Yes, you can fly from London to Paris by helicopter. A twin-engine helicopter such as the AW109 takes about 1 hour 30 minutes from The London Heliport at Battersea to the Paris heliport at Issy-les-Moulineaux, three kilometres from the Eiffel Tower, and costs from about £11,000 one way for the whole aircraft. Border control is cleared at both ends with advance notice, so there is no stop at an airport on the way.
It is the most direct way between the two cities for a small party. For more than six passengers, a lot of luggage or a late return, the private jet from London to Paris is usually the better answer, and we arrange both.
How long does the helicopter take from London to Paris?
The straight line from Battersea to Issy is about 212 miles, or 341 km. An AW109 cruises at about 150 knots, so the flight takes about 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, depending on the wind and the route the operator files across the Channel. From an airfield outside London, such as Denham or Biggin Hill, allow a little longer.
You arrive at the heliport 15 to 20 minutes before departure. On the Paris side a car waits on the apron, and the 15th and 16th arrondissements are minutes away.
Where you leave from in London
The London Heliport, Battersea. The platform on the Thames opposite Chelsea Harbour is the usual departure for central London. It is open from 7.30 am to 7.30 pm on weekdays and from 8 am to 6 pm at weekends, with earlier and later hours by arrangement. Every landing is booked in advance, and the direct routes in and out are reserved for twin-engine helicopters. The heliport is approved for flights to France: the operator sends Border Force the passenger details at least two hours before departure, and nobody from Border Force needs to be on site.
Biggin Hill, Farnborough and Denham. When the heliport is closed or the helicopter is based outside London, it leaves from an airfield instead. Biggin Hill has Border Force in the terminal whenever it is open and is six minutes by helicopter from Battersea; the London private airports guide has its hours and drive times. More on the London heliports and airfields is on our page on helicopter charter in the UK.
Where you land in Paris
The Paris heliport, Issy-les-Moulineaux. Run by Groupe ADP on the edge of the 15th arrondissement, about three kilometres from the Eiffel Tower and six from Notre-Dame. It is the only landing site in central Paris for a flight like this, and it comes with rules:
- Hours. From 7 am on weekdays and 8 am at weekends and on public holidays, until 9 pm or half an hour after sunset, whichever is later, and never after 10 pm. A return that leaves Paris after dinner usually means the jet.
- Weekends. A daily cap of 70 movements, with the flight programme filed by the last working day before. Saturday slots in summer are worth booking early.
- Pilots. Captains need training specific to the heliport, renewed every two years, so the operator matters as much as the aircraft.
- Routes. Paris is a prohibited zone for overflight up to 6,500 feet. Helicopters reach Issy along published routes that follow the Seine and the boulevard périphérique, which is why the flight ends in the south-west of the city rather than in the centre.
Le Bourget. North-east of Paris, open around the clock with customs and border police at all hours. It takes helicopters and is the fall-back when the flight is late or the weather closes Issy, and it is where a jet from London lands. Toussus-le-Noble, south-west of the city, does not accept flights from outside the Schengen area, so it is not an option from London.
Customs and border control at the Channel
Leaving the UK, the operator files a General Aviation Report with Border Force between 48 and 2 hours before departure, listing everyone on board. Arriving in France, a flight from outside the Schengen area has to make its first landing at an official border crossing point. Issy-les-Moulineaux is one, but customs and border police only attend by appointment: the request goes in at least 48 hours ahead, before 3 pm, so the flight is planned two days out.
Everyone needs a passport. Since April 2026 the EU Entry/Exit System registers non-EU travellers, British citizens included, with a photograph and fingerprints on their first entry; ETIAS travel authorisation is due to start in the last quarter of 2026, and the EU has not yet given the date. A dog or cat entering France needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination and an EU health certificate or pet passport.
Why the crossing is flown in a twin-engine helicopter
The rules for commercial helicopter flights require an aircraft that can keep flying after an engine failure when it takes off from or lands in a congested area such as central London or central Paris, and the Channel is open sea. In practice that means a twin: an AW109 Trekker or GrandNew for up to five or six passengers, an H145 for up to eight, or an AW139 for a larger party with more luggage. A single-engine helicopter cannot use the direct routes in and out of Battersea at all.
What a helicopter from London to Paris costs
Operators publish one-way prices from about £10,800 to £11,000 for an AW109 between London and Paris. We work to the same figure: from about £11,000 one way, for the whole helicopter, with landing fees on top. The UK part of an international flight carries no VAT, whatever the seat count.
| Option | Flight time | One way, indicative |
|---|---|---|
| Helicopter, Battersea to Issy: AW109, 5 to 6 seats | About 1 hr 30 min | From about £11,000 |
| Light jet, London City to Le Bourget: Phenom 300 or Citation CJ3, 6 to 7 seats | About 1 hr | From about €7,500 |
| Midsize jet, Farnborough to Le Bourget: Citation XLS+ or Praetor 500, 8 seats | About 1 hr | From about €9,000 |
A same-day return with the helicopter or the jet waiting in Paris is priced well below two one-way trips. The private jet charter cost guide explains how hourly rates, positioning and waiting time add up.
Helicopter, jet or Eurostar: door to door
From Mayfair to the 16th arrondissement on a weekday morning, indicatively:
| Helicopter | Private jet | Eurostar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| To the departure point | 15 to 20 min to Battersea | 30 to 40 min to London City; about an hour to Farnborough | 15 to 20 min to St Pancras |
| Before departure | 15 to 20 min | About 15 min in the private terminal | Gates close 30 min before; Eurostar suggests arriving 75 min early |
| In the air or on the train | About 1 hr 30 min | About 1 hr | About 2 hr 16 min |
| To the address in Paris | 10 to 15 min from Issy | 30 to 45 min from Le Bourget | 20 to 30 min from Gare du Nord |
| Door to door | About 2 hr 15 min to 2 hr 30 min | About 2 hr 15 min to 3 hr | About 3 hr 15 min to 4 hr |
The helicopter wins when the destination is in the west or south of Paris, or the party is small and travels light. The jet wins for a larger group, a later return and the north and east of the city. For a fuller picture of arriving by air, see our page on the private jet to Paris; the return leg is on the Paris to London route page.
Booking a helicopter to Paris
- Send the trip. The date, the time you need to be in Paris, the passengers and their luggage, and whether the helicopter should wait for the return.
- Slots and formalities. We book the departure slot at Battersea, the landing at Issy, and the customs and border police appointment 48 hours ahead.
- A written price. One figure for the helicopter, the landing fees and any waiting, with the weather terms. If the forecast closes Issy, the fall-back is Le Bourget or a jet.
- On the day. A car to Battersea, 15 to 20 minutes at the heliport, and a car on the apron at Issy.
Payment is by bank transfer in any major currency; crypto is also accepted. For helicopters within the UK, and on race days, see our page on helicopter charter in the UK; for helicopter transfers after a jet, the helicopter transfers page.