depends on the airport in question and may not be available for all airports and at all times.
We display the flights that are already arrived for a short while. However, it is best to make periodical calls (and maybe save these if needed) to make sure you capture everything.
All schedule APIs are designed to return a single schedule at a time. This means either the departure or the arrival schedule of a specific airport. So don’t forget to always add the airport IATA code and the schedule type (“type=departure” or “type=arrival”) parameters in the endpoint!
The APIs do not have such a feature directly. However, it is perfectly possible to build one on your end by comparing the changes in the data as you make new API calls.
Updates
We provide 2 real-time APIs: the Flights Tracker API for live flight location tracking and the Schedules API for real-time airport timetable data. The Flights Tracker API updates around every 5 minutes whereas the Schedules API updates around every 15 minutes. You will always receive the latest available data each time you make an API call.
The static data consists of Airports API, Cities API, Countries API, Airlines API, Airplanes API, Routes API, Aviation Taxes API, and Time Zones API. The update frequencies for these may vary depending on the number of changes in each API subject during a certain time. For example, city information does not change at all, but airport information may change. Please contact us if you have any questions about a particular passive API.
Yes, you will have access to the updated versions in the future once you purchase a full version of a database. The alternative way to get updates is by signing up for the API version of these standalone databases instead which is updated constantly.
We can say that there isn’t a single data provider that covers every item when it comes to aviation big data but we can say that we are proactive about the client feedback about this.
Should you detect any missing items, let us know and we will make it available for API requests right away and ensure that this change also comes the next time the data updates for the standalone databases.
Please make sure the program you open the file with supports the languages and alphabets the database includes.
Sources
Aviation Edge collects and verifies data from multiple sources that include our trusted data partners in the sector, directly through airports or airlines, or official bodies such as IATA (when available and permitted). We have developed dedicated software for most of our sources to constantly stay updated and check the data for accuracy. We aggregate this data on our end and provide it to you collectively through our APIs.
We are essentially bound with the data provided us by our sources. As much as we pick our sources delicately, it is rarely possible to encounter inconsistent data between API services. This is because our sources and data partners may differ for different APIs. For example, the sources for the Flight Tracking and Airport Schedule data services are different. You can inform us if you notice inconsistency and we will use this information to improve our system.
Accuracy
This depends on the case. Even though the majority of the flights are very accurate, there may be cases where the accuracy deviates by a few kilometers.
Essentially, yes. You can track the schedule changes via our real-time Schedules API. However, not all changes (such as flight status or estimated times) can be reflected right away. This simply depends on the availability of the data at the time.
It is as accurate as we receive it from our sources. For example, we collect schedule data straight from our data partners as well as the airports and airlines all around the world and centralize it in our database. In case the data comes inaccurately from our services, please note that we unfortunately do not have a way of determining and correcting these in real-time. However, we can correct passive data right away and would appreciate any feedback you may have on this.
For the same reason, schedule data sometimes may not match that in an airport’s or airline’s own website. Another reason for this can be that some airports are quite large, so there may be a time difference between landing on the runway and the time it takes to taxi to the gate.
Flights Tracker API: Please make sure the flight is live and airborne while you make the API call. This API does not return flights that have yet to take off. If it is airborne but still missing, our data sources may not have picked up this flight or the airplane can be currently in an area with no signal. The flight may be available anytime, so refreshing the data helps.
Schedules API: This API covers approximately 12 hours at a time. This window generally covers 6 hours earlier and 6 hours ahead of the current time. If the flight you are looking for has landed more than 6 hours ago or is scheduled to take off in more than 6 hours, it may not be available yet. Refreshing data also works for this API to keep track.
Future Schedules API: This API uses an algorithm based on historical data of a certain period to create a schedule for a future date. This certain period develops and advances into the future as time goes by. If a flight cannot be seen for a certain date in the future, there isn’t much we can do but it can surely appear for its upcoming sessions in the future as the algorithm develops for upcoming days in the future.
Some local airports with very little traffic, airports that work on a FIFO basis, military airports, a portion of private airports, and heliports may not be included. If that is not the case, let us know and we will contact our data partners right away to see if we can add this airport.
