The short answer
Helicopter charter North Wales uses Caernarfon Airport, a 932 metre runway open 09:00 to 17:00 daily by prior permission, with Hawarden near Chester for larger aircraft. Liverpool is about 30 to 35 minutes by helicopter against at least 2 hours 6 minutes by road. Send your date, weights and destination and we quote.
Flying from North Wales? Tell us where and when; we reply with options and a price for the whole aircraft.
Key facts
- Main site
- Caernarfon Airport (EGCK), Dinas Dinlle, Gwynedd, 932 m runway, turboprop and helicopter
- Hours (checked 29 Sep 2026)
- 09:00 to 17:00 daily; administration, fuel and handling 09:00 to 16:45; extensions by arrangement
- Permission
- Prior permission for every visiting aircraft; the coastguard rescue helicopters based here have priority
- For larger aircraft
- Hawarden Airport near Chester, a jet-capable site on the same side of North Wales
- Caernarfon to Liverpool
- Helicopter about 30 to 35 minutes; car at least 2h06 (98 miles)
- Caernarfon to Manchester
- Helicopter about 35 to 45 minutes; car at least 2h27 (110 miles)
- Caernarfon to Birmingham
- Helicopter about 50 to 60 minutes; car at least 3h22 (148 miles)
Where North Wales flights start and end
The map shows Caernarfon Airport and the other sites that serve North Wales, 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. Caernarfon Airport is at Caernarfon Airport, Dinas Dinlle, Caernarfon, Gwynedd. Open it in Google Maps.
Caernarfon Airport
Choose a place
Hover, or tap, a pin for the details
Sites that serve North 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.
Caernarfon Airport EGCK
- Address
- Caernarfon Airport, Dinas Dinlle, Caernarfon, Gwynedd
- Hours as published (checked 29 Sept 2026)
- 09:00–17:00 daily; administration 09:00–16:45 local; aerodrome may be available by arrangement outside these hours
- Permission
- Prior permission required (PPR): we arrange it with your flight
- Customs
- By arrangement / prior notice
- Runway
- 07/25 – 932 m × 23 m asphalt
Hawarden Airport (Chester) EGNR / CEG
- Address
- Hawarden Airport, Broughton, Chester
- Hours as published (checked 29 Sept 2026)
- Mon–Fri 08:00–21:00; Sat–Sun 08:30–18:00 (may vary with operational requirements). Customs and immigration by arrangement with 24 hours' notice
- Permission
- Prior permission required (PPR): we arrange it with your flight
- Customs
- By arrangement / prior notice
- Runway
- 04/22 – 2,093 m × 45 m concrete/asphalt (grooved)
Helicopter charter Chester and CheshireOfficial websiteOpen in Google Maps
What does a helicopter save in North Wales?
Helicopter charter North Wales is mostly a story about the road. Caernarfon to Liverpool is about 30 to 35 minutes by helicopter against at least 2 hours 6 minutes by car, and Aintree is the same time against 2 hours 12 minutes. Manchester is about 35 to 45 minutes against 2 hours 27 minutes, Birmingham about 50 to 60 against 3 hours 22 minutes, Leeds about 50 to 60 against 3 hours 15 minutes and Cardiff about 50 to 65 against 4 hours 16 minutes.
Charter-A Helicopter is the helicopter charter service of Charter-A Ltd, which has arranged private flights across the UK and Europe since 2011. Those road times are free-flowing floors, and on a summer weekend the A55 and the mountain roads are slower. The helicopter figures are block times at 135 knots plus eight minutes, shown as a range.
Journey times from Caernarfon 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 | 55 nm (63 mi) | 30 to 35 min | 2 h 12 min (107 mi) | 1 h 39 min |
| Liverpool | 55 nm (64 mi) | 30 to 35 min | 2 h 06 min (98 mi) | 1 h 33 min |
| Manchester | 76 nm (87 mi) | 35 to 45 min | 2 h 27 min (110 mi) | 1 h 47 min |
| Birmingham | 102 nm (117 mi) | 50 to 60 min | 3 h 22 min (148 mi) | 2 h 27 min |
| Leeds | 106 nm (122 mi) | 50 to 60 min | 3 h 15 min (158 mi) | 2 h 20 min |
| Cardiff | 109 nm (125 mi) | 50 to 65 min | 4 h 16 min (176 mi) | 3 h 18 min |
| Cheltenham Racecourse | 109 nm (126 mi) | 50 to 65 min | 3 h 52 min (163 mi) | 2 h 54 min |
| Bristol | 119 nm (137 mi) | 55 to 70 min | 4 h 38 min (193 mi) | 3 h 35 min |
| York Racecourse | 126 nm (145 mi) | 60 to 70 min | 3 h 31 min (182 mi) | 2 h 26 min |
| Oxford | 134 nm (154 mi) | 60 to 75 min | 4 h 24 min (207 mi) | 3 h 16 min |
| Silverstone | 136 nm (156 mi) | 60 to 75 min | 4 h 14 min (197 mi) | 3 h 06 min |
| Newcastle | 149 nm (171 mi) | 65 to 85 min | 5 h 20 min (266 mi) | 4 h 05 min |
| Glasgow | 166 nm (191 mi) | 75 to 90 min | 6 h (320 mi) | 4 h 37 min |
| Ascot Racecourse | 169 nm (194 mi) | 75 to 95 min | 5 h 07 min (248 mi) | 3 h 42 min |
| Southampton | 170 nm (195 mi) | 75 to 95 min | 5 h 37 min (274 mi) | 4 h 12 min |
| London Heathrow | 173 nm (199 mi) | 75 to 95 min | 5 h 05 min (249 mi) | 3 h 40 min |
| Cambridge | 173 nm (199 mi) | 75 to 95 min | 4 h 50 min (233 mi) | 3 h 25 min |
