The short answer
For helicopter charter at Gatwick we normally use Redhill Aerodrome, about 5 miles north, because Gatwick needs a runway slot for every private movement. The flight from Redhill to the London Heliport at Battersea takes about 15 minutes, against 55 minutes by road. Redhill to Gatwick by car is around 19 minutes.
Flying from Gatwick, via Redhill? Tell us where and when; we reply with options and a price for the whole aircraft.
Key facts
- Gatwick
- London Gatwick Airport, West Sussex (EGKK / LGW); H24 airport and customs; General Aviation Terminal 05:00 to 23:00 (library check 29 September 2026)
- Gatwick permission
- Private aircraft accepted only with a runway slot (requested up to 10 days and at least 24 hours ahead) and a mandatory handling agent; helicopter operations restricted
- Our usual site
- Redhill Aerodrome, Kings Mill Lane, Redhill, Surrey (EGKR), Charter-A's home base
- Redhill hours
- Staffed 09:00 to 19:00 summer, 09:00 to 17:00 winter; out-of-hours by arrangement
- Redhill customs
- By arrangement: General Aviation Report with 4 hours' notice inbound, 24 hours for Common Travel Area flights
- Redhill to Gatwick
- About 10 minutes by helicopter, 19 minutes by road
- Redhill to Battersea
- About 15 minutes by helicopter, 55 minutes by road
Where Gatwick, via Redhill flights start and end
The map shows London Gatwick Airport and the other sites that serve Gatwick, via Redhill, 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. London Gatwick Airport is at London Gatwick Airport, West Sussex. Open it in Google Maps.
London Gatwick Airport
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Sites that serve Gatwick, via Redhill
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.
London Gatwick Airport EGKK / LGW
- Address
- London Gatwick Airport, West Sussex
- Hours as published (checked 29 Sept 2026)
- 24 hours (airport, customs). General Aviation Terminal 05:00–23:00 local, by appointment 23:00–05:00
- Permission
- Prior permission required (PPR): we arrange it with your flight
- Customs
- Yes – on site
- Runway
- 08R/26L – 3,317 m × 45 m asphalt (grooved)
Redhill Aerodrome EGKR
- Address
- Redhill Aerodrome, Kings Mill Lane, Redhill, Surrey
- Hours as published (checked 29 Sept 2026)
Staffed hours summer 09:00–19:00 local, winter 09:00–17:00 local (ATS); 09:00–16:30 (winter) / 09:00–18:30 (summer) and…
Staffed hours summer 09:00–19:00 local, winter 09:00–17:00 local (ATS); 09:00–16:30 (winter) / 09:00–18:30 (summer) and by arrangement; out-of-hours movements by arrangement (charge applies)- Permission
- Prior permission required (PPR): we arrange it with your flight
- Customs
- By arrangement
Charter-A's home base – Hangar One, Redhill Aerodrome. Surrey's main helicopter base south of London: passengers are met by their charter crew (no separate). Customs by Certificate of Agreement – GAR required with 4 hours' notice inbound, 24 hours for Common Travel Area flights.
Helicopter charter Redhill AerodromeOfficial websiteOpen in Google Maps
Can a helicopter land at Gatwick?
For helicopter charter Gatwick is possible but not easy. Gatwick is a single-runway, slot-coordinated airport: every arrival and departure by a private aircraft needs a slot, requested up to 10 days and at least 24 hours ahead, plus a mandatory handling agent. Helicopter and light-aircraft operations are restricted, and slots at peak times may not be available. We use Gatwick when a slot exists; otherwise we offer Redhill, Biggin Hill or Farnborough.
Charter-A Helicopter is the helicopter charter service of Charter-A Ltd, which has arranged private flights across the UK and Europe since 2011. Our old page said that we "do not recommend" landing at Gatwick, and quoted figures for landing fees. The advice still holds, but fees move, so we state them in a quote rather than here.
