- Main business aviation airports
- Farnborough, Biggin Hill, Luton, Stansted, London City, Northolt, Oxford
- Closest to the City
- London City, about 13 km from Charing Cross
- Longest runway
- Stansted, 3,048 m
- Typical drive to the centre
- 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on airport and traffic
- Suitable aircraft
- Light jets to VIP airliners, depending on airport
Last reviewed
Why the departure airport matters in London
Most private flights from London do not use Heathrow or Gatwick. Both are close to capacity, and trip planning guides for operators note that business aviation flights there are generally not given night slots. Instead, charter flights use a ring of airports around the capital, each with its own opening hours, runway length, noise rules and road access.
The best choice depends on where you are starting from, the time of day, the size of aircraft and whether you need to fly at a weekend. A team leaving from Canary Wharf on a weekday morning has different options from a family leaving Surrey on a Sunday evening. We compare the practical options for each trip rather than defaulting to one airport.
London business aviation airports compared
Distances below are straight-line figures from Charing Cross, the conventional centre of London for measuring distances, calculated from published airport coordinates. Drive times are rough guides only and vary widely with traffic, particularly on the M25 and at peak hours. Runway lengths are the longest runway at each airport.
| Airport | Straight-line distance from Charing Cross | Typical drive to central London | Runway | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London City (LCY) | 13 km (7 nm) | 30 to 45 minutes | 1,508 m | City and Canary Wharf trips on approved types |
| Northolt (NHT) | 21 km (11 nm) | About 35 minutes | 1,690 m | West London, subject to prior permission |
| London Biggin Hill (BQH) | 22 km (12 nm) | 45 to 60 minutes | 1,806 m | South and south-east London, Kent, early starts |
| London Luton (LTN) | 44 km (24 nm) | 60 to 90 minutes | 2,160 m | North London, Hertfordshire, larger jets |
| London Stansted (STN) | 49 km (26 nm) | 60 to 90 minutes | 3,048 m | Essex, Cambridge, heavy jets and airliners |
| Farnborough (FAB) | 52 km (28 nm) | 45 to 80 minutes | 2,440 m | Surrey, Hampshire, south-west London |
| London Oxford (OXF) | 90 km (49 nm) | 1 to 2 hours | 1,552 m | Oxfordshire, the Cotswolds, Thames Valley |
Farnborough and Biggin Hill: the dedicated business airports
Farnborough in Hampshire is a business aviation airport with no scheduled airline traffic. Its 2,440 m runway and planning permission allow aircraft up to Boeing Business Jet size, and annual movements are capped by that permission at 50,000. Rushmoor Borough Council publishes the permitted hours as 7am to 10pm on weekdays and 8am to 8pm at weekends and on bank holidays, with no flying on Christmas Day or Boxing Day except in emergencies. Operators note that extensions beyond these hours are not available, so a late return needs planning around the closing time.
London Biggin Hill sits about 12 nm south-south-east of central London in the Borough of Bromley. Scheduled passenger flights do not operate there, so the airport is given over to business and general aviation, and the airport says no slots are needed. At the time of writing it publishes opening hours of 06:30 to 23:00 on weekdays and 08:00 to 22:00 at weekends and on public holidays, which makes it useful for early weekday departures; hours can change, so we confirm them for your date. Its 1,806 m runway suits light, midsize and many super-midsize jets; larger cabins may be weight limited on longer sectors.
London City, Northolt, Luton, Stansted and Oxford
London City is the most convenient by far for the City and Docklands, but it rules out many larger jets on runway and approach grounds. Northolt is the closest option for west London and the Heathrow corridor, but its availability is never guaranteed and should be treated as a bonus rather than a plan.
- London City: 1,508 m runway and a 5.5 degree approach, so only aircraft and crews approved for steep approaches can use it. It closes from Saturday lunchtime until Sunday lunchtime, and a government decision in 2024 declined to extend Saturday afternoon hours.
- Northolt: an RAF station in west London that accepts non-scheduled civil flights by prior arrangement, within an annual cap on civil movements. Civil hours are shorter than at the commercial airports, especially at weekends.
- Luton: a 2,160 m runway and several business aviation handlers. Night movements in the summer season are tightly restricted for business aircraft, so late arrivals need checking in advance.
- Stansted: the longest runway of the group at 3,048 m, with several business aviation handlers. A natural choice for heavy jets and VIP airliners. Night slots for business aircraft are restricted in summer.
- Oxford: a 1,552 m runway that the airport says can accept aircraft up to BBJ and A320 size, with a helicopter shuttle to London Heliport at Battersea that the airport puts at 22 to 25 minutes. Useful for the Cotswolds and Thames Valley rather than central London.
Typical destinations and aircraft from London
Short European sectors make up most private flying from London. Calculated great-circle distances put Paris Le Bourget about 170 to 205 nm from the main London airports, Geneva about 390 to 425 nm and Nice about 545 to 600 nm, all comfortably within light jet range. Palma is roughly 720 nm from Farnborough, still a light jet trip, though a midsize cabin is more comfortable for families with luggage.
Longer flights need larger aircraft. Dubai is about 2,950 to 2,990 nm from the London airports, which puts it beyond a midsize jet without a stop. New York Teterboro is about 2,990 nm from Farnborough, a route usually flown nonstop by super-midsize or large-cabin jets, with westbound winter headwinds the main constraint. For heavy jets and airliners, Stansted and Farnborough are the usual departure points.
Indicative cost from London
Charter is priced per trip, but a rough guide is flight hours multiplied by an hourly rate for the category. The indicative ranges in our cost guide are about £1,100 to £2,500 per flight hour for turboprops, £1,500 to £4,500 for very light and light jets, £3,000 to £7,000 for midsize and super-midsize, £5,000 to £11,000 for heavy jets and £7,000 to £16,000 for ultra-long-range aircraft. On that basis, a light jet sector of about an hour to Paris Le Bourget works out at roughly £1,500 to £4,500 of flight time one way.
These figures exclude positioning, handling, landing and parking fees and taxes, and are only a starting point. Airport choice in London also affects price: handling charges, slot availability and parking differ between airports, and a one-way trip may carry the cost of the aircraft returning empty.