The short answer
Helicopter charter Caithness runs from Wick John O'Groats Airport, a 1,831 metre grooved runway with round-the-clock fuel, handling and customs by arrangement. Edinburgh is about 70 to 85 minutes by helicopter against at least 5 hours 33 minutes by road. Send your date, weights and destination and we quote.
Flying from Caithness? Tell us where and when; we reply with options and a price for the whole aircraft.
Key facts
- Main site
- Wick John O'Groats Airport (EGPC), Wick, Caithness, 1,831 m grooved runway, jet capable
- Hours (checked 29 Sep 2026)
- Terminal short daytime hours; fuelling, handling and customs available round the clock by arrangement, so early and late movements are workable with notice
- Permission
- Prior permission required, at least 3 hours ahead through the airport's online form
- Customs
- By arrangement, and the one northern Scottish airport that accepts out-of-hours arrivals from abroad
- Wick to Edinburgh
- Helicopter about 70 to 85 minutes; car at least 5h33 (255 miles)
- Wick to Glasgow
- Helicopter about 70 to 90 minutes; car at least 6h07 (285 miles)
- Wick to Newcastle
- Helicopter about 90 to 115 minutes; car at least 8h16 (366 miles)
Where Caithness flights start and end
The map shows Wick John O'Groats Airport, 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. Wick John O'Groats Airport is at Wick John O'Groats Airport, Airport Industrial Estate, Wick, Caithness. Open it in Google Maps.
Wick John O'Groats Airport
Choose a place
Hover, or tap, a pin for the details
Sites that serve Caithness
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.
Wick John O'Groats Airport EGPC / WIC
- Address
- Wick John O'Groats Airport, Airport Industrial Estate, Wick, Caithness
- Hours as published (checked 29 Sept 2026)
- Terminal Mon–Thu 06:30–17:15, Fri 14:00–16:30, Sat closed, Sun 16:00–18:00, and by arrangement.
- Permission
- Prior permission required (PPR): we arrange it with your flight
- Customs
- By arrangement / prior notice
- Runway
- 13/31 – 1,831 m × 45 m asphalt (grooved)
Why a helicopter makes sense in Caithness
Helicopter charter Caithness is where the helicopter comparison is most dramatic on the Scottish mainland. Wick to Edinburgh is about 70 to 85 minutes by helicopter and at least 5 hours 33 minutes by car, a typical saving of about four hours and fifteen minutes each way. To Glasgow the car takes at least 6 hours 7 minutes against 70 to 90 minutes in the air, and to Newcastle the road is at least 8 hours 16 minutes against 90 to 115 minutes. Those road figures are free-flowing floors, and single-track sections and winter weather make real journeys longer.
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 the far north that gap is the entire reason to charter: a director can reach a site, work a morning and be back in the central belt for the evening.
Journey times from Wick John O'Groats Airport
The nearest places first, with the helicopter time against the car, taken from our route data.
| To | Distance | Helicopter | By road | Typical saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh | 151 nm (174 mi) | 70 to 85 min | 5 h 33 min (255 mi) | 4 h 15 min |
| Glasgow | 161 nm (186 mi) | 70 to 90 min | 6 h 07 min (285 mi) | 4 h 47 min |
| Newcastle | 211 nm (242 mi) | 90 to 115 min | 8 h 16 min (366 mi) | 6 h 33 min |
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.
Wick John O'Groats Airport
Wick is a jet-capable airport with a 1,831 metre grooved runway and a long history as a transatlantic tech stop. Its terminal hours are short, but fuelling, handling and customs are available at any hour by arrangement, which makes it the one northern Scottish airport that can accept an out-of-hours arrival from abroad. The prior permission request goes in at least three hours ahead through the airport's online form, and we send it.
The nearest other site in our library is Kirkwall in Orkney, 30.5 nautical miles away, so a combined Caithness and Orkney charter is realistic. For the longer southern legs, Inverness is the main Highland airport and Aberdeen the main energy hub on the east coast.
Energy, estates and island business
The Caithness economy leans on energy, engineering and decommissioning work, on fishing and farming, and on the ferry link to Orkney from the north coast. Teams that need to be at a site and then at a board meeting find the helicopter a practical tool. Read business helicopter charter for how those days are built, and same-day business trips for a worked pattern.
The north is also sporting country. Estates across Caithness and Sutherland run shooting and stalking seasons (the shooting seasons by helicopter gives the dates), and shooting by helicopter explains how guests and kit are moved lawfully and safely. Landing at an estate lodge or private field is subject to landing permission and site suitability, and we agree it first. For moving people discreetly, see secure helicopter transport.
Planning from Wick
Give us the date, the destination and every passenger's weight. We book the landing, tell you the plan and quote the whole aircraft. Arrive 10 minutes before departure and use soft bags. Northern weather is the main variable, so we watch it the day before and on the morning, and the rule is simple. If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing.
A car at the airport matters, because Wick and Thurso are not next door. Executive Global Travel can arrange it. For the full set of Scottish bases see the Scotland region page and the airfield directory. If you need a jet instead, Charter-Private-Jet.com covers that.
Nearby airfields and heliports
Other sites close to Wick John O'Groats Airport, with the distance in nautical miles. Chips with a link open that site's own page.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a helicopter from Wick to Edinburgh?
About 70 to 85 minutes, against at least 5 hours 33 minutes by road.
Can a helicopter land at Wick out of hours?
Fuel, handling and customs are available round the clock by arrangement, so early and late movements are workable with notice. We arrange it.
Is Wick close to John O'Groats?
It is the airport that serves the area and carries the name, in Caithness at the north-east tip of mainland Scotland.
Can I combine Caithness with Orkney?
Yes. Kirkwall is 30.5 nautical miles from Wick, so a two-stop charter is realistic.
What if the weather stops the flight?
If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing.
Can you land at a shooting lodge?
Often, subject to landing permission and site suitability. We ask the estate first.
