Private jet airports in London: Farnborough, Biggin Hill, Luton, Stansted and Northolt

Private jet airports in London: the overview

London doesn't have one private jet airport; it has a ring of them, each with a different character. Two are dedicated business-aviation fields with no airline traffic at all. Two are busy commercial airports with large private terminals tucked to one side. One is a working Royal Air Force station that admits a limited number of civil flights. And then there are the airports most people assume they will use, Heathrow and London City, which in practice suit private flyers far less well than the others.

A clean definition: a private jet airport is any airfield where business aircraft are handled through a dedicated private terminal, known as an FBO, rather than the airline terminal. By that measure the five that matter for London are Farnborough, Biggin Hill, Luton, Stansted and RAF Northolt. This guide compares them on the things that actually change your trip: how far they are from central London, when they are open, what they can take, and who handles you on the ground. If you are pricing a flight rather than choosing an airport, start with our private jet hire London page instead, or browse all our private jet hire destinations.

London's private jet airports at a glance

The first table covers the practical basics. Drive times are typical figures to central London from Universal Weather's London business-aviation guide; they vary a great deal with traffic and the exact address.

Sources: Farnborough hours from Rushmoor Borough Council and runway from the airport; Biggin Hill from the airport's airfield specification; Luton night rules from the airport's monitoring reports and Universal Weather; Luton runway from SkyVector and FBO hours from AC-U-KWIK's FBO listing; Stansted runway from SKYbrary; distances and drive times from Universal Weather.

The second table covers who handles you and what each airport is best suited to.

FBO lists from AC-U-KWIK (Farnborough), Biggin Hill Airport, AC-U-KWIK (Luton), Stansted Airport and Universal Weather. PPR (prior permission required) per Universal Weather; Biggin Hill asks for it for its earliest and latest operating windows.

If you remember one thing from these tables, make it this: the closest airport on the map isn't always the quickest door to door. Biggin Hill is only 16 miles out but has no motorway into town; Farnborough is more than twice the distance but sits close to the M3. Where you are going in London matters more than the mileage.

Farnborough private jet: the dedicated business airport

Farnborough is the one most private flyers end up using, and the reason is simple: it was built around business aviation. There are no airline flights, no holiday charters and no cargo. The planning permission that governs it, published by Rushmoor Borough Council, bars scheduled passenger services and bulk freight, caps the airport at 50,000 movements a year with no more than 8,900 at weekends and bank holidays, and allows aircraft up to 50 tonnes maximum take-off weight freely, with a further 1,500 movements a year for aircraft up to 80 tonnes.

The runway is 45 m wide with take-off runs of 2,000 m and 2,063 m and a landing distance of 1,800 m in each direction, and an instrument landing system at both ends. That comfortably covers everything from a light jet to an ultra-long-range Gulfstream or Global. The ground experience is the main draw: one terminal, operated by the airport itself, with cars driven to the aircraft and customs handled on site.

The limits are the hours. Flying is permitted from 07:00 to 22:00 on weekdays and 08:00 to 20:00 at weekends and on bank holidays, and not at all on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. An evening return on a Sunday has to be on the ground by 20:00, which catches people out. For anyone heading to west London, Surrey, Hampshire or the Thames Valley, though, a Farnborough private jet arrival is usually the right call.

Biggin Hill private jet: closest to the City

London Biggin Hill describes itself as London's dedicated business-aviation airport, and like Farnborough it has no scheduled airline traffic. Its airfield specification gives a single runway, 03/21, of 1,806 m by 45 m, with landing distances of 1,555 m and 1,670 m, and opening hours of 06:30 to 23:00 on weekdays and 08:00 to 22:00 at weekends and on public holidays. Those are noticeably longer days than Farnborough's, which is the airport's quiet advantage.

At 16 miles from central London it is the nearest of the dedicated fields, and it is well placed for Canary Wharf, the City and Kent. The catch, which Universal Weather points out, is that there is no major road connection, so a drive into the West End can take as long as it would from further out. The airport's answer is a helicopter shuttle that it advertises as six minutes to the heart of London. Handling is through Biggin Hill Exec, the airport's own FBO.

