OpenSky Network MCP. Track live air traffic and analyze flight history.
Gemini Works with every AI agent you already use
…and any MCP-compatible client
Just plug in your AI agents and start using Vinkius.
OpenSky Network MCP Server provides open-source access to global air traffic data. Your AI agent uses this server to track aircraft in real time, check airport arrival and departure manifests, or pull historical flight paths across any ICAO code.
It’s raw ADS-B telemetry—what's moving when.
What your AI agents can do
Get all states
Retrieves the current altitude, velocity, and location of all active aircraft across the monitored area.
Get arrivals
Gets a list of flights scheduled to arrive at a specific airport code.
Get departures
Retrieves the manifest for all aircraft departing from a specific airport code.
Check the current location, altitude, and speed of all tracked aircraft in a specific area.
Retrieve lists of recent flights that have arrived at or departed from a specified airport code.
Pull the historical track data for an aircraft using its unique ICAO24 identifier over time.
Query all flight records that occurred within a specific date and time interval.
Monitor the real-time state and historical tracks for aircraft you are registered to.
Ask AI about this MCP
Supported MCP Clients
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OpenSky Network: 8 Tools for Aviation Data Access
Use these eight tools to query everything from real-time aircraft locations to deep, historical flight path records.
019d75eaget all states
Retrieves the current altitude, velocity, and location of all active aircraft across the monitored area.
019d75eaget arrivals
Gets a list of flights scheduled to arrive at a specific airport code.
019d75eaget departures
Retrieves the manifest for all aircraft departing from a specific airport code.
019d75eaget flights by aircraft
Finds and lists the recorded flight history tracks for an aircraft given its unique ID.
019d75eaget flights by interval
Retrieves all flights that occurred within a specific, defined time window (requires authentication).
019d75eaget my flights
Shows the historical flight tracks for your own registered aircraft (requires authentication).
019d75eaget my states
Gets the current location and status of your own registered aircraft (requires authentication).
019d75eaget recent tracks
Pulls recent track data for a specific aircraft ID.
Choose How to Get Started
Build a custom MCP for your own tools, or connect a ready-made integration from our catalog.
Build Your Own
Turn any API into an MCP. Import a spec, define Agent Skills, or deploy with MCPFusion.
- Import from OpenAPI, Swagger, or YAML specs
- Create Agent Skills with progressive disclosure
- Deploy to edge with MCPFusion framework
- Built in DLP, auth, and compliance on every call
- Real time usage dashboard and cost metering
- Publish to catalog or keep private
Make Your AI Do More
Start with OpenSky Network, then connect any of our 4,700+ other servers whenever your AI needs more. One click, no limits.
- Use this MCP plus 4,700+ others, all in one place
- Add new capabilities to your AI anytime you want
- Every connection is secured and compliant automatically
- Track usage and costs across all your servers
- Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and more
- New servers added to the catalog every week
What you can do with this MCP connector
You connect your AI client to OpenSky Network and you're talking about raw, open-source ADS-B telemetry. This isn't some watered-down API feed; it’s global air traffic data that lets your agent track everything—from a single Cessna hopping through the city to a jumbo jet crossing an ocean. You get structured reports back through natural conversation, using tools built for serious aviation work.
When you need a bird's eye view of what's happening right now, start with Real-Time Air Traffic Monitoring. Use get_all_states and your agent immediately gives you the current altitude, velocity, and exact location for every single aircraft in the monitored zone. That’s pure situational awareness. If you only care about one specific plane, get_recent_tracks pulls recent track data for a unique ID.
For ground movement logging at major hubs, your agent can check arrivals or departures quickly. You just need to supply an ICAO airport code; the server handles the rest. Use get_arrivals to pull lists of all flights scheduled to land there, or run get_departures to get a manifest of every plane taking off from that spot.
These tools give you instant operational status for any major air gateway.
When you need to dig into history, the options are deep. To track down an aircraft's past movements, use get_flights_by_aircraft; you supply its unique ID and get a list of all recorded flight path tracks it made over time. You can also narrow your focus significantly by querying specific dates; that’s what get_flights_by_interval does—it pulls every single record within a defined time window (you'll need to authenticate for that one).
