Helicopter charter in Yorkshire and the Humber

Where can you charter a helicopter in Yorkshire and the Humber?

Five sites matter. All require prior permission.

• Leeds Bradford Airport is open from 07:00 to 23:00, with prior permission outside those hours and customs for private flights arranged through the business aviation terminal. It is the highest-elevation major airport in the UK, at about 674 feet, so the weather matters.
• Leeds Heliport at Coney Park is half a mile north of Leeds Bradford and available seven days a week by prior permission. It is a basic passenger waiting area, not a full terminal, with free parking. The sat-nav postcode can mislead you into the wrong estate, so we give the right directions with every booking.
• Leeds East at Church Fenton, also on the York page, is privately owned and open 08:00 to 18:00 daily, with instrument approaches needing a pre-booked slot. It handles light jets.
• Humberside Airport opens about 06:20 to 21:15 with customs on site and a 2,200 m runway. Business aviation handling hours are shorter than the airport's.
• Sandtoft, near Doncaster, serves Sheffield and the south of the region with Retford Gamston and East Midlands. It is unlicensed on weekdays, so we confirm its status for each flight.

How much faster is a helicopter in Yorkshire?

Yorkshire's road network is better for north-south than east-west, and the Pennines slow everything that crosses them. The figures are from our route data; road times are free-flowing, so real journeys are slower.

• Leeds East to York takes about 10 to 15 minutes by helicopter, against about 26 minutes by road.
• Leeds Bradford to York takes about 15 to 20 minutes, against about 49 minutes.
• Leeds Bradford to Manchester takes about 20 to 30 minutes, against about 1 hour 37 minutes.
• Humberside to York takes about 20 to 25 minutes, against about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Humberside to Leeds takes about 25 to 35 minutes, against about 1 hour 38 minutes.
• Leeds Bradford to Newcastle takes about 35 to 45 minutes, against about 2 hours 21 minutes.
• Battersea to Leeds takes about 70 to 85 minutes, against about 4 hours 17 minutes.

See London to Leeds, Leeds to Newcastle and Birmingham to Leeds, and the journey times article for the method.

What do people in Yorkshire fly for?

Leeds is the largest financial and legal centre outside London, Sheffield has advanced manufacturing, and the Humber ports serve the energy and logistics sectors. Day trips to Manchester, Newcastle, Birmingham or London are the core use; see business helicopter charter and same-day business trips.

Racing is a big second driver. York Racecourse and the Doncaster St Leger meetings are covered on our events pages, and horse racing by helicopter sets out how race-day landings work. Dates need checking with the organiser. Landing at a racecourse is subject to permission.

The Dales, the North York Moors and the Wolds have grouse and pheasant shooting; read shooting by helicopter for the carriage rules. Where discretion matters, secure helicopter transport describes how we plan.

Yorkshire city pages and neighbours

The four city pages are Leeds, York, Sheffield and Hull. Hull is served by Humberside Airport, which is in North Lincolnshire, south of the Humber.

To the north lies North East England; to the west North West England across the Pennines; to the south the Midlands; to the east the East of England. For the full list of sites, the UK heliports and airfields directory has them all.

Practical points for a Yorkshire flight

The main points are altitude, closing times and licensing. Leeds Bradford sits high, so low cloud can delay departures; Humberside's handler closes earlier than the airport; and some airfields operate unlicensed at certain times, so we confirm the status of each before accepting a booking. If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing. If the weather looks marginal, tell us the latest time you can leave and we will plan around it. In short, helicopter charter yorkshire is a matter of choosing the right one of five sites for your start and finish.

More places, events and routes in Yorkshire

Doncaster and Sandtoft and Harrogate each have a city page. The Great Yorkshire Show has an event page covering landing options for the showground.

Route pages from the region include Leeds to York, Leeds to Liverpool and Manchester to Leeds.