Journey times from London Gatwick Airport
The nearest places first, with the helicopter time against the car, taken from our route data.
| To | Distance | Helicopter | By road | Typical saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epsom Downs | 10 nm (12 mi) | 10 to 15 min | 30 min (21 mi) | 17 min |
| London | 19 nm (22 mi) | 15 to 20 min | 56 min (37 mi) | 38 min |
| London Heathrow | 22 nm (25 mi) | 15 to 20 min | 54 min (46 mi) | 36 min |
| Ascot Racecourse | 24 nm (28 mi) | 15 to 20 min | 56 min (47 mi) | 38 min |
| Goodwood | 28 nm (32 mi) | 20 to 25 min | 59 min (43 mi) | 36 min |
| Southampton | 46 nm (53 mi) | 25 to 30 min | 1 h 36 min (76 mi) | 1 h 08 min |
| Oxford | 59 nm (68 mi) | 30 to 40 min | 1 h 46 min (90 mi) | 1 h 11 min |
| Silverstone | 64 nm (74 mi) | 35 to 40 min | 2 h 04 min (108 mi) | 1 h 26 min |
| Cambridge | 65 nm (75 mi) | 35 to 40 min | 1 h 56 min (97 mi) | 1 h 18 min |
| Newmarket Racecourse | 69 nm (80 mi) | 35 to 45 min | 1 h 54 min (101 mi) | 1 h 14 min |
| Cheltenham Racecourse | 84 nm (97 mi) | 40 to 50 min | 2 h 31 min (124 mi) | 1 h 46 min |
| Bristol | 96 nm (111 mi) | 45 to 55 min | 2 h 54 min (144 mi) | 2 h 04 min |
| Birmingham | 98 nm (112 mi) | 45 to 55 min | 2 h 42 min (143 mi) | 1 h 52 min |
| Norwich | 107 nm (123 mi) | 50 to 60 min | 3 h 03 min (155 mi) | 2 h 08 min |
| Cardiff | 120 nm (138 mi) | 55 to 70 min | 3 h 32 min (182 mi) | 2 h 29 min |
| Manchester | 153 nm (176 mi) | 70 to 85 min | 4 h 26 min (224 mi) | 3 h 08 min |
| Liverpool | 164 nm (188 mi) | 75 to 90 min | 4 h 32 min (242 mi) | 3 h 09 min |
| York Racecourse | 171 nm (197 mi) | 75 to 95 min | 4 h 31 min (248 mi) | 3 h 06 min |
| Leeds | 172 nm (198 mi) | 75 to 95 min | 4 h 38 min (246 mi) | 3 h 13 min |
| Aintree Racecourse | 173 nm (199 mi) | 75 to 95 min | 4 h 34 min (250 mi) | 3 h 09 min |
| Newcastle | 240 nm (276 mi) | 1 h 45 min to 2 h 10 min | 6 h 20 min (332 mi) | 4 h 22 min |
Times from Redhill Aerodrome
| To | Distance | Helicopter | By road | Typical saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Gatwick | 4.4 nm (5 mi) | 10 to 10 min | 19 min (8 mi) | About the same |
| Epsom Downs | 7.5 nm (9 mi) | 10 to 15 min | 29 min (11 mi) | 16 min |
| London | 15 nm (18 mi) | 15 to 15 min | 55 min (28 mi) | 40 min |
| London Heathrow | 20 nm (23 mi) | 15 to 20 min | 53 min (36 mi) | 35 min |
| Ascot Racecourse | 23 nm (27 mi) | 15 to 20 min | 54 min (38 mi) | 36 min |
| Goodwood | 31 nm (36 mi) | 20 to 25 min | 1 h 17 min (50 mi) | 54 min |
| Southampton | 49 nm (56 mi) | 25 to 35 min | 1 h 39 min (80 mi) | 1 h 09 min |
| Oxford | 58 nm (67 mi) | 30 to 40 min | 1 h 45 min (80 mi) | 1 h 10 min |
| Cambridge | 61 nm (70 mi) | 30 to 40 min | 1 h 55 min (88 mi) | 1 h 20 min |
| Silverstone | 61 nm (71 mi) | 30 to 40 min | 2 h 03 min (99 mi) | 1 h 28 min |
| Newmarket Racecourse | 65 nm (75 mi) | 35 to 40 min | 1 h 53 min (92 mi) | 1 h 15 min |
| Cheltenham Racecourse | 84 nm (96 mi) | 40 to 50 min | 2 h 29 min (115 mi) | 1 h 44 min |
| Birmingham | 95 nm (110 mi) | 45 to 55 min | 2 h 40 min (133 mi) | 1 h 50 min |
| Bristol | 97 nm (112 mi) | 45 to 55 min | 2 h 53 min (135 mi) | 2 h 03 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.