A private jet from Biggin Hill suits light, midsize and large-cabin jets heading to Europe; the runway is shorter than Farnborough's, so very long-range departures at maximum weight are better planned from a longer runway. For a Riviera, Alpine or Paris trip, it is excellent.

Luton private jet: volume and late nights

Luton is a busy airline airport, but it also has two large private terminals and a long runway, 2,162 m by 46 m. Signature and Harrods Aviation both operate FBOs there, and both are listed as staffed 24 hours. Luton is a 24-hour airport, but night flying is restricted. Movements between 23:30 and 06:00 are capped and counted against a noise quota under its planning conditions, as the airport's own monitoring reports set out. On top of that, from 1 June to 30 September ad hoc flights, private jets included, are not normally permitted at night, between 23:00 and 06:59 local time; in recent summers only a handful of business-aviation night movements have been allowed, arranged through the FBOs and limited to quieter aircraft. Signature describes the airport as about 30 miles from central London; Universal Weather puts the drive at 60 to 90 minutes.

The appeal of a Luton private jet departure is flexibility. Outside the summer night restrictions it is open when Farnborough and Biggin Hill are closed, it sees a high volume of private traffic, and that volume means more aircraft passing through and more short-notice availability. The downsides are the ones you'd expect at a mixed airport: airline traffic on the same runway, slot requirements, and, according to Universal Weather, tighter and more expensive parking for private aircraft than at Stansted or Farnborough. For north London, Hertfordshire and anyone flying late, it is often the practical choice.

Stansted: the long runway

Stansted has the longest runway of the group, 3,048 m by 46 m, and operates as a 24-hour airport of entry. It also has the widest choice of private handlers: the airport lists Harrods, Universal Aviation, Inflite, Fayair and the Diamond Hangar/XJET facility. Universal Weather's Stansted guide puts Canary Wharf about 45 minutes away by car and the West End about an hour and a quarter.

Stansted makes most sense for long-range departures at heavy weights, large groups, and anyone heading to east London, Essex or Cambridge. Night movements are possible but depend on the aircraft's noise certification, so ask before planning a very late departure on an older type.

RAF Northolt: close to the West End, with limits

RAF Northolt is the closest of the five to central London, about 12 miles and roughly 35 minutes by car according to Universal Weather, and that is exactly why it is popular. It is also a military airfield first. Civil use is permitted under a notification by the Civil Aviation Authority, and the Ministry of Defence caps the number of civil movements; a High Court judgment records that cap being raised from 7,000 to 12,000 a year.

In practice, a civil flight into Northolt needs prior permission and a slot, with full crew and passenger details and a copy of the aircraft's insurance submitted for both arrival and departure. Universal Aviation is the sole civil handler. Opening hours are set by the RAF and are shorter at weekends, and military needs come first. The trade-off is clear: when you can get in, nothing is quicker to Mayfair; when you can't, Farnborough is the natural backup.

Arriving in London: customs, cars and helicopters

The arrival is where the private airports earn their keep. At all five, an inbound international flight clears immigration and customs inside the private terminal, usually in minutes, and your car can wait at or close to the aircraft if the FBO has the driver's details. There is no baggage hall and no queue; the crew or handler moves your bags from the hold to the car.

From there, the choice is road or rotor. Most travellers simply drive, and for Farnborough, Luton and Stansted that is the norm. Biggin Hill is the airport that leans hardest on the helicopter, because its road links are slow for the distance; its shuttle is the reason a field in the Kent countryside can compete with Northolt for City-bound travellers. If you are weighing a helicopter leg more broadly, our guide to helicopter vs private jet sets out when the extra cost makes sense.

One honest caveat: a helicopter into town only saves time if your final destination is near the landing site. For an address in Hampstead or Chelsea, a good driver from the right airport is often just as quick, and far cheaper.

When London's airports get busy

Private traffic into London isn't evenly spread through the year. The summer season of sporting and social fixtures, from Royal Ascot to Wimbledon and the British Grand Prix, brings concentrated arrivals over a few days (our guide to a private jet to Royal Ascot covers the busiest of them), and Farnborough also hosts the Farnborough International Airshow every other July, which AC-U-KWIK notes brings heavy demand at the airport. In those weeks it pays to book early, keep a second airport in mind, and accept that the aircraft you want may be based at a different field from the one you'd choose.

