The short answer
Helicopter charter Hertfordshire uses Elstree Aerodrome on the north-west edge of London, a helicopter and light aircraft field with a strong helicopter focus, and Luton Airport for larger aircraft. From Elstree, Heathrow and Battersea are each about 10 to 15 minutes by helicopter against 35 and 48 minutes by road. Send your date and weights for a quote.
Flying from Hertfordshire? Tell us where and when; we reply with options and a price for the whole aircraft.
Key facts
- Main site
- London Elstree Aerodrome (EGTR), Hertfordshire, 651 m asphalt runway, helicopters and light aircraft, prior permission
- Hours (checked 29 Sep 2026)
- Licensed hours 09:00 to 20:00 or sunset; 24-hour movements for resident aircraft or by arrangement; handling 08:30 to 17:00 daily
- Larger aircraft
- London Luton Airport (EGGW), 2,162 m runway, H24, slot-coordinated; we book the slot and a handling agent
- Elstree to Heathrow
- Helicopter about 10 to 15 minutes; car at least 35 minutes (27 miles)
- Elstree to London (Battersea)
- Helicopter about 10 to 15 minutes; car at least 48 minutes (19 miles)
- Elstree to Ascot
- Helicopter about 15 to 20 minutes; car at least 49 minutes
- Luton to Silverstone
- Helicopter about 20 minutes; car at least 1h08 (45 miles)
Where Hertfordshire flights start and end
The map shows London Elstree Aerodrome and the other sites that serve Hertfordshire, 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 Elstree Aerodrome is at London Elstree Aerodrome, Hogg Lane, Elstree, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. Open it in Google Maps.
London Elstree Aerodrome
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Hover, or tap, a pin for the details
Sites that serve Hertfordshire
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 Elstree Aerodrome EGTR
- Address
- London Elstree Aerodrome, Hogg Lane, Elstree, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire
- Hours as published (checked 29 Sept 2026)
Licensed hours 09:00–20:00 local or sunset; 24-hour movements for resident aircraft or by arrangement; ground 7 days a…
Licensed hours 09:00–20:00 local or sunset; 24-hour movements for resident aircraft or by arrangement; ground 7 days a week 08:30–17:00 and outside these hours if planned in advance- Permission
- Prior permission required (PPR): we arrange it with your flight
- Customs
- By arrangement / prior notice
- Runway
- 08/26 – 651 m × 20 m asphalt
Helicopter charter London Elstree AerodromeOfficial websiteOpen in Google Maps
London Luton Airport EGGW / LTN
- Address
- London Luton Airport, Percival Way, Luton, Bedfordshire
- Hours as published (checked 29 Sept 2026)
- 24 hours (airport, customs and immigration H24)
- Permission
- Prior permission required (PPR): we arrange it with your flight
- Customs
- Yes – on site (H24)
- Runway
- 07/25 – 2,162 m × 45 m asphalt (grooved)
Helicopter charter London Luton AirportOfficial websiteOpen in Google Maps
Why choose Elstree for Hertfordshire?
Helicopter charter Hertfordshire starts at Elstree because it is the closest purpose-used helicopter field to the north of London. Its 651 metre runway keeps jets away, which keeps the airfield quiet and the helicopters in focus. Handling is available seven days a week, round-the-clock fuelling is advertised, and the aerodrome is under 13 nautical miles from Battersea. It is a prior-permission field, and it welcomes helicopter charter.
Charter-A Helicopter is the helicopter charter service of Charter-A Ltd, which has arranged private flights across the UK and Europe since 2011. Elstree to Heathrow and Elstree to Battersea are both about 10 to 15 minutes by helicopter, against at least 35 and 48 minutes by road. Ascot and Epsom are 15 to 20 minutes against 49 and 61, and Gatwick about 20 to 25 against 1 hour 17. See helicopter charter Elstree for the full site page.
Journey times from London Elstree Aerodrome
The nearest places first, with the helicopter time against the car, taken from our route data.
