The short answer
Helicopter charter Mid Wales uses Welshpool Airport in Powys, a 1,020 metre lit runway used by prior permission in daylight, with Shrewsbury the nearest large town. Liverpool is about 25 to 30 minutes by helicopter against at least 1 hour 42 minutes by road, and Birmingham about 30 to 35 against 1 hour 48. Send your date and weights for a quote.
Flying from Mid Wales? Tell us where and when; we reply with options and a price for the whole aircraft.
Key facts
- Main site
- Welshpool (Mid Wales) Airport (EGCW), Powys, SY21 8RS, 1,020 m by 18 m lit runway
- Hours (checked 29 Sep 2026)
- Radio service 09:00 to 17:00 local or sunset plus 30 minutes if earlier, and by arrangement; visual traffic only; may close in poor weather
- Permission
- Prior permission online for every visit; licensed only by arrangement
- Aircraft
- Helicopters and turboprops; not suitable for jets
- Welshpool to Liverpool
- Helicopter about 25 to 30 minutes; car at least 1h42 (69 miles)
- Welshpool to Birmingham
- Helicopter about 30 to 35 minutes; car at least 1h48 (80 miles)
- Welshpool to Cardiff
- Helicopter about 35 to 45 minutes; car at least 2h54 (117 miles)
Where Mid Wales flights start and end
The map shows Welshpool (Mid Wales) Airport, 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. Welshpool (Mid Wales) Airport is at Mid-Wales Airport, Welshpool, Powys. Open it in Google Maps.
Welshpool (Mid Wales) Airport
Choose a place
Hover, or tap, a pin for the details
Sites that serve Mid Wales
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.
Welshpool (Mid Wales) Airport EGCW
- Address
- Mid-Wales Airport, Welshpool, Powys
- Hours as published (checked 29 Sept 2026)
Air/Ground radio 09:00–17:00 local or sunset + 30 min, whichever is earlier, and by arrangement; open Mon–Sun for…
Air/Ground radio 09:00–17:00 local or sunset + 30 min, whichever is earlier, and by arrangement; open Mon–Sun for aircraft not requiring a licensed aerodrome; licensed by arrangement; may close in inclement weather- Permission
- Prior permission required (PPR): we arrange it with your flight
- Customs
- By arrangement / prior notice
- Runway
- 04/22 – 1,020 m × 18 m asphalt (lit; displaced thresholds)
Why Mid Wales is closer than the map suggests
Helicopter charter Mid Wales works because the roads are slow and the air is direct. Welshpool to Liverpool is 43.7 nautical miles, about 25 to 30 minutes by helicopter against at least 1 hour 42 minutes by road. Birmingham and Manchester are both about 30 to 35 minutes against 1 hour 48 and 2 hours 2 minutes. Cheltenham is about 30 to 40 minutes against 2 hours 13 minutes, Cardiff about 35 to 45 against 2 hours 54 and Bristol about 40 to 45 against 3 hours 1 minute.
Charter-A Helicopter is the helicopter charter service of Charter-A Ltd, which has arranged private flights across the UK and Europe since 2011. The road figures are free-flowing floors and the mountain roads are often slower, so the real saving tends to be larger than the table suggests.
Journey times from Welshpool (Mid Wales) Airport
The nearest places first, with the helicopter time against the car, taken from our route data.
