RAF Northolt.
RAF Northolt is the closest jet-capable runway to the West End — roughly 35 minutes to Hyde Park by car — and the most tightly gated. It is a working RAF station that admits business aviation on strict terms: PPR and slots run by the RAF booking cell, military priority over civil traffic, and border control by arrangement rather than standing presence. We handle all of it.
Chartering from Northolt
Civil hours run 08:00–20:00 on weekdays, 08:00–15:00 on Saturdays and 12:00–19:00 on Sundays, and PPR is valid only fifteen minutes either side of the slot. EU-origin flights need four hours’ notice; everything else — including the Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Ireland — needs twelve, plus SO15 counter-terrorism approval for non-CTA sectors. Weekend and bank-holiday movements carry a 50% surcharge, and military or government tasking can move a civil slot at any time, so we build slack into every Northolt itinerary. London Northolt–Geneva from €8,300, 1h22 is the benchmark lane.
Border control, by arrangement
Northolt is not a designated Port of Entry. There is no permanent Border Force, HMRC or SO15 presence on the station; officers attend by prior arrangement, and if attendance cannot be secured the slot can fall. In practice it is a lead-time item: we lodge the GAR/API, the sole civil handler — Universal Aviation UK, under MOD licence — coordinates attendance, and passengers are escorted through in minutes. It is one more reason Northolt rewards booking through people who fly it regularly.
Aircraft and limits
The 1,683 m runway takes most of the business fleet, but ACJ and BBJ-class aircraft are not accepted, pavement strength caps heavier types, and hangarage is rarely available. Civil movements are capped at 12,000 a year with a daily maximum of 40 — the cap is not usually the constraint, but individual peak days do sell out.
Questions.
How much is a private jet from Northolt?
Geneva from €8,300 all-in on a light jet, 1h22 in the air — an indicative from-price on our block-hour model.
Why choose Northolt over Farnborough or Luton?
Geography. Mayfair and Park Lane are 30–40 minutes by car, an access time the other London fields cannot match at peak hours. The trade is a stricter access regime — which is our job to manage, not yours.
Can anyone land at Northolt?
Only with a valid PPR number from the RAF booking cell, inside civil hours, with border attendance arranged in advance. Without one, you do not land.