| To | Distance | Helicopter | By road | Typical saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow | 12 nm (14 mi) | 10 to 15 min | 35 min (27 mi) | 22 min |
| London | 13 nm (14 mi) | 10 to 15 min | 48 min (19 mi) | 35 min |
| Ascot Racecourse | 20 nm (23 mi) | 15 to 20 min | 49 min (35 mi) | 31 min |
| Epsom Downs | 21 nm (24 mi) | 15 to 20 min | 1 h 01 min (48 mi) | 43 min |
| London Gatwick | 31 nm (36 mi) | 20 to 25 min | 1 h 17 min (65 mi) | 54 min |
| Silverstone | 36 nm (42 mi) | 20 to 25 min | 1 h 14 min (56 mi) | 51 min |
| Cambridge | 38 nm (43 mi) | 20 to 30 min | 1 h 16 min (53 mi) | 51 min |
| Oxford | 39 nm (44 mi) | 25 to 30 min | 1 h 18 min (61 mi) | 50 min |
| Newmarket Racecourse | 44 nm (51 mi) | 25 to 30 min | 1 h 18 min (62 mi) | 50 min |
| Goodwood | 50 nm (58 mi) | 25 to 35 min | 1 h 42 min (80 mi) | 1 h 12 min |
| Southampton | 57 nm (66 mi) | 30 to 40 min | 1 h 38 min (85 mi) | 1 h 03 min |
| Cheltenham Racecourse | 67 nm (77 mi) | 35 to 40 min | 2 h 02 min (96 mi) | 1 h 24 min |
| Birmingham | 71 nm (82 mi) | 35 to 45 min | 1 h 55 min (98 mi) | 1 h 15 min |
| Norwich | 85 nm (98 mi) | 40 to 50 min | 2 h 27 min (116 mi) | 1 h 42 min |
| Bristol | 91 nm (105 mi) | 45 to 55 min | 2 h 41 min (133 mi) | 1 h 51 min |
| Cardiff | 114 nm (131 mi) | 55 to 65 min | 3 h 19 min (171 mi) | 2 h 19 min |
| Manchester | 124 nm (143 mi) | 55 to 70 min | 3 h 33 min (174 mi) | 2 h 30 min |
| Liverpool | 137 nm (157 mi) | 60 to 75 min | 3 h 39 min (192 mi) | 2 h 31 min |
| York Racecourse | 140 nm (162 mi) | 65 to 80 min | 3 h 34 min (194 mi) | 2 h 21 min |
| Leeds | 141 nm (163 mi) | 65 to 80 min | 3 h 41 min (192 mi) | 2 h 28 min |
| Aintree Racecourse | 145 nm (167 mi) | 65 to 80 min | 3 h 41 min (200 mi) | 2 h 28 min |
| Newcastle | 209 nm (240 mi) | 90 to 115 min | 5 h 23 min (278 mi) | 3 h 40 min |
Times from London Luton Airport
| To | Distance | Helicopter | By road | Typical saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow | 25 nm (28 mi) | 15 to 20 min | 53 min (39 mi) | 35 min |
| London | 25 nm (29 mi) | 15 to 20 min | 1 h 12 min (40 mi) | 54 min |
| Silverstone | 27 nm (31 mi) | 20 to 20 min | 1 h 08 min (45 mi) | 48 min |
| Cambridge | 28 nm (32 mi) | 20 to 25 min | 1 h 02 min (38 mi) | 39 min |
| Ascot Racecourse | 30 nm (35 mi) | 20 to 25 min | 1 h 06 min (47 mi) | 43 min |
| Epsom Downs | 34 nm (39 mi) | 20 to 25 min | 1 h 18 min (60 mi) | 55 min |
| Oxford | 35 nm (41 mi) | 20 to 25 min | 1 h 30 min (64 mi) | 1 h 07 min |
| Newmarket Racecourse | 36 nm (41 mi) | 20 to 25 min | 1 h 05 min (48 mi) | 42 min |
| London Gatwick | 44 nm (51 mi) | 25 to 30 min | 1 h 34 min (78 mi) | 1 h 06 min |
| Birmingham | 62 nm (71 mi) | 30 to 40 min | 1 h 49 min (87 mi) | 1 h 14 min |
| Goodwood | 63 nm (72 mi) | 30 to 40 min | 1 h 59 min (92 mi) | 1 h 24 min |
| Cheltenham Racecourse | 63 nm (72 mi) | 30 to 40 min | 2 h 19 min (103 mi) | 1 h 44 min |
| Southampton | 67 nm (77 mi) | 35 to 40 min | 1 h 55 min (97 mi) | 1 h 17 min |
| Norwich | 77 nm (89 mi) | 40 to 45 min | 2 h 13 min (102 mi) | 1 h 30 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.
Luton and Cranfield for bigger aircraft
Luton is a slot-coordinated 24-hour airport with a 2,162 metre runway. Every flight needs an airport slot and a nominated handling agent, which we book with the flight. It is the choice for a business jet or an airliner connection on the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire border; see helicopter charter Luton for the page. From Luton, Heathrow is about 15 to 20 minutes by helicopter, London 15 to 20, Silverstone 20 and Cambridge 20 to 25.
Cranfield, 15 nautical miles away, is a quieter jet option for Bedfordshire; see Milton Keynes. For how a jet and a helicopter connect, see airport transfers by helicopter.
Business, film studios and country houses
Hertfordshire has a dense business belt around Hemel Hempstead, Watford, Stevenage and Hatfield, with life sciences, aerospace and technology offices, and a film and television industry that includes the studios at Elstree and Leavesden. Country houses such as Brocket Hall near Welwyn host corporate days; the Brocket Hall page explains how landing is arranged there.
Directors using two or three sites in a day should read same-day business trips. Landing at a house, hotel or studio is subject to landing permission and site suitability, and we ask first. Executive Global Travel can arrange the car from Elstree.
Planning notes
Give us the date, the destination and each passenger's weight; arrive 10 minutes before departure and keep bags soft. Elstree sits close to the London control zone, so routes are planned in advance. If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing.
Neighbouring pages are Northolt, Denham and Stansted, and the London and Home Counties page covers the area. For central London see Battersea Helicopter.
If your party includes a mix of staff and guests, tell us who is travelling and which of them is flying for the first time. We brief everyone on boarding, headsets and the walk to the aircraft before take-off, and we keep the briefing short and clear.
Nearby airfields and heliports
Other sites close to London Elstree Aerodrome, with the distance in nautical miles. Chips with a link open that site's own page.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a helicopter airfield in Hertfordshire?
Yes. Elstree Aerodrome has a strong helicopter focus and is under 13 nautical miles from Battersea. Prior permission is required.
How long is a helicopter from Elstree to Heathrow?
About 10 to 15 minutes, against at least 35 minutes by road.
Can a jet land at Elstree?
No. The runway is 651 metres. Jets use Luton or Northolt.
Do I need a slot at Luton?
Yes. Luton is slot-coordinated and a nominated handling agent is mandatory. We book both.
Can you land at Brocket Hall or a business park?
Often, subject to landing permission and site suitability. We ask the owner first.
What if the weather stops the flight?
If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing.