| To | Distance | Helicopter | By road | Typical saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | 44 nm (50 mi) | 25 to 30 min | 1 h 42 min (69 mi) | 1 h 14 min |
| Aintree Racecourse | 52 nm (59 mi) | 30 to 35 min | 1 h 48 min (78 mi) | 1 h 15 min |
| Birmingham | 52 nm (60 mi) | 30 to 35 min | 1 h 48 min (80 mi) | 1 h 15 min |
| Manchester | 54 nm (62 mi) | 30 to 35 min | 2 h 02 min (81 mi) | 1 h 29 min |
| Cheltenham Racecourse | 59 nm (67 mi) | 30 to 40 min | 2 h 13 min (86 mi) | 1 h 38 min |
| Cardiff | 74 nm (86 mi) | 35 to 45 min | 2 h 54 min (117 mi) | 2 h 14 min |
| Bristol | 77 nm (88 mi) | 40 to 45 min | 3 h 01 min (125 mi) | 2 h 18 min |
| Oxford | 83 nm (95 mi) | 40 to 50 min | 2 h 50 min (138 mi) | 2 h 05 min |
| Silverstone | 85 nm (98 mi) | 40 to 50 min | 2 h 40 min (128 mi) | 1 h 55 min |
| Leeds | 92 nm (105 mi) | 45 to 55 min | 2 h 50 min (130 mi) | 2 h |
| York Racecourse | 108 nm (125 mi) | 50 to 65 min | 3 h 06 min (153 mi) | 2 h 08 min |
| Ascot Racecourse | 117 nm (135 mi) | 55 to 65 min | 3 h 34 min (180 mi) | 2 h 34 min |
| Southampton | 121 nm (139 mi) | 55 to 70 min | 3 h 57 min (172 mi) | 2 h 54 min |
| London Heathrow | 121 nm (140 mi) | 55 to 70 min | 3 h 32 min (180 mi) | 2 h 29 min |
| Cambridge | 125 nm (143 mi) | 55 to 70 min | 3 h 16 min (165 mi) | 2 h 13 min |
| London | 130 nm (150 mi) | 60 to 75 min | 3 h 55 min (185 mi) | 2 h 47 min |
| Newmarket Racecourse | 132 nm (152 mi) | 60 to 75 min | 3 h 23 min (173 mi) | 2 h 15 min |
| Epsom Downs | 133 nm (153 mi) | 60 to 75 min | 3 h 57 min (201 mi) | 2 h 49 min |
| Goodwood | 139 nm (160 mi) | 65 to 80 min | 4 h 32 min (206 mi) | 3 h 19 min |
| London Gatwick | 141 nm (163 mi) | 65 to 80 min | 4 h 13 min (219 mi) | 3 h |
| Newcastle | 154 nm (177 mi) | 70 to 85 min | 4 h 55 min (238 mi) | 3 h 37 min |
| Norwich | 162 nm (186 mi) | 70 to 90 min | 4 h 31 min (226 mi) | 3 h 11 min |
| Edinburgh | 200 nm (230 mi) | 85 to 110 min | 5 h 43 min (287 mi) | 4 h 05 min |
| Glasgow | 200 nm (230 mi) | 85 to 110 min | 5 h 35 min (291 mi) | 3 h 57 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.
Welshpool Airport
The airfield has a 1,020 metre asphalt runway, 18 metres wide, with lights and displaced thresholds. It is a visual-only airfield, licensed only by arrangement, and it may close in poor weather. Prior permission is required online for every visit, and the radio service runs from 09:00 to 17:00 or until sunset plus half an hour if that is earlier. A helicopter company and the Wales Air Ambulance are based there.
That makes it right for helicopters and turboprops and wrong for jets. The nearest other sites in our library are Halfpenny Green near Wolverhampton at 33.3 nautical miles, Hawarden near Chester at 33.6 and Liverpool John Lennon at 43.8.
Marches business, shows and estates
The Welsh Marches combine farming, forestry, small manufacturing, tourism and some of the best-known country estates in the Borders. Welshpool has Powis Castle on its doorstep and Shrewsbury, the nearest large town, has a strong professional and legal community. Our business helicopter charter page and same-day business trips page cover how directors use the aircraft.
The Royal Welsh Show is held at Llanelwedd near Builth Wells in July, and the central Wales estates run shooting seasons that we describe under shooting by helicopter. Landing at an estate, a showground or a house is subject to landing permission and site suitability, and we ask the owner first. We only fly corporate and business groups.
Planning from Welshpool
Give us the date, the destination and each passenger's weight. We confirm the permission, tell you the plan and quote the whole aircraft. Arrive 10 minutes before departure and use soft bags. The airfield can close in poor weather, so we keep an alternative site such as Hawarden or Halfpenny Green in mind. If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing.
For a car at either end, Executive Global Travel can meet you. The Wales region page and North Wales give the wider picture, and the airfield directory lists every site.
Nearby airfields and heliports
Other sites close to Welshpool (Mid Wales) 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 Mid Wales?
Welshpool Airport in Powys is the main site. It has a lit 1,020 metre runway and needs prior permission online.
How long is a helicopter from Welshpool to Birmingham?
About 30 to 35 minutes, against at least 1 hour 48 minutes by road.
Can the airfield close?
Yes, it may close in poor weather. We keep an alternative site in mind and tell you the plan.
Is Shrewsbury close?
Shrewsbury is the nearest large town to Welshpool Airport, and a car completes the journey.
Can you land at an estate or the Royal Welsh Show?
Often, subject to landing permission and site suitability. We ask first.
What if the weather stops the flight?
If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing.
