The short answer
For helicopter charter in Liverpool we fly from Liverpool John Lennon Airport, and from the helipad at Aintree Racecourse on Grand National Festival days. The flight to London takes about 65 to 85 minutes, against about 4 hours 16 minutes by road. Send us the date, weights and destination for a quote.
Flying from Liverpool? Tell us where and when; we reply with options and a price for the whole aircraft.
Key facts
- Main site
- Liverpool John Lennon Airport (EGGP), 2,286 m runway, customs on site, jet capable
- Race-day site
- Aintree Racecourse helipad, Ormskirk Road, Grand National Festival days only
- Hours (checked 29 Sep 2026)
- Airfield 24 hours; handling 24 hours on request; business aviation facilities 08:00 to 20:00 and 08:00 to 19:00 with 24-hour cover on request
- Permission
- Prior permission and ground handling required at the airport; every Aintree landing booked and briefed in advance
- Liverpool to London
- Helicopter about 65 to 85 minutes; car about 4h16 (free-flowing)
- Liverpool to Manchester
- Helicopter about 15 to 20 minutes; car about 1h04
Where Liverpool flights start and end
The map shows Liverpool John Lennon Airport and the other sites that serve Liverpool, 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. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is at Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Liverpool. Open it in Google Maps.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport
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Hover, or tap, a pin for the details
Sites that serve Liverpool
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.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport EGGP / LPL
- Address
- Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Liverpool
- Hours as published (checked 29 Sept 2026)
- Airfield 24 hours (customs).
- Permission
- Prior permission required (PPR): we arrange it with your flight
- Customs
- Yes – on site
- Runway
- 09/27 – 2,286 m × 46 m asphalt (grooved)
Aintree Racecourse Helipad
- Address
- Aintree Racecourse, Ormskirk Road, Aintree, Liverpool
- Hours as published (checked 29 Sept 2026)
Race days only (the three-day Grand National Festival). Flights are held before each race for at least 30 minutes or…
Race days only (the three-day Grand National Festival). Flights are held before each race for at least 30 minutes or until the horses have cleared the track- Permission
- Prior permission required (PPR): we arrange it with your flight
All landings booked and briefed in advance through the helipad company – arranged by Charter-A with your flight. Not available on non-race days.
Map position is approximate.
How do you hire a helicopter in Liverpool?
For helicopter charter Liverpool, send us the date, the places, the passengers and their weights through the quote form. We match the aircraft, book the landing and return a firm quote, and the 24-hour line is there if the plan changes. Charter-A Helicopter is the helicopter charter service of Charter-A Ltd, which has arranged private flights across the UK and Europe since 2011, and Merseyside is a route we are asked for regularly.
Most departures use Liverpool John Lennon Airport, which has a 2,286 m grooved runway, customs on site and an airfield open 24 hours as published. Prior permission and ground handling are mandatory for every visiting aircraft, and we arrange them through a handling agent on the airfield as part of your booking.
Journey times from Liverpool John Lennon Airport
The nearest places first, with the helicopter time against the car, taken from our route data.
