The short answer
Helicopter charter in Leicester runs from Leicester Airport on Gartree Road, an airfield with a 935 metre runway open 09:00 to 17:00 daily. Birmingham and Silverstone are each about 20 to 25 minutes by helicopter, Oxford 25 to 35 and London 35 to 45 minutes, against more than two hours by road. We arrange permission with your booking.
Flying from Leicester? Tell us where and when; we reply with options and a price for the whole aircraft.
Key facts
- Serving site
- Leicester Airport, Gartree Road, Leicester
- Opening hours (as published, checked 29 Sep 2026)
- Every day 09:00 to 17:00 local; late flying until 20:00 on Tuesday and Thursday, and on Wednesday in summer
- Runway
- 10/28, 935 m asphalt, plus shorter asphalt and grass runways
- Prior permission
- Required; we arrange it
- Customs
- By arrangement with notice
- Jet capable
- No. Turboprops and helicopters only
- Flagship journey
- Leicester to London in about 35 to 45 minutes by helicopter against 2 hours 27 minutes by road
Where Leicester flights start and end
The map shows Leicester 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. Leicester Airport is at Leicester Airport, Gartree Road, Leicester. Open it in Google Maps.
Leicester Airport
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Hover, or tap, a pin for the details
Sites that serve Leicester
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.
Leicester Airport EGBG
- Address
- Leicester Airport, Gartree Road, Leicester
- Hours as published (checked 29 Sept 2026)
- Every day 09:00–17:00 with late flying on Tuesday and Thursday until 20:00 (local), and Wednesday in summer
- Permission
- Prior permission required (PPR): we arrange it with your flight
- Customs
- By arrangement / prior notice
- Runway
- 10/28 – 935 m asphalt; two shorter asphalt and two grass runways
Official websiteOpen in Google Maps
Where does a helicopter take off from in Leicester?
Leicester Airport, on Gartree Road to the south-east of the city, is the base for helicopter charter Leicester clients. It is a small licensed airfield with an asphalt runway of 935 metres plus a mix of shorter hard and grass strips. It does not take jets, but turboprops and helicopters use it routinely.
It publishes opening times of 09:00 to 17:00 every day, with late flying until 20:00 on Tuesday and Thursday and on Wednesday in summer. That helps for a day trip that ends in the early evening. Visitors need prior permission, and customs, where needed, are by arrangement. We handle both when you book.
Charter-A Helicopter is the helicopter charter service of Charter-A Ltd, which has arranged private flights across the UK and Europe since 2011. We tell you where to park, who to ask for and what time to arrive.
Journey times from Leicester Airport
The nearest places first, with the helicopter time against the car, taken from our route data.
| To | Distance | Helicopter | By road | Typical saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 28 nm (32 mi) | 20 to 25 min | 1 h 02 min (42 mi) | 39 min |
| Silverstone | 32 nm (36 mi) | 20 to 25 min | 1 h 12 min (52 mi) | 49 min |
| Oxford | 47 nm (55 mi) | 25 to 35 min | 1 h 40 min (77 mi) | 1 h 10 min |
| Cambridge | 50 nm (58 mi) | 25 to 35 min | 1 h 27 min (69 mi) | 57 min |
| Cheltenham Racecourse | 56 nm (65 mi) | 30 to 35 min | 1 h 44 min (78 mi) | 1 h 11 min |
| Newmarket Racecourse | 57 nm (65 mi) | 30 to 35 min | 1 h 34 min (77 mi) | 1 h 01 min |
| Manchester | 64 nm (73 mi) | 35 to 40 min | 2 h 28 min (102 mi) | 1 h 50 min |
| London Heathrow | 71 nm (82 mi) | 35 to 45 min | 2 h 08 min (108 mi) | 1 h 28 min |
| Ascot Racecourse | 73 nm (84 mi) | 35 to 45 min | 2 h 21 min (116 mi) | 1 h 41 min |
| London | 75 nm (87 mi) | 35 to 45 min | 2 h 27 min (109 mi) | 1 h 47 min |
| Leeds | 79 nm (91 mi) | 40 to 50 min | 2 h 27 min (116 mi) | 1 h 42 min |
| Liverpool | 79 nm (91 mi) | 40 to 50 min | 2 h 34 min (120 mi) | 1 h 49 min |
| York Racecourse | 81 nm (93 mi) | 40 to 50 min | 2 h 19 min (115 mi) | 1 h 34 min |
| Epsom Downs | 83 nm (95 mi) | 40 to 50 min | 2 h 33 min (129 mi) | 1 h 48 min |
| Norwich | 84 nm (97 mi) | 40 to 50 min | 2 h 36 min (115 mi) | 1 h 51 min |
| Aintree Racecourse | 87 nm (100 mi) | 40 to 50 min | 2 h 36 min (128 mi) | 1 h 51 min |
| London Gatwick | 93 nm (107 mi) | 45 to 55 min | 2 h 49 min (146 mi) | 1 h 59 min |
| Bristol | 96 nm (111 mi) | 45 to 55 min | 2 h 50 min (132 mi) | 2 h |
| Southampton | 100 nm (115 mi) | 45 to 60 min | 2 h 53 min (144 mi) | 2 h |
| Goodwood | 105 nm (121 mi) | 50 to 60 min | 3 h 14 min (161 mi) | 2 h 19 min |
| Cardiff | 112 nm (129 mi) | 50 to 65 min | 3 h 22 min (168 mi) | 2 h 24 min |
| Newcastle | 148 nm (170 mi) | 65 to 85 min | 4 h 08 min (199 mi) | 2 h 53 min |
| Edinburgh | 217 nm (250 mi) | 95 to 115 min | 6 h 14 min (316 mi) | 4 h 29 min |
| Glasgow | 230 nm (264 mi) | 1 h 40 min to 2 h 05 min | 6 h 06 min (320 mi) | 4 h 13 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.