If you wanna check the history of planes registered under your own company, use get_my_flights; it shows those historical tracks just for your fleet. To see where your specific plane is right now, even if it’s not in the general 'all states' list, run get_my_states to get its current location and status.
It’s a full system that lets you move from monitoring every active aircraft with get_all_states, checking an airport manifest using get_arrivals or get_departures, pulling specific historical tracks via get_flights_by_aircraft, analyzing data for a time range with get_flights_by_interval, and keeping tabs on your own assets using get_my_states or get_my_flights. It’s raw telemetry, plain and simple.
How OpenSky Network MCP Works
- 1 Subscribe to the OpenSky Network server. If rate limits matter, enter your credentials.
- 2 Tell your AI agent what you need (e.g., 'What arrived at LAX this morning?').
- 3 The agent calls the appropriate tool (
get_arrivals,get_all_states) and returns structured data to your conversation.
The bottom line is, your AI client handles all the API calling. You just talk to it like you're talking to a colleague who knows exactly where the flight manifest lives.
Who Is OpenSky Network MCP For?
This is for anyone whose job depends on knowing where things are, and when they should get there. Think logistics managers dealing with supply chains, aviation hobbyists tracking planes overhead, or data scientists building models based on movement patterns.
Checks if delayed shipments will make their scheduled port by querying get_arrivals and then comparing the expected time to historical data using get_flights_by_interval.
Runs batch jobs on flight patterns, pulling years of movement data for trend analysis by calling get_flights_by_aircraft or get_all_states over massive time spans.
Needs instant awareness. They use the agent to monitor surrounding airspace using get_all_states and check for immediate airport bottlenecks with get_departures.
What Changes When You Connect
- Live Situational Awareness: The
get_all_statestool lets you instantly see the current status of every aircraft—altitude, velocity, location. No more guessing where things are. - Airport Flow Control: Use
get_arrivalsandget_departuresto get immediate manifests for any major airport code. You know exactly what's moving into or out of a hub right now. - Deep Historical Research: Need to analyze traffic patterns from last quarter?
get_flights_by_intervalpulls all flight records within a specific time frame, letting you model trends with concrete data. - Personal Fleet Monitoring: If you manage your own assets, the
get_my_statesandget_my_flightstools provide dedicated visibility into only your registered aircraft. Authentication is key here. - Targeted Tracking: Instead of querying everything, use
get_recent_tracksorget_flights_by_aircraftto pull focused data on one specific plane using its unique ICAO24 hex code.
Real-World Use Cases
Tracking a Delayed Shipment
A coordinator needs to know if an incoming cargo flight (Delta 901) will make the dock. First, they check get_arrivals for the airport code. If the predicted time is late, they then use get_recent_tracks with Delta 901's ID to see its current velocity and altitude—they know exactly how far off schedule it really is.
Modeling Airspace Congestion
A data scientist wants to understand peak traffic periods. They use get_flights_by_interval for a whole month, pulling all flight records across the entire period. Then they can analyze density and flow rates that simple live tracking wouldn't catch.
Pre-Flight Briefing
An operations specialist needs to prep for a shift. They run get_departures for the next four hours, getting a list of every aircraft leaving the airport. This gives them an immediate manifest and allows them to spot bottlenecks before they happen.
Checking Personal Assets
A private pilot wants to check their own plane's current status without needing manual logins. They simply ask the agent to use get_my_states, getting real-time location data for their registered aircraft.
The Tradeoffs
Over-querying redundant data
Asking the AI agent to first run get_all_states and then asking it to check specific arrivals using get_arrivals for the same airport. This generates duplicate, overlapping data calls.
→
If you need current status and manifests, start by checking the general overview with get_all_states. If that doesn't cover your goal—say, you only care about one hub—then narrow it down immediately to just get_arrivals for that specific ICAO code.
