The short answer
Helicopter charter Argyll uses Oban Airport at North Connel, Campbeltown Airport in Kintyre and Tiree in the Inner Hebrides. Oban to Glasgow is about 25 to 35 minutes by helicopter against at least 2 hours 2 minutes by road. All three airfields need prior permission and work to short published hours. Send your date and weights for a quote.
Flying from Argyll? Tell us where and when; we reply with options and a price for the whole aircraft.
Key facts
- Main site
- Oban Airport (EGEO), North Connel, Argyll, 1,264 m runway; VFR only, helicopter and turboprop
- Second site
- Campbeltown Airport (EGEC), Machrihanish, Kintyre, 1,412 m runway, no fuel
- Third site
- Tiree Airport (EGPU), Inner Hebrides, 1,481 m runway, no fuel on the island
- Permission
- Strictly prior permission at all three; times may be allocated; Oban needs a definite date and arrival time
- Oban to Glasgow
- Helicopter about 25 to 35 minutes; car at least 2h02 (84 miles)
- Campbeltown to Glasgow
- Helicopter about 25 to 35 minutes; car at least 3h04 (129 miles)
- Tiree to Glasgow
- Helicopter about 45 to 55 minutes; no road link
Where Argyll flights start and end
The map shows Oban Airport and the other sites that serve Argyll, with range rings and the nearest cities. Pins with a page of their own are links.
The map draws a satellite picture, so it needs JavaScript and an internet connection. Oban Airport is at Oban Airport, North Connel, By Oban, Argyll. Open it in Google Maps.
Oban Airport (North Connel)
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Hover, or tap, a pin for the details
Sites that serve Argyll
Hours, permission and customs are the airport's or site's published information, checked 29 Sept 2026. We arrange permission and confirm times with your booking.
Oban Airport (North Connel) EGEO / OBN
- Address
- Oban Airport, North Connel, By Oban, Argyll
- Hours as published (checked 29 Sept 2026)
Weekdays roughly 09:00–16:00 local (varies by day – Wed/Thu from 08:15–08:30, Fri from 10:15); Sat 08:45–14:45 and by…
Weekdays roughly 09:00–16:00 local (varies by day – Wed/Thu from 08:15–08:30, Fri from 10:15); Sat 08:45–14:45 and by arrangement; Sun 10:15–16:15; summer hours longer; departures not permitted within 15 minutes of closing- Permission
- Prior permission required (PPR): we arrange it with your flight
- Customs
- By arrangement / prior notice (24 hours)
- Runway
- 01/19 – 1,264 m × 30 m asphalt (displaced thresholds; LDA 1,110 m / 993 m)
Campbeltown Airport EGEC / CAL
- Address
- Campbeltown Airport, Machrihanish, Kintyre, Argyll
- Hours as published (checked 29 Sept 2026)
Airfield Mon–Fri 08:20–17:40; Sat closed; Sun 16:50–18:00 (May–Sep), and by arrangement. Terminal Mon–Fri 07:45–11:45…
Airfield Mon–Fri 08:20–17:40; Sat closed; Sun 16:50–18:00 (May–Sep), and by arrangement. Terminal Mon–Fri 07:45–11:45 and 13:45–17:45; closed weekends. PPR – arrival/departure times may be allocated- Permission
- Prior permission required (PPR): we arrange it with your flight
- Customs
- No
- Runway
- 11/29 – 1,412 m × 30 m asphalt (grooved) – the licensed civil runway, not the full ex-RAF length
Tiree Airport EGPU / TRE
- Address
- Tiree Airport, Isle of Tiree, Argyll
- Hours as published (checked 29 Sept 2026)
Mon–Thu 09:30–18:15; Fri 09:30–11:45 and 16:00–18:15; Sat 09:30–15:15; Sun 14:15–15:30; and by arrangement for pilots.…
Mon–Thu 09:30–18:15; Fri 09:30–11:45 and 16:00–18:15; Sat 09:30–15:15; Sun 14:15–15:30; and by arrangement for pilots. Out-of-hours permits currently suspended- Permission
- Prior permission required (PPR): we arrange it with your flight
- Runway
- 05/23 – 1,481 m × 30 m grooved asphalt (low pavement strength); 11/29 – 799 m
What do the Argyll sites offer?