| To | Distance | Helicopter | By road | Typical saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aintree Racecourse | 9.3 nm (11 mi) | 10 to 15 min | 32 min (18 mi) | 19 min |
| Manchester | 21 nm (24 mi) | 15 to 20 min | 1 h 04 min (35 mi) | 46 min |
| Leeds | 53 nm (61 mi) | 30 to 35 min | 1 h 41 min (75 mi) | 1 h 08 min |
| Birmingham | 66 nm (76 mi) | 35 to 40 min | 2 h 09 min (105 mi) | 1 h 31 min |
| York Racecourse | 72 nm (83 mi) | 35 to 45 min | 1 h 58 min (99 mi) | 1 h 18 min |
| Cheltenham Racecourse | 90 nm (103 mi) | 45 to 55 min | 2 h 42 min (138 mi) | 1 h 52 min |
| Silverstone | 101 nm (116 mi) | 45 to 60 min | 3 h 01 min (154 mi) | 2 h 08 min |
| Oxford | 106 nm (122 mi) | 50 to 60 min | 3 h 11 min (164 mi) | 2 h 16 min |
| Newcastle | 110 nm (127 mi) | 50 to 65 min | 3 h 46 min (183 mi) | 2 h 48 min |
| Bristol | 117 nm (135 mi) | 55 to 65 min | 3 h 40 min (187 mi) | 2 h 40 min |
| Cardiff | 118 nm (136 mi) | 55 to 70 min | 4 h 08 min (210 mi) | 3 h 05 min |
| Cambridge | 129 nm (149 mi) | 60 to 75 min | 3 h 37 min (190 mi) | 2 h 29 min |
| Newmarket Racecourse | 135 nm (155 mi) | 60 to 75 min | 3 h 44 min (198 mi) | 2 h 36 min |
| Ascot Racecourse | 140 nm (161 mi) | 65 to 80 min | 3 h 55 min (205 mi) | 2 h 42 min |
| London Heathrow | 142 nm (163 mi) | 65 to 80 min | 3 h 52 min (206 mi) | 2 h 39 min |
| London | 149 nm (171 mi) | 65 to 85 min | 4 h 16 min (210 mi) | 3 h 01 min |
| Southampton | 153 nm (177 mi) | 70 to 85 min | 4 h 24 min (231 mi) | 3 h 06 min |
| Epsom Downs | 154 nm (177 mi) | 70 to 85 min | 4 h 18 min (227 mi) | 3 h |
| Norwich | 154 nm (178 mi) | 70 to 85 min | 4 h 52 min (251 mi) | 3 h 34 min |
| Edinburgh | 158 nm (182 mi) | 70 to 90 min | 4 h 34 min (232 mi) | 3 h 14 min |
| Glasgow | 162 nm (186 mi) | 70 to 90 min | 4 h 26 min (235 mi) | 3 h 06 min |
| London Gatwick | 164 nm (188 mi) | 75 to 90 min | 4 h 34 min (244 mi) | 3 h 11 min |
| Goodwood | 168 nm (193 mi) | 75 to 90 min | 4 h 59 min (259 mi) | 3 h 36 min |
Times from Aintree Racecourse Helipad
| To | Distance | Helicopter | By road | Typical saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | 9.3 nm (11 mi) | 10 to 15 min | 31 min (19 mi) | 18 min |
| Manchester | 25 nm (29 mi) | 15 to 20 min | 1 h 06 min (43 mi) | 48 min |
| Leeds | 51 nm (59 mi) | 30 to 35 min | 1 h 40 min (78 mi) | 1 h 07 min |
| York Racecourse | 72 nm (82 mi) | 35 to 45 min | 1 h 57 min (102 mi) | 1 h 17 min |
| Birmingham | 75 nm (87 mi) | 35 to 45 min | 2 h 12 min (113 mi) | 1 h 32 min |
| Cheltenham Racecourse | 99 nm (114 mi) | 45 to 60 min | 2 h 45 min (145 mi) | 1 h 52 min |
| Newcastle | 104 nm (119 mi) | 50 to 60 min | 3 h 34 min (165 mi) | 2 h 39 min |
| Silverstone | 109 nm (126 mi) | 50 to 65 min | 3 h 03 min (161 mi) | 2 h 05 min |
| Oxford | 115 nm (132 mi) | 55 to 65 min | 3 h 14 min (171 mi) | 2 h 14 min |
| Cardiff | 126 nm (145 mi) | 60 to 70 min | 4 h 10 min (218 mi) | 3 h 05 min |
| Bristol | 126 nm (145 mi) | 60 to 70 min | 3 h 43 min (194 mi) | 2 h 38 min |
| Cambridge | 137 nm (157 mi) | 60 to 75 min | 3 h 39 min (198 mi) | 2 h 31 min |
| Newmarket Racecourse | 142 nm (164 mi) | 65 to 80 min | 3 h 47 min (206 mi) | 2 h 34 min |
| Edinburgh | 149 nm (172 mi) | 65 to 85 min | 4 h 15 min (219 mi) | 3 h |
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.
