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Jump racing · Gloucestershire · March
The Cheltenham Festival is four days of jump racing at Cheltenham Racecourse, from Tuesday 16 to Friday 19 March, ending with the Gold Cup. It is one of the busiest helicopter weeks in the UK calendar, and the reason is simple: the roads into Cheltenham queue, and the racecourse has its own temporary helipad. For private flyers the plan is usually a jet or turboprop into Gloucestershire Airport, about four miles west of the town, then a few minutes by helicopter or car. Below: the race-week rules at the airport, the helicopter options, and what it costs from London, Dublin and Europe. Festival dates are confirmed each season by The Jockey Club.
Live empty legs into Gloucestershire and the nearby airports in the weeks before the Festival. Most are short hops from London, Ireland and northern Europe, and they list late, so an alert is the reliable way to catch one.
Set an alert and we’ll email you the moment one appears. Around 95% of legs don’t match a first search — they come and go daily, so watching a route is how most people actually fly one.
Flying both ways? Book any leg and we’ll find or pair your return — plus transfers, catering, pets in the cabin and the full itinerary, handled end to end.
Cheltenham traffic is short-haul and heavily Irish. Expect demand from Dublin and the rest of Ireland, from the London airports, and from a smaller European and Gulf crowd who fly into a larger airport and helicopter across.
EIDW
EGLF · EGKB
LFPB
LSGG
OMDBGloucestershire Airport (GLO, EGBJ) at Staverton is the closest airport to Cheltenham, about four miles west of the town. Its main runway is 1,431 metres, which suits light jets and turboprops best; whether a larger jet can use it is a performance question for the operator, not a booking question. On-site handling is through the airport and its FBO. Heavier aircraft land at a larger regional airport and finish the trip by helicopter or car.
| Airport | Code | Suits | Festival notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gloucestershire (Staverton) | GLO · EGBJ | Light jets, turboprops, helicopters | Closest field. Race-week slots, PPR for every flight, surcharged landing fees, long fuel waits. Weston Aviation is the FBO. |
| Birmingham | BHX · EGBB | All sizes | Larger runway and full handling. Finish by helicopter or chauffeur. |
| Bristol | BRS · EGGD | All sizes | The south-west alternative. Finish by helicopter or chauffeur. |
| On-course helipad | Temporary | Helicopters only | Operated by Air Charter Service during the Festival, a few hundred metres from the racecourse. Race-day tickets are checked on arrival. |
Runway and location from Gloucestershire Airport's public record; race-week rules from the airport's news page; helipad details from The Jockey Club.
Gloucestershire Airport publishes special procedures for each Festival. For the most recent one, an amended slot system applied between 08:30 and 13:30 and between 16:30 and 19:30, with 10-minute slots in those windows and normal booking rules outside them. Prior permission is required for all inbound and outbound flights, at least 30 minutes in advance. Landing fees carry a race-week surcharge and differ from the standard published rates.
The airport also warns of long waits for fuel, so plan fuel stops elsewhere where you can. Private vehicles and taxis are not routinely allowed airside for drop-offs or pick-ups unless the airport approves, and passengers should use the terminal. Helicopters shuttling between the airport and the racecourse helipad fly published departure routes and don't need a slot for that hop. The racecourse restricted area and routes are notified by the UK CAA, so your operator will check the Aeronautical Information Circulars and NOTAMs before the week.
None of this is difficult for a professional crew, but it does mean that the slot, not the aircraft, is what you book first. If Gloucestershire's peak slots are gone, land outside the peak window or use Birmingham or Bristol and helicopter in.
Choose your day, then secure a Gloucestershire slot outside the peak windows if you can. Fly a light jet or turboprop into Staverton and take the short helicopter hop or a car to the course. Larger jets land at Birmingham or Bristol and helicopter across. On Gold Cup day, book everything earlier still.
From London and the south of England, often yes. The trip is short enough that a helicopter from a London heliport straight onto the racecourse helipad can beat a jet into Staverton plus a transfer, door to door. The Jockey Club describes the temporary helipad, operated by Air Charter Service, as a few hundred metres from the racecourse, with more than 400 flights across the four days, escorted arrivals and a chauffeur to the stands. From Ireland, Europe or further afield, a jet is still the main leg, and the helicopter is the last few minutes. Our helicopter vs private jet guide sets out where the line falls.
Weather matters more for helicopters than for jets in March. Have a road fallback for the last leg, and ask the operator what happens to the booking if the helicopter can't fly.
Indicative one-way ranges for the whole aircraft into a Cotswolds field. Event weeks typically price 15–30% above a normal week; see why private jet prices rise in event weeks. The live figure is confirmed on enquiry.
| Route → gateway | Empty leg | Full charter | Per person ÷6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LondonEGKB/EGLF → EGBJ · light | £3,500–7,000 | £8,000–13,000 | £580–1,160 | View live empty legs → |
| DublinEIDW → EGBJ · light–mid | €5,000–9,000 | €11,000–16,000 | €830–1,500 | View live empty legs → |
| ParisLFPB → EGBJ · light–mid | €4,500–8,500 | €10,000–15,000 | €750–1,420 | View live empty legs → |
| GenevaLSGG → EGBB · midsize | £6,000–11,000 | £14,000–20,000 | £1,000–1,830 | View live empty legs → |
See an indicative range for your exact trip, then request confirmed live pricing — no account, no obligation. Pricing is sourced from the global empty-leg marketplace and operated by certified carriers.
Pre-filled for Dublin → Gloucestershire. Change the codes for any route.
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Flying in from Dublin or London for the Festival? See the indicative range before you book the slot.
Check a price →The Staverton runway's natural fit; Dublin and London hops.
London, Birmingham or Bristol straight onto the on-course helipad.
James · CC BY-SA 2.0From Europe and the Gulf, then a helicopter across.
Empty legs into Gloucestershire and the nearby airports over the Cheltenham Festival appear in the weeks before and move almost as fast as they list. Set the watch once and you'll know the moment one matches your dates.
No noise. Only legs matching your route, the minute they appear.
How empty legs work, what private jets cost, and flying to the world's biggest events for less.
Hero photo: “National Hunt Chase” by Carine06, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.