Forgetting authentication needs
Trying to pull detailed flight history using get_flights_by_interval without first providing the necessary user credentials. The call fails and gives a generic permission error.
→
If your query involves your personal assets or requires historical data spanning multiple days, always verify authentication by running get_my_states or ensuring your OpenSky credentials are loaded before executing time-sensitive calls.
Confusing specific history with general status
Asking for 'the path of an aircraft' using only a location query, rather than specifying the full ID and time window. The system returns nothing useful.
→
To get a historical route, you must use get_flights_by_aircraft or get_recent_tracks, passing the unique ICAO24 hex code—don't rely on general location queries for past data.
When It Fits, When It Doesn't
Use this server if your core problem is movement: Where are things, and where have they been? You need to know current position, speed, or a historical route. Use it when you must check flight manifests (get_arrivals / get_departures) for specific airport codes.
Don't use this server if your need is purely static data—like general weather forecasts, equipment maintenance schedules, or geopolitical news. For those tasks, you'll need a different API category entirely (e.g., a Weather Data service). If you only want to know 'if it rained yesterday,' this isn't the tool; use a dedicated meteorology client instead.
Independent Platform Disclaimer: Vinkius is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, verified by, or otherwise authorized by OpenSky Network. All third-party trademarks, logos, and brand names are the property of their respective owners. Their use on this website is strictly for informational purposes to identify service compatibility and interoperability.
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Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and more
The Model Context Protocol standardizes how applications expose capabilities to LLMs. Instead of operating in isolation, your AI gains direct access to external platforms, live data, and real-world actions through secure, standardized connections.
This server provides 8 capabilities that interface natively with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and any MCP client. No middleware. No custom integration required.
Available Capabilities
Checking airport manifests is tedious and slow.
Right now, checking what flights are coming in or leaving requires bouncing between three different dashboards: one for departures, one for arrivals, and another to manually cross-reference the flight numbers against a spreadsheet. You end up spending half your morning just confirming 'where is X plane?'
With this MCP server, you ask your agent directly, 'What's departing from JFK in the next hour?' It uses `get_departures` and hands you a clean list of aircraft, their destinations, and estimated times. You get data, not dashboard clicks.
OpenSky Network MCP Server: Real-time air traffic status.
Manually checking the current state of dozens of planes requires querying multiple endpoints—some for general airspace, some restricted to your own assets. It's a messy chain of calls that takes time and usually misses edge cases.
Now, you just ask. The agent intelligently runs `get_all_states` or `get_my_states`, providing a unified status report in one conversation turn. You get actionable data instantly.
Common Questions About OpenSky Network MCP
Do I need an account to use the OpenSky API? +
No, the basic API is free and open. However, creating a free account gives you higher rate limits and access to historical flight data.
How do I find the ICAO24 hex code for an aircraft? +
You can use the get_all_states tool to see currently tracked aircraft, or look it up on external aviation databases like Planespotters.net.
Can I track flights at a specific airport? +
Yes! Use get_arrivals or get_departures with the airport's ICAO code (e.g., KJFK for New York JFK) and a Unix timestamp range.
Can I retrieve flights for a specific time interval? +
Yes! Use the get_flights_in_interval action with start and end Unix timestamps.
Does the tool `get_my_states` require specific OpenSky credentials? +
Yes, you must provide valid OpenSky API credentials for this tool to work. Authentication restricts access solely to your own registered aircraft's real-time status data.
If I use `get_all_states` frequently, how are the rate limits managed? +
Connecting an API key optionaly increases your overall rate limit ceiling. This lets your AI client process large volumes of global aircraft state updates without hitting standard caps.
How is `get_recent_tracks` different from simply checking the current state? +
This tool gives you a historical path, not just a single point in time. It plots an aircraft's movement trajectory, giving much more context than what get_all_states provides.
Which AI clients can connect to the OpenSky Network MCP Server? +
The server is built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP) standard. It connects directly and reliably to any compatible client, including Claude, Cursor, VS Code extensions, and more.
Use it with your favorite AI tools
Connect this server to Cursor, Claude, VS Code, and more.
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