The short answer
Helicopter charter Milton Keynes uses London Cranfield Airport, open 06:30 to 19:00 seven days a week with no slot requirement, and Silverstone Heliport on event days. Cranfield to central London takes about 25 to 30 minutes by helicopter and 1 hour 25 minutes by road; Cranfield to Silverstone about 15 minutes against 45 minutes.
Flying from Milton Keynes? Tell us where and when; we reply with options and a price for the whole aircraft.
Key facts
- Airport
- London Cranfield Airport, Cranfield, Bedfordshire (EGTC); 3 miles from the M1
- Hours (as published, checked 29 Sep 2026)
- 06:30 to 19:00 seven days a week including public holidays (from 1 January 2026)
- Runway
- 03/21, 1,799 m x 45 m asphalt; hangar for jets up to Global Express; no slot requirement
- Permission and handling
- All movements strictly by prior permission; handling mandatory over 2.7 tonnes
- Customs
- Remote customs and immigration; documents to Border Force; 24 hours notice
- Silverstone Heliport
- Event days only; all landings by pre-booked slot; grass helipad; daylight operations
Where Milton Keynes flights start and end
The map shows London Cranfield Airport and the other sites that serve Milton Keynes, 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 Cranfield Airport is at Cranfield Airport, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire. Open it in Google Maps.
London Cranfield Airport
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Hover, or tap, a pin for the details
Sites that serve Milton Keynes
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 Cranfield Airport EGTC
- Address
- Cranfield Airport, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire
- Hours as published (checked 29 Sept 2026)
- 06:30–19:00 local seven days a week including public holidays (from 1 January 2026)
- Permission
- Prior permission required (PPR): we arrange it with your flight
- Customs
- By arrangement / prior notice (remote customs and immigration – documentation submitted to UK Border Force before the flight; 24 hours' notice)
- Runway
- 03/21 – 1,799 m × 45 m asphalt
Silverstone Heliport
- Address
- Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, Towcester, Northamptonshire
- Hours as published (checked 29 Sept 2026)
- Event days only – the on-site heliport operates for all Silverstone events including the Formula 1 British Grand Prix; no daily hours published
- Permission
- Prior permission required (PPR): we arrange it with your flight
All landings by pre-booked slot – Grand Prix slots sell out early, so book with us as soon as your plans are set. On GP weekend the heliport handles 6,000+ passengers on 1,500+ flights. Grass helipad, daylight operations.
Map position is approximate.
Helicopter charter Milton Keynes: Cranfield Airport
London Cranfield Airport is the nearest jet-capable airport to Milton Keynes, a few miles to the north west of the town and 3 miles from the M1. It has a 1,799 metre runway, a hangar for jets up to Global Express size and no slot requirement. It opens 06:30 to 19:00 seven days a week, including public holidays, from 1 January 2026.
Every movement is strictly by prior permission and handling is mandatory over 2.7 tonnes. Customs and immigration are done remotely, with documents sent to UK Border Force and 24 hours' notice. The airport states that a helicopter transfer can put passengers in London within 25 minutes of touchdown.
Journey times from London Cranfield Airport
The nearest places first, with the helicopter time against the car, taken from our route data.
| To | Distance | Helicopter | By road | Typical saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silverstone | 15 nm (17 mi) | 15 to 15 min | 45 min (24 mi) | 30 min |
| Oxford | 30 nm (34 mi) | 20 to 25 min | 1 h 08 min (45 mi) | 45 min |
| Cambridge | 30 nm (35 mi) | 20 to 25 min | 1 h 16 min (41 mi) | 53 min |
| London Heathrow | 37 nm (42 mi) | 20 to 25 min | 1 h 06 min (53 mi) | 43 min |
| Newmarket Racecourse | 39 nm (45 mi) | 25 to 30 min | 1 h 23 min (61 mi) | 55 min |
| London | 40 nm (46 mi) | 25 to 30 min | 1 h 25 min (53 mi) | 57 min |
| Ascot Racecourse | 40 nm (46 mi) | 25 to 30 min | 1 h 19 min (61 mi) | 51 min |
| Birmingham | 48 nm (55 mi) | 25 to 35 min | 1 h 27 min (66 mi) | 57 min |
| Epsom Downs | 48 nm (55 mi) | 25 to 35 min | 1 h 31 min (74 mi) | 1 h 01 min |
| Cheltenham Racecourse | 55 nm (63 mi) | 30 to 35 min | 1 h 57 min (84 mi) | 1 h 24 min |
| London Gatwick | 58 nm (66 mi) | 30 to 40 min | 1 h 47 min (91 mi) | 1 h 12 min |
| Southampton | 73 nm (84 mi) | 35 to 45 min | 2 h 08 min (111 mi) | 1 h 28 min |
| Goodwood | 73 nm (84 mi) | 35 to 45 min | 2 h 12 min (106 mi) | 1 h 32 min |
| Norwich | 79 nm (90 mi) | 40 to 50 min | 2 h 31 min (108 mi) | 1 h 46 min |
| Bristol | 89 nm (102 mi) | 45 to 55 min | 2 h 51 min (127 mi) | 2 h 01 min |
| Manchester | 98 nm (113 mi) | 45 to 60 min | 3 h 05 min (142 mi) | 2 h 12 min |