Helicopter charter Argyll starts from a long coastline with three useful airfields and very little fast road. Oban Airport sits at North Connel and is a visual flight rules aerodrome with basic fire cover and a 1,264 metre runway. Jet fuel is not listed there, so aircraft plan their own fuel. Campbeltown's licensed civil runway is 1,412 metres, with no fuel, no customs and weekday daytime hours. Tiree has a 1,481 metre grooved runway of low pavement strength, no refuelling on the island and a published schedule that is generous only in the middle of the week.
Charter-A Helicopter is the helicopter charter service of Charter-A Ltd, which has arranged private flights across the UK and Europe since 2011. In practice a helicopter or turboprop charter is the right fit for all three, and a jet is realistic only at Prestwick or Glasgow. Prestwick is 37.9 nautical miles from Campbeltown.
Journey times from Oban Airport
The nearest places first, with the helicopter time against the car, taken from our route data.
| To | Distance | Helicopter | By road | Typical saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glasgow | 48 nm (55 mi) | 25 to 35 min | 2 h 02 min (84 mi) | 1 h 32 min |
| Edinburgh | 74 nm (86 mi) | 35 to 45 min | 2 h 35 min (111 mi) | 1 h 55 min |
| Newcastle | 152 nm (175 mi) | 70 to 85 min | 5 h 16 min (220 mi) | 3 h 58 min |
| Aintree Racecourse | 198 nm (228 mi) | 85 to 110 min | 6 h 01 min (305 mi) | 4 h 23 min |
| Leeds | 202 nm (232 mi) | 90 to 110 min | 6 h 11 min (293 mi) | 4 h 31 min |
| Liverpool | 208 nm (239 mi) | 90 to 110 min | 6 h 19 min (317 mi) | 4 h 39 min |
| York Racecourse | 211 nm (243 mi) | 90 to 115 min | 6 h 06 min (301 mi) | 4 h 23 min |
| Manchester | 216 nm (248 mi) | 95 to 115 min | 6 h 26 min (316 mi) | 4 h 41 min |
Times from Campbeltown Airport
| To | Distance | Helicopter | By road | Typical saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glasgow | 50 nm (57 mi) | 25 to 35 min | 3 h 04 min (129 mi) | 2 h 34 min |
| Edinburgh | 84 nm (97 mi) | 40 to 50 min | 4 h (178 mi) | 3 h 15 min |
| Newcastle | 139 nm (160 mi) | 65 to 80 min | 6 h 20 min (288 mi) | 5 h 07 min |
| Aintree Racecourse | 152 nm (174 mi) | 70 to 85 min | 7 h 03 min (349 mi) | 5 h 45 min |
| Liverpool | 161 nm (185 mi) | 70 to 90 min | 7 h 22 min (362 mi) | 6 h 02 min |
| Leeds | 169 nm (194 mi) | 75 to 95 min | 7 h 13 min (337 mi) | 5 h 48 min |
| Manchester | 173 nm (199 mi) | 75 to 95 min | 7 h 28 min (360 mi) | 6 h 03 min |
| York Racecourse | 183 nm (210 mi) | 80 to 100 min | 7 h 08 min (346 mi) | 5 h 38 min |
| Birmingham | 227 nm (261 mi) | 1 h 40 min to 2 h | 8 h 40 min (436 mi) | 6 h 50 min |
| Cheltenham Racecourse | 247 nm (285 mi) | 1 h 45 min to 2 h 10 min | 9 h 13 min (469 mi) | 7 h 15 min |
Times from Tiree Airport
| To | Distance | Helicopter | By road | Typical saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glasgow | 90 nm (103 mi) | 45 to 55 min | No road link | Not applicable |
| Edinburgh | 121 nm (140 mi) | 55 to 70 min | No road link | Not applicable |
| Newcastle | 196 nm (225 mi) | 85 to 105 min | No road link | Not applicable |
| Aintree Racecourse | 226 nm (260 mi) | 1 h 40 min to 2 h | No road link | Not applicable |
| Liverpool | 235 nm (271 mi) | 1 h 40 min to 2 h 05 min | No road link | Not applicable |
| Leeds | 238 nm (274 mi) | 1 h 45 min to 2 h 10 min | No road link | Not applicable |
| Manchester | 246 nm (284 mi) | 1 h 45 min to 2 h 10 min | No road link | Not applicable |