The flip side is that busy weeks produce repositioning flights. Jets that bring guests in for an event often leave empty or wait for the return, and those movements are where London's empty legs come from.

What about London City and Heathrow?

Both can take private jets, and both are usually the wrong choice. London City has a short runway, about 1,500 m, a steep approach that only certified aircraft and crews can fly, a small apron where parking is often limited to a few hours, and restricted weekend hours. It works well for a light or certified midsize jet dropping off in the City and leaving again. Heathrow runs close to capacity, slots for private aircraft are hard to obtain, and the experience is far closer to airline travel than any of the dedicated fields offer.

Unless you have a specific reason, such as an onward airline connection, one of the five airports above will be quicker and calmer.

Which London airport should you choose?

Start with where you are going in London, then check the clock.

• West End, Mayfair, Kensington: Northolt if you can get a slot; otherwise Farnborough.
• City, Canary Wharf, south-east London: Biggin Hill, especially with the helicopter shuttle; Stansted is a reasonable alternative for Canary Wharf.
• North London, Hertfordshire: Luton.
• Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire, the Thames Valley: Farnborough.
• Essex, Cambridge, east London: Stansted.
• Late at night or very early: Stansted, or Luton outside its summer night restrictions; both stay open when the dedicated fields have closed.

Then think about the aircraft. A long-range jet leaving at maximum weight for the Gulf or North America is happiest on a long runway at Farnborough or Stansted. A light jet to the Riviera can use any of them.

How the airports affect empty legs and prices

For anyone looking at empty legs, London's spread of airports is an advantage. Legs into and out of London arrive at all five, and a leg landing at Luton may suit you just as well as one landing at Farnborough. Setting an alert on "London" rather than one named airport noticeably widens the pool, a point covered in more detail in empty leg flights UK and how to find empty legs.

The airport also feeds into the price of a full charter. Landing and handling fees differ between airports, and an aircraft based at one field may need to reposition to another, which adds cost. Our guide to private jet charter cost explains how those items sit on top of the hourly rate, and our guide to private jet from London cost puts numbers on the popular routes; for the destinations themselves, see private jet hire Nice and private jet hire Geneva. As a rough guide from the site's own figures, a light or midsize jet from London to Geneva, about an hour and a half in the air, runs at about £7,000–£12,000 one way on full charter, a price that includes the aircraft's positioning, with empty legs from roughly £2,800–£6,000. These are indicative; the live figure is confirmed on enquiry.

When flying private from London isn't worth it

Private jet airports in London are quick, but they are not always the right answer, and we would rather say so. Three situations where we would think twice:

• Short city-centre trips. For London to Paris or Brussels, the train leaves from St Pancras in the middle of town, while every airport in this guide is 12 to 40 miles out. Door to door, the gap is smaller than the flight time suggests; our comparison of a private jet London to Paris against the Eurostar works through it honestly.
• One or two people on fixed dates. You pay for the whole aircraft, so on a full charter the cost per person is hard to justify unless your time is worth more than the difference. A business-class seat is usually far cheaper.
• Late returns in summer. If you need to land after the dedicated fields have closed, Stansted is the realistic option, because Luton's summer night restrictions rule out ad hoc flights between 23:00 and 06:59. A late Sunday arrival can mean a longer drive home than you planned.

Where flying private does pay off is the trip the airlines serve badly: an early start to the Alps or the Riviera with a group, a same-day return to a regional European city, or any journey where the drive to Heathrow and the queues would cost you half a day. If your dates can move, an empty leg narrows the price gap considerably.

Practical points for flying private from London

• Arrive shortly before departure, not hours ahead. FBO security and passport checks are quick; your operator will give you a check-in time that leaves the crew enough room to load bags and file paperwork.
• Tell the FBO who is driving you. At most private terminals your car can come to the aircraft if the registration is given in advance.
• Bring passports even for Europe. The UK is outside the Schengen area, so every flight to the continent clears immigration at both ends.
• Watch the closing time on the way home. A Sunday evening return to Farnborough has to land by 20:00; Biggin Hill by 22:00. Stansted, and Luton outside its summer night restrictions, are the fallbacks after that.
• Ask which airport is in the quote. "London" on a quote can mean any of the five, and a 40-minute difference in drive time is worth knowing before you book.

Frequently asked questions