| Cardiff | 109 nm (126 mi) | 50 to 65 min | 3 h 30 min (165 mi) | 2 h 32 min |
| Liverpool | 111 nm (128 mi) | 50 to 65 min | 3 h 11 min (160 mi) | 2 h 13 min |
| York Racecourse | 114 nm (131 mi) | 55 to 65 min | 3 h 06 min (162 mi) | 2 h 06 min |
| Leeds | 114 nm (131 mi) | 55 to 65 min | 3 h 13 min (160 mi) | 2 h 13 min |
| Aintree Racecourse | 120 nm (138 mi) | 55 to 70 min | 3 h 13 min (169 mi) | 2 h 10 min |
| Newcastle | 182 nm (210 mi) | 80 to 100 min | 4 h 55 min (246 mi) | 3 h 25 min |
Times from Silverstone Heliport
| To | Distance | Helicopter | By road | Typical saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford | 18 nm (21 mi) | 15 to 20 min | 43 min (28 mi) | 25 min |
| Birmingham | 35 nm (40 mi) | 20 to 25 min | 1 h 17 min (58 mi) | 54 min |
| Cheltenham Racecourse | 40 nm (46 mi) | 25 to 30 min | 1 h 32 min (67 mi) | 1 h 04 min |
| London Heathrow | 42 nm (48 mi) | 25 to 30 min | 1 h 24 min (70 mi) | 56 min |
| Ascot Racecourse | 42 nm (48 mi) | 25 to 30 min | 1 h 26 min (69 mi) | 58 min |
| Cambridge | 45 nm (51 mi) | 25 to 30 min | 1 h 33 min (73 mi) | 1 h 05 min |
| London | 48 nm (55 mi) | 25 to 35 min | 1 h 48 min (82 mi) | 1 h 18 min |
| Newmarket Racecourse | 53 nm (61 mi) | 30 to 35 min | 1 h 41 min (81 mi) | 1 h 08 min |
| Epsom Downs | 54 nm (62 mi) | 30 to 35 min | 1 h 49 min (91 mi) | 1 h 16 min |
| London Gatwick | 64 nm (73 mi) | 35 to 40 min | 2 h 05 min (108 mi) | 1 h 27 min |
| Southampton | 69 nm (79 mi) | 35 to 45 min | 1 h 56 min (95 mi) | 1 h 16 min |
| Goodwood | 74 nm (85 mi) | 35 to 45 min | 2 h 30 min (123 mi) | 1 h 50 min |
| Bristol | 76 nm (87 mi) | 40 to 45 min | 2 h 26 min (110 mi) | 1 h 43 min |
| Manchester | 89 nm (103 mi) | 45 to 55 min | 2 h 55 min (134 mi) | 2 h 05 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.
Silverstone Heliport on event days
Silverstone Heliport is on the circuit and runs on event days only, for all Silverstone events including the Formula 1 British Grand Prix. It is a grass helipad with daylight operations. Every landing is by a pre-booked slot, and slots sell out early. On Grand Prix weekend the heliport handles over 6,000 passengers on more than 1,500 flights, and passengers are transferred from the heliport terminal straight to their hospitality or grandstand.
Cranfield to Silverstone is about 15 minutes by helicopter and 45 minutes by road. See helicopter charter to Silverstone and race circuits by helicopter.
Times from Cranfield
Typical helicopter block times against free-flowing road times:
- Cranfield to Oxford: about 20 to 25 minutes, against 1 hour 8 minutes.
- Cranfield to Cambridge: about 20 to 25 minutes, against 1 hour 16 minutes.
- Cranfield to Heathrow: about 20 to 25 minutes, against 1 hour 6 minutes.
- Cranfield to central London: about 25 to 30 minutes, against 1 hour 25 minutes.
- Cranfield to Birmingham: about 25 to 35 minutes, against 1 hour 27 minutes.
- Cranfield to Cheltenham: about 30 to 35 minutes, against 1 hour 57 minutes.
Also see Oxford, Cambridge and Luton, the next jet airport south.
Why Milton Keynes charters by helicopter
Milton Keynes sits on the M1 and the West Coast main line, but it is a long way from an airport that is not Luton. Formula 1 teams and their suppliers cluster in and around Milton Keynes, Brackley and Silverstone, and logistics, finance and technology firms fill the business parks. Visitors with a tight timetable can land at Cranfield and be at a site in minutes.
Read business helicopter charter, same-day business trips and the Midlands region page for regional context.
Booking from Cranfield
Tell us the date, passengers, weights and destination. We apply for prior permission, arrange handling and customs notice and send one quote. Arrive 10 minutes before departure; soft bags where the hold is small. For Silverstone, book the slot as soon as plans are set. Landing at a private site is subject to landing permission and site suitability. If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing. For cost guidance see the price guides; jets are at Charter Private Jet.
Nearby airfields and heliports
Other sites close to London Cranfield Airport, with the distance in nautical miles. Chips with a link open that site's own page.
Frequently asked questions
Which airport is nearest to Milton Keynes for a helicopter?
London Cranfield Airport, about 3 miles from the M1, open 06:30 to 19:00 seven days a week.
Does Cranfield have a slot requirement?
No, but every movement needs prior permission and handling is mandatory over 2.7 tonnes.
How long is the helicopter from Cranfield to Silverstone?
About 15 minutes, against about 45 minutes by road.
Is Silverstone Heliport open every day?
No. It operates on event days only and all landings are by pre-booked slot.
How do customs work at Cranfield?
Remotely: documents go to UK Border Force with 24 hours' notice.
How long is a helicopter from Milton Keynes to London?
About 25 to 30 minutes from Cranfield, against about 1 hour 25 minutes by road.