| York Racecourse | 250 nm (288 mi) | 1 h 45 min to 2 h 15 min | No road link | Not applicable |
Helicopter figures are typical block times: distance at 135 knots plus 8 minutes, shown as a range. Road figures are free-flowing road times, a floor that real journeys rarely beat. Distances are in a straight line. Figures from our UK route data, checked 29 Sep 2026.
Glasgow in under half an hour
The headline is the gap with the road. Oban to Glasgow is about 25 to 35 minutes by helicopter against at least 2 hours 2 minutes by car, saving about an hour and a half each way. Campbeltown to Glasgow is also about 25 to 35 minutes against at least 3 hours 4 minutes by road, a saving of about two and a half hours. Edinburgh from Oban is about 35 to 45 minutes against 2 hours 35 minutes, and Newcastle about 70 to 85 minutes against 5 hours 16 minutes.
Those are block times at 135 knots plus eight minutes; real road journeys are slower than the free-flowing floors. The Tiree link has no road at all, so the helicopter is a direct alternative to the scheduled aeroplane: Tiree to Glasgow is about 45 to 55 minutes. See helicopter charter Glasgow for the Glasgow end.
Business, estates and islands
Argyll's businesses include aquaculture, whisky, renewable energy, forestry and the ferry links to Mull, Islay and the Hebrides. Directors and project teams who need to be in Oban for a meeting and back in the central belt for the evening are the core customers; same-day business trips describes the pattern. Estates here also run shooting and stalking seasons, and the shooting seasons and shooting by helicopter explain the lawful carriage of guns and the weight limits.
For the next island south, Islay has its own airport 24.4 nautical miles from Campbeltown. Landing at a hotel, lodge or private field is subject to landing permission and site suitability, and we agree it before you commit. A car at Oban or Campbeltown matters, and a chauffeur can meet you.
Hours, fuel and weather
Published hours vary by day. At Oban the weekday window runs roughly 09:00 to 16:00 with summer extensions, and departures are not permitted within 15 minutes of closing. Campbeltown is closed on Saturdays and opens only briefly on Sundays in summer. Tiree is open most of the week but with a short Friday and Sunday. We plan the charter inside those windows and confirm everything with your booking.
Arrive 10 minutes before departure and keep luggage to soft bags. West-coast weather and low cloud decide many days, so we check the forecast the day before and again on the morning. If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing. The Scotland region page and the Scottish airfield directory cover the other bases.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a helicopter from Oban to Glasgow?
About 25 to 35 minutes, against at least 2 hours 2 minutes by road.
Can a jet use Oban?
No. Oban is a visual flight rules aerodrome with basic fire cover and no listed jet fuel, so it suits helicopters and light turboprops.
Is there fuel at Campbeltown or Tiree?
No fuel is published at either, so aircraft carry what they need for the round trip. We plan it.
Can I fly on a Saturday to Campbeltown?
The airfield is published as closed on Saturdays, so we plan around it or ask about an extension.
Can I land at an island estate?
Often, subject to landing permission and site suitability. We ask first.
What if the weather cancels the flight?
If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing.