How long do journeys from Leicester take by helicopter?
Leicester sits at the centre of England, so most of the commercial map is within an hour. Birmingham is about 20 to 25 minutes by helicopter and 1 hour 2 minutes by road. Silverstone takes the same 20 to 25 minutes in the air against 1 hour 12 minutes by car. Oxford and Cambridge are each about 25 to 35 minutes, against around 1 hour 40 and 1 hour 27 on the road.
London is typically 35 to 45 minutes by helicopter and 2 hours 27 minutes in free-flowing traffic. Manchester is 35 to 40 minutes against 2 hours 28 minutes. Road times are always a floor, so a rush-hour M1 or M6 will be slower. For arrival options in the capital, see the London helicopter charter page.
Who flies from Leicester, and why?
Leicestershire's economy is mixed: fashion and retail headquarters, food manufacturing, logistics along the M1 corridor, and a growing space and science sector built around the University of Leicester and the National Space Centre. Board members and engineers regularly need to be at sites across the Midlands and the south-east, and a helicopter turns two hard days of driving into one easy one. Our business helicopter charter page covers how groups travel together.
Sport adds its own demand. Leicester City play at the King Power Stadium and Leicester Tigers at Welford Road; for football see football by helicopter. The county is hunting and shooting country too, and our shooting by helicopter page explains how a day on a Leicestershire estate can be planned, with all firearms carried lawfully.
Which other sites are close to Leicester?
East Midlands Airport is 17.3 nautical miles away and operates 24 hours with customs on site. Nottingham's helicopter sites are 19 to 21 nautical miles, Sywell near Northampton 20, and Silverstone 31.7. Each has its own page: helicopter charter Nottingham, helicopter charter Northampton and helicopter charter East Midlands.
For the whole region, start at the Midlands page. The full list of landing sites we use is in the UK heliports and airfields directory.
What to know before booking from Leicester
Give us the date, the route and the weight of every passenger. We confirm the helicopter, the permission and the timings. Arrive 10 minutes before departure. Luggage goes in soft bags where the hold is small. Landing at a private site such as a factory yard, estate or hotel lawn is subject to landing permission and site suitability.
If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing. Price guidance is at helicopterhireprices.co.uk, and we give a firm figure when you ask for a quote.
Nearby airfields and heliports
Other sites close to Leicester Airport, with the distance in nautical miles. Chips with a link open that site's own page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I fly a helicopter charter from Leicester Airport?
Yes. Leicester Airport on Gartree Road takes helicopters and turboprops with prior permission. We arrange it for you.
What time does Leicester Airport close?
It publishes 09:00 to 17:00 every day, with late flying to 20:00 on Tuesday and Thursday, and on Wednesday in summer. Hours were checked on 29 September 2026.
Can a jet land at Leicester?
No. The 935 metre runway suits turboprops and helicopters. For jets we would use East Midlands Airport, about 17 nautical miles away.
How long is Leicester to Silverstone by helicopter?
Typically 20 to 25 minutes against about 1 hour 12 minutes by road. See Silverstone by helicopter.
Can we land at the King Power Stadium or a hotel?
Landings at venues and hotels need the owner's permission and a suitable site. We will ask, but we never promise a permission that has not been given.