| Edinburgh | 174 nm (201 mi) | 75 to 95 min | 6 h 08 min (316 mi) | 4 h 43 min |
| Newmarket Racecourse | 180 nm (207 mi) | 80 to 100 min | 4 h 57 min (242 mi) | 3 h 27 min |
| London | 182 nm (209 mi) | 80 to 100 min | 5 h 29 min (253 mi) | 3 h 59 min |
| Epsom Downs | 185 nm (212 mi) | 80 to 100 min | 5 h 30 min (270 mi) | 4 h |
| Goodwood | 189 nm (217 mi) | 85 to 105 min | 6 h 11 min (302 mi) | 4 h 36 min |
| London Gatwick | 193 nm (222 mi) | 85 to 105 min | 5 h 46 min (287 mi) | 4 h 11 min |
| Norwich | 205 nm (236 mi) | 90 to 110 min | 6 h 04 min (295 mi) | 4 h 24 min |
Times from Hawarden Airport
| To | Distance | Helicopter | By road | Typical saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | 10 nm (12 mi) | 10 to 15 min | 49 min (32 mi) | 36 min |
| Aintree Racecourse | 18 nm (21 mi) | 15 to 20 min | 55 min (42 mi) | 37 min |
| Manchester | 27 nm (32 mi) | 20 to 25 min | 1 h 10 min (45 mi) | 47 min |
| Birmingham | 62 nm (72 mi) | 30 to 40 min | 2 h 05 min (93 mi) | 1 h 30 min |
| Leeds | 63 nm (72 mi) | 30 to 40 min | 1 h 57 min (93 mi) | 1 h 22 min |
| York Racecourse | 81 nm (94 mi) | 40 to 50 min | 2 h 13 min (117 mi) | 1 h 28 min |
| Cheltenham Racecourse | 83 nm (95 mi) | 40 to 50 min | 2 h 38 min (126 mi) | 1 h 53 min |
| Silverstone | 97 nm (112 mi) | 45 to 55 min | 2 h 57 min (141 mi) | 2 h 07 min |
| Oxford | 101 nm (116 mi) | 50 to 60 min | 3 h 07 min (151 mi) | 2 h 12 min |
| Cardiff | 108 nm (124 mi) | 50 to 65 min | 3 h 45 min (167 mi) | 2 h 47 min |
| Bristol | 108 nm (125 mi) | 50 to 65 min | 3 h 36 min (175 mi) | 2 h 38 min |
| Newcastle | 121 nm (139 mi) | 55 to 70 min | 4 h 02 min (201 mi) | 2 h 59 min |
| Cambridge | 129 nm (148 mi) | 60 to 75 min | 3 h 32 min (178 mi) | 2 h 24 min |
| Newmarket Racecourse | 135 nm (155 mi) | 60 to 75 min | 3 h 40 min (186 mi) | 2 h 32 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.
Caernarfon Airport and the other options
Caernarfon Airport, on the coast at Dinas Dinlle, has a 932 metre asphalt runway, so it takes helicopters, Islander-class aircraft and turboprops but not jets. It is strictly prior-permission-only, and the search and rescue helicopters based there, together with the Wales Air Ambulance, have priority over visiting traffic. Bird activity from a nearby RSPB reserve affects the approach between September and March, which pilots plan for.
For larger aircraft the alternative is Hawarden Airport near Chester, a 2,093 metre jet-capable runway on the eastern side of North Wales that also serves Chester Racecourse, and Liverpool John Lennon Airport across the Dee. We choose the site when we quote.
Business, circuits and the mountains
Gwynedd and Anglesey mix tourism, farming, renewable energy, engineering and education. Corporate groups fly in for site visits, board meetings and client events, and the Anglesey Circuit draws motorsport groups. Our business helicopter charter page explains how a day is planned, and race circuit days by helicopter covers the circuit side.
Snowdonia, the Menai Strait and the castles along the coast are the setting, but we fly business and corporate groups only. If your visit includes an estate, a hotel or a house on the coast, tell us and we ask about landing permission. Every landing at a private site is subject to landing permission and site suitability. Shooting seasons on the hill estates are covered by shooting by helicopter.
Planning a North Wales charter
Give us the date, the destination and each passenger's weight. We book the landing and quote the whole aircraft. Arrive 10 minutes before departure and keep bags soft. Mountain weather is the main variable: cloud on the high ground and wind on the coast decide many days, so we check the forecast the day before and on the morning. If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing.
For ground transport at either end, Executive Global Travel can arrange a car. The Wales region page puts North Wales in context, Mid Wales is the next site south, and the airfield directory lists the rest.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an airport near Snowdonia for helicopters?
Caernarfon Airport at Dinas Dinlle, with a 932 metre runway, is open 09:00 to 17:00 daily by prior permission.
How long is a helicopter from Caernarfon to Liverpool?
About 30 to 35 minutes, against at least 2 hours 6 minutes by road.
Can a jet land at Caernarfon?
No. The 932 metre runway suits helicopters and turboprops. Jets use Hawarden near Chester or Liverpool.
Do the rescue helicopters affect flights?
They have priority, so a slot can move by a few minutes. We plan a margin.
Can you land at a hotel or estate?
Often, subject to landing permission and site suitability. We ask the owner first.
What if the weather cancels the flight?
If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing.
