Flight APIs are a great tool for travelers. They allow them to get a wide variety of flight-related features, like tracking flight status, departure times, and arrival times. This can be helpful if users are looking for a particular flight number or origin/destination airport pair, a really common request. One of the most popular tools, however, is called Historical flight data and is useful not only for travelers but also for airlines.
Historical Flight Data
So, the basis for commercial analysis and predictive technology across the whole travel sector is historical flight data. Every post-operational study is built on historical data. Historical Flight Data is therefore crucial for performing post-flight analysis on an aircraft because it not only enables users to have a more complete operational picture but also starts to get actionable insights earlier. This study evaluates a plane’s performance over time, troublesome flights, flight incidents, and other problems.
Analysts want trustworthy and correct data for in-depth research. But occasionally there are data gaps because of lost data, outages, and other omitted links. To provide accurate and complete datasets, historical data can help fill in the blanks and provide the knowledge needed to make the best judgments. You can find the information you need on a variety of sites. But it can be a challenging endeavor. Thus, we will discuss FlightLabs with you, the API that resulted to be the best option for us.
FlightLabs: The Best Historical Flight Data API
An extensive API called FlightLabs collects data about foreign flights in real-time from a variety of sources. Modern technology like artificial intelligence is advantageous for this API. (AI). You will receive the most recent information that is currently available.
You can get flight status information from 13,000 airlines and more than 250 countries using the FlightLabs API. The flight data that is accessible using this API includes, among other things, departures, daily flights, arrivals, aviation taxes, historical flights, airline routes, and status updates.
This API may be very helpful for developers because it can be accessible in a variety of programming languages, including Python and PHP. As a result, incorporating all of the data into programs or apps will be simple.
Flightlabs‘ API Endpoints
So, let’s look at an example. Aside from giving data about current flights, the FlightLabs API can also seek data about previous flights. The Historical Flights endpoint can retrieve flight data and offer historical information on any flight in the world. Here’s an illustration:
| Object | Description |
|---|---|
access_key | [Required] Your API access key, which can be found in your account dashboard. |
code | [Required] Departure or arrival airport IATA code. |
type | [Required] Either “departure” or “arrival” as both within the same query is not possible. |
date_to | [Optional] Filter your results by the end date of the requested date range. |
dep_iataCode | [Optional] Filter by departure airport if “arrival” for “&type=” was chosen, based on the airport IATA code. |
arr_iataCode | [Optional] Filter your results by arrival airport if “departure” for “&type=” was chosen, based on the airport IATA code. |
airline_iata | [Optional] Option to filter airlines based on airline IATA code |
flight_num | [Optional] Option to filter a specific flight based on its flight number. Example: 5703 |
Example Of API Response
{
"data": [
{
"type":"arrival",
"status":"cancelled",
"departure": {
"iata_code":"MLA",
"icao_code":"LMML",
"scheduled_time":"2020-07-18T08:35:00.000"
},
"arrival": {
"iata_code":"LGW",
"icao_code":"EGKK",
"terminal":"S",
"scheduled_time":"2020-07-18T10:55:00.000"
},
"airline": {
"name":"Air Baltic",
"iata_code":"BT",
"icao_code":"BTI"
},
"flight": {
"number":"6079",
"iata_number":"BT6079",
"icao_number":"BTI6079"
},
"codeshared": {
"airline": {
"name":"Air Malta",
"iata_code":"KM",
"icao_code":"AMC"
},
"flight": {
"number":"116",
"iata_number":"KM116",
"icao_number":"AMC116"
}
}
},
[...]
]
}How To Get Historical Flight Data With FlightLabs API?
FlightLabs is a simple API that can supply you with precise flight data. This information can be used to track flights, forecast future flights, and more. All you need to get started with FlightLabs is an account and a few basic steps.
- Create your account on FlightLabs. Next, choose your preferred endpoint and type the value that is required.
- Call the API after using these codes. A distinct API key can be obtained from your account dashboard.
- After that, simply click “Run,” and you’re done! You will see the API response on your screen. Choosing a programming language is another option.
Want to learn more about this? Go check to Get The Most Out Of Your Airport Data With APIs
Also published on Medium.