Football by helicopter

Can a helicopter land at a football stadium?

Football by helicopter is really a plan with three parts: the flight, the last mile and the return after the game.

Almost never at the ground itself. Helicopters cannot land on pitches or in car parks without the landowner's permission, and most stadiums sit in dense urban areas where flying is restricted. The honest answer is that we fly to the nearest suitable site and arrange the last mile.

That nearest site is usually a heliport, an airfield or a business park helipad. It might be a short drive from the stadium or most of an hour away. We tell you the site, the transfer time and what we cannot promise before you commit to tickets. Landing at any site is subject to landing permission and site suitability.

The central London ground sites are covered at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, Wembley and Twickenham; each page explains the nearest landing options.

Grounds we have pages for

These are the stadium pages, with the landing options and transfer routes for each.

• Arsenal, Emirates Stadium
• Chelsea, Stamford Bridge
• AFC Bournemouth, Vitality Stadium
• Aston Villa, Villa Park
• Brighton, Amex Stadium
• Liverpool, Anfield
• Manchester City, Etihad Stadium
• Manchester United, Old Trafford

We also arrange flights to other grounds on request, including Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park, Everton's Goodison Park, Newcastle United's St James' Park and others across England. Ask for your fixture and we will say what is practical.

More stadium days

Rugby and football grounds with their own pages include Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh and St James’ Park in Newcastle.

A match-day timeline

A match day works backwards from kick-off and forwards from the final whistle. A typical plan for an afternoon match looks like this.

1. Late morning: your guests meet at the departure site 10 minutes before take-off. For central London that is Battersea.
2. Flight: for example London to Manchester typically takes 60 to 75 minutes, against about 4 hours 9 minutes by road in free-flowing traffic.
3. Last mile: a car or coach from the landing site to the hospitality entrance, arranged by us.
4. Pre-match lunch and the game.
5. After the final whistle: a short wait for the crowds to clear, then the transfer back to the helicopter and a fixed departure time.

Evening kick-offs matter, because most of our helicopters fly in daylight only. For an evening match we plan the return carefully, using helicopters capable of flying after dark and airfields with lighting. We confirm that before you buy tickets. The guide to helicopter versus car journey times in the UK shows how the saving grows with distance.

Routes people book most

Football trips are mostly from London to the north, the Midlands or the south coast. These typical times use our route data, and the car times are free-flowing and so a floor.

• London to Manchester: about 60 to 75 minutes by helicopter, 4 hours 9 minutes by road. See the London to Manchester route.
• London to Liverpool: about 65 to 85 minutes by helicopter, 4 hours 15 minutes by road. See the London to Liverpool route.
• London to Birmingham: about 40 to 50 minutes by helicopter, 2 hours 26 minutes by road. See the London to Birmingham route.
• London to Newcastle: about 95 to 120 minutes by helicopter, nearly 6 hours by road. See the London to Newcastle route.

If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing. Give us passenger weights at booking. See the helicopter hire price guides for cost guidance, and the events hub for other sports.