Liverpool to London: how much time do you save?
From Liverpool the flight to London takes about 65 to 85 minutes, against about 4 hours 16 minutes by road when the motorways are clear. The range allows for headwind and the choice of London landing site. See London to Liverpool by helicopter for the detail, and our London page for the airfields and heliports at the other end.
For a landing in central London, Battersea Helicopter runs the London Heliport, and we pass you across to them for that final stage.
Closer to home the saving is still worth having. Liverpool to Leeds is about 30 to 35 minutes against 1 hour 41 minutes by road. To Birmingham it is about 35 to 40 minutes against 2 hours 9 minutes, covered on Liverpool to Birmingham. York is about 35 to 45 minutes and Newcastle about 50 to 65 minutes against 3 hours 46 minutes by road.
Aintree and the Grand National
Aintree Racecourse operates a helipad for the Grand National Festival in April, with escorted access into the racecourse. It is race days only, it is not available on other days, and flights are held before each race for at least 30 minutes or until the horses have cleared the track. All landings are booked and briefed in advance, and we arrange this with your flight. From Liverpool Airport it is about 10 to 15 minutes by air against about 32 minutes by road; from Manchester it is about 15 to 20 minutes.
Our full guide is on the Aintree Grand National page, and the racing overview is at horse racing by helicopter. The racecourse sets the official arrangements, so check the festival dates and the helipad notes on The Jockey Club's helicopter page before booking.
Where Liverpool clients fly to
Clients regularly head for Chester and Hawarden, Southport, Formby, Hillside and Lytham St Annes, which tells you most of the story: the Merseyside coast is golf country, and Royal Birkdale at Southport has hosted The Open. Football brings its own calendar, with hospitality at Anfield and Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, which opened for the 2025/26 season. A landing at a stadium or golf club is subject to landing permission and site suitability, so we agree it first and use the airport with a car where it is not possible.
The business side sits around the waterfront and the Knowledge Quarter, with port and logistics work on the Mersey. A morning in Liverpool and a lunch in Manchester or Leeds is a short hop, and the same-day business trips page shows how those days are planned.
What to expect on the day
Arrive 10 minutes before departure with your passenger list and weights agreed in advance. Luggage goes in soft bags where the hold is small. At the airport the business aviation side has its own arrival route, usually without passing through the main terminal where that service is available. If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing.
Landing at your own site, such as a company car park or a country house lawn in Cheshire or the Wirral, is possible in many cases, subject to landing permission and site suitability. If you would rather start elsewhere, see Manchester, Blackpool and Chester. The north-west England page shows how they fit together. For cost guides, try Helicopter Hire Prices.
Nearby airfields and heliports
Other sites close to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, with the distance in nautical miles. Chips with a link open that site's own page.
Frequently asked questions
Where do helicopters land in Liverpool?
Most charters use Liverpool John Lennon Airport. On the three days of the Grand National Festival there is also a helipad at Aintree Racecourse. Other landings are subject to landing permission and site suitability.
How long does a helicopter take from Liverpool to London?
About 65 to 85 minutes, against about 4 hours 16 minutes by road in free-flowing conditions.
Can I fly to Aintree on a non-race day?
No. The helipad is race days only. On other days we can land you at Liverpool John Lennon Airport and arrange a car.
How soon do I need to book for the Grand National?
As early as you can. The helipad is booked and briefed in advance, and demand is high. Check the festival dates with the organiser, then send us your numbers.
Does Liverpool Airport have customs?
Yes, customs is on site and fuel is available 24 hours, so international arrivals and departures are possible with notice.
How long is the flight from Liverpool to Manchester?
About 15 to 20 minutes, against about 1 hour 4 minutes by road.
