Story ID: 
London Biggin Hill Adds Fast Transfer Option
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: The airport unveiled its new helicopter shuttle direct to the heart of London.
Word Count: 346
London Biggin Hill Airport launched a new dedicated on-demand helicopter service that will ferry passengers to the London Heliport in Battersea in just six minutes, the company announced today at the 2015 NBAA Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference. Operated by resident charter provider Castle Air, a fleet of six passenger AgustaWestland AW109s is available to whisk away arriving clients with no prior notice. Included in the cost of the $3,500 flight, which offers the shortest journey time to London of any business airport in the UK, is door-to-door chauffeur service to the client’s final destination.

“We pride ourselves on continuing to develop a wide choice for access to and from London and the southeast,” noted Robert Walters, the airport's business development director. “The London Heli Shuttle experience will enable our customers to gain more control of their time, ensure the transit to and from London is as efficient as possible and have reassurance that we have chosen excellent service providers and partners.”

The shuttle service is the latest development in the airport’s strategy to attract more transatlantic traffic. Biggin Hill ranks third in the UK for business aviation movements, having logged approximately 14,000 last year, and the London-area airport’s operators are seeking permission to extend its operating hours from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday to 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., with an additional three hours on Sundays and public holidays. “With an expansion of our operating hours and no slot restrictions, we will be able to welcome more traffic, backed up by strong infrastructure with multi-choice FBOs, maintenance providers and extensive hangarage options,” said Walters.

In 2013, London Biggin Hill signed a mutual support and development agreement with New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport, recognizing the similarities between the two in their available customer infrastructure as well as their proximity to major financial centers (less than 12 miles in each case). Sister airport Teterboro has a similar service, which takes passengers via charter provider AAG’s Sikorsky S-76S shuttle to Manhattan in less than 10 minutes.