Best Free Aviation & Transport APIsfor Developers in 2026
Flight tracking, ship positions, public transit routing, and traffic data — all from free APIs powering real-time transport applications.
All Free Aviation & Transport APIs
ADS-B Exchange
Access real-time and historical data of any and all airborne aircraft
AIS Hub
Real-time data of any marine and inland vessel equipped with AIS tracking system
apilayer aviationstack
Real-time Flight Status & Global Aviation Data API
AviationAPI
FAA Aeronautical Charts and Publications, Airport Information, and Airport Weather
AviationWeather
NOAA aviation weather forecasts and observations
AZ511
Access traffic data from the ADOT API
BC Ferries
Sailing times and capacities for BC Ferries
Boston MBTA Transit
Stations and predicted arrivals for MBTA
Navitia
The open API for building cool stuff with transport data
Quick Start Example
Plan a journey with Navitia (free API key required)
const res = await fetch(
'https://api.navitia.io/v1/coverage/fr-idf/journeys' +
'?from=2.3479;48.8534&to=2.2950;48.8738',
{ headers: { Authorization: 'YOUR_API_KEY' } }
);
const { journeys } = await res.json();
console.log(journeys[0].duration, 'seconds');import requests
res = requests.get(
'https://api.navitia.io/v1/coverage/fr-idf/journeys',
params={'from': '2.3479;48.8534', 'to': '2.2950;48.8738'},
auth=('YOUR_API_KEY', '')
)
print(res.json()['journeys'][0]['duration'], 'seconds')Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a free flight tracking API?
Yes. ADS-B Exchange provides free real-time aircraft tracking data with no API key required. AIS Hub offers free vessel/ship tracking. Both are community-powered.
What is the best free public transit API?
Navitia is the most comprehensive free transit API, covering bus, rail, and metro across 30+ countries with journey planning and real-time departures.
Can I track ships for free using an API?
Yes. AIS Hub provides free vessel tracking data from AIS receivers worldwide. No API key is required for basic data access.