No, not all of our data falls under the Service Level Agreement (SLA) and can be guaranteed as accurate. Certain data is based on estimates. Such usage would be against Aviation Edge’s terms of use nor is it recommended for projects that require absolute 100% accuracy.
We provide the schedule data airport by airport rather than in an airline-by-airline manner. It is possible to filter the flights in the response by the airline, but the original base point of the data is the airport. As a result, we can send you a list of airports supported if needed but not of airlines. Though, no specific airline is excluded.
API subscriptions, account, refunds, and discount
We have 4 different API subscription plans with 4 different monthly API call limits which you may choose from based on your needs and the scale of your project. If you need help making an estimation on how many API calls you will need per month, let us know and we’d be happy to help you with that.
The reduced rates on the pricing table apply for the first month only to make sure our clients can fully test the data. The regular prices apply automatically for each following month after the first.
You may log in to your dashboard and simply upgrade your API subscription to a higher level on the “Account Details” tab and the new, higher limits will be applied to your account right away.
You can track your usage on your dashboard. To log in to the dashboard, simply use your email address and the password sent to you over email when you first created the subscription.
You may view all your invoices under the “Invoices” tab on your dashboard anytime. Invoices are not sent as emails for the time being.
Send us an email letting us know of your monthly API call estimation and we will get back to you with an offer accordingly, right away.
Yes, you may cancel your subscription anytime by simply logging in to your dashboard and clicking the “Cancel Subscription” button under the “Invoices” tab. Another way to cancel is to simply send us a request via email at least 5 days before the next renewal date.
The subscription fees are non-refundable even in cases the API keys are not actively or at all used. However, if this is the case, let us know and we’d be happy to credit your unused calls for the next time you subscribe as an exception.
We, unfortunately, had to disable the Free Trial option due to abuse. However, we also reduced the first month of the API subscriptions to as low as $15 to make sure everyone can test the data while benefitting from the advantages of a Premium subscription.
If you are a student or working on a non-commercial project with a very limited budget and need our data, please contact us for several opportunities. We are always excited to hear about our clients’ projects and try to support these as much as we can. In cases where we can grant free access, we only ask for backlinks on any online platform that shows us as the source in exchange. This helps us support even more projects such as yours!
We apply a 10% discount on annual payments for any plan you prefer.
We have two different databases: one for API subscriptions and one for database purchases. It is very likely that you are trying the wrong one. Please use the hyperlinked dashboards depending on which dashboard you’d like to log in to.
Developer information
The databases are available in Excel, CSV and SQL formats (all three come in a .RAR file). You can also access the databases through our API which is JSON/REST.
Yes, all APIs are basic JSON/REST APIs and compatible with almost all commonly-used SDKs, script languages, and programming languages. We currently do not have documentation on how to implement and build apps with the APIs but you can find tutorials online easily about using API systems with mobile operating systems.
Yes, there are certain filters you can use for each API. For example, you can filter flights by their airline, destination airport, or you can track an individual flight by its flight number, among many other possibilities. The parameters you should use to filter can be slightly different depending on the API in question. For example, “flight_iata=” vs “flightIata=”. Make sure you use it exactly as shown in the documentation. how to implement and build apps with the APIs but you can find tutorials online easily about using API systems with mobile operating systems.
Filters available for each API are limited to the ones listed in the documentation. Using non-existent filters will result in an error.
This error is displayed when the endpoint you are using is incorrect or when the data you request is not available. It can be unavailable for a list of reasons we mention in the “accuracy” section but if you have any doubts, feel free to send us an email with the endpoint you are using and we will look into it!
Support
Of course. we highly recommend checking out the documentation to view how the APIs work. It is very clearly explained and should be easy to pick up for an API developer whether you have previous experience with APIs or not. Should you have any questions, we will always be here to assist you.
We experimented with different support channels in the past and found email to be the fastest and the most efficient method. Feel free to send us an email anytime and we will get back to you within 12 hours.
We do not directly take part in the development phase of your project but should you have any questions about the APIs or the data, we are happy to help!