Redhill: our own airfield, five miles away
Redhill Aerodrome is where Charter-A has its head office, in Hangar One. Passengers are met by their charter crew rather than a separate handling agent, and a car can drive airside so the walk to the helicopter is short. The old page put the road from Gatwick at about 10 minutes; the computed figure is about 19 minutes in free-flowing traffic, so allow for that. See our Redhill page for the site in full.
Redhill is a VFR-only aerodrome with a staffed day of 09:00 to 19:00 in summer and 09:00 to 17:00 in winter, with movements outside those hours by arrangement. Customs is by Certificate of Agreement: a General Aviation Report with 4 hours' notice inbound, or 24 hours for Common Travel Area flights.
Times from Gatwick country by helicopter
From the Gatwick and Redhill area the London Heliport at Battersea is about 15 to 20 minutes by helicopter against 55 to 57 minutes by road. Epsom Downs is 10 to 15 minutes against 30, Heathrow 15 to 20 against 54, and Ascot 15 to 20 against 56.
Goodwood is about 20 to 25 minutes against 59 minutes by road, Southampton about 25 to 30 against 1 hour 36, and Oxford 30 to 40 against 1 hour 46. For Birmingham allow 45 to 55 minutes against 2 hours 42. Brighton, about 19 nautical miles away, is a very short hop: see Brighton.
Why people charter in this corner of Sussex and Surrey
Clients have flown to hotels and spa estates around Crawley, Haywards Heath, East Grinstead and Ardingly, to Ashdown Park and South Lodge hotels, and to Brighton and the East Sussex coast. These are conference and hospitality sites, and any landing is subject to landing permission and site suitability. The business case is the M23 and M25 junction: the airport hotels, the Crawley and Horsham employers and the City.
Motorsport and racing sit close by: Epsom, Glorious Goodwood and the Festival of Speed.
Booking and what to bring
Tell us your flight number if you are connecting, your date and weights, and where you are going. We choose Gatwick or Redhill for you. Arrive at the helicopter 10 minutes before departure. Soft bags are best. For rough costs see Helicopter Hire Prices, and ask for a quote through the form.
If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing. A meet-and-greet car from Gatwick to Redhill can be arranged by our chauffeur partner.
Nearby airfields and heliports
Other sites close to London Gatwick Airport, with the distance in nautical miles. Chips with a link open that site's own page.
Frequently asked questions
Do helicopters use Gatwick Airport?
Rarely. Private movements need a runway slot and a handling agent, and helicopter operations are restricted. We usually use Redhill, 5 miles north.
How far is Redhill from Gatwick?
About 4.4 nautical miles, a helicopter hop of around 10 minutes or a car journey of about 19 minutes in free-flowing traffic.
Can I get a helicopter from Gatwick to London?
Yes. From the Gatwick area, Battersea is about 15 to 20 minutes by helicopter against 55 to 57 minutes by road.
How much notice does a Gatwick slot need?
Slots are requested up to 10 days ahead and at least 24 hours ahead, and peak-time slots may not be available.
Does Redhill have customs?
By arrangement: a General Aviation Report with 4 hours' notice inbound, or 24 hours for Common Travel Area flights.
Is Redhill open at night?
It is staffed 09:00 to 19:00 in summer and 09:00 to 17:00 in winter; movements outside those hours are by arrangement. Redhill is VFR only.
