If there were two business aviation airports that spring to mind in the UK it would be Biggin Hill (official name London Biggin Hill, Booth 1285) and TAG Farnborough (Booth 4085). The airfields are very different. Farnborough is neat and shiny but dedicated to business aviation and with no flying schools. Biggin Hill, on the other hand, is much closer to London and is a more pleasing setting, surprisingly enough set up on a hill.
Yet Biggin Hill is playing catch-up, with the most Farnborough-like part of it being the impressive Rizon Jet FBO. It also has Signature Flight Support–linking it into a vast global chain–and its own FBO operation, whereas TAG Aviation is the sole FBO at Farnborough. Neither airport is open 24 hours, both being limited by planning permission to daytime plus a bit (and shorter at weekends), which explains why those wanting to land or depart in the early hours of the morning might prefer one of the main London airports (though all are increasingly busy with airliner traffic, including Luton and Stansted). A runway comparison can be seen in the chart below.
One area where Biggin Hill now wins hands-down is quick helicopter transfers to the London Battersea Heliport–only six minutes away–with Castle Air, which is available with no notice. Another area where Robert Walters, London Biggin Hill Airport’s business development director, believes the south London airport has gained “first mover advantage” is in its tie-up with Teterboro, New York’s main business aviation access point (Booth 1636). The airports signed a formal memorandum of understanding last August and stated that it was to be “…an innovative transatlantic aviation initiative…aimed at supporting and developing business air transportation between the financial and commercial centers of the City of London and New York.”
Reliever Airport
Walters told AIN during a visit in mid-September, “Teterboro came about when our chairman [Andrew Walters] was speaking with them about the Davies Commission [on UK airport capacity] about its relationship with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. There were a lot of similarities.” He added that London Mayor Boris Johnson has been supportive of Biggin Hill’s development as a business aviation and congestion-reliever airport (similar to Teterboro’s role in New York area).
Biggin Hill falls just inside the London Borough of Bromley, arguably another advantage it has over Farnborough as it can just about be considered a proper London airport (though not as close as London City, which is still not allowed to have a heliport).
Walters said that the heli-shuttle traffic is increasing and “we’ve had a lot of U.S. [customers] give it a go and they’ve kept on coming back.” A chauffeur-driven limo into London can take about an hour, although the train journey from Bromley into London Bridge or Victoria only takes 15 minutes.
Walters is also happy about Signature coming to Biggin Hill, which it did last year when JETS (part of the 328 Jet Group) agreed to run only the MRO side of the facility. “Signature Flight Support put us back in a big network, especially in the U.S. market and the Middle East,” remarked Walters.
There are a growing number of other companies resident at Biggin Hill, such as RAS Completions in East Camp. “They have a constant flow of Gulfstreams going through painting, including NetJets Europe ones, and they have Part 23 approval now so are doing interior design as well,” said Andy Patsalides, Biggin Hill’s new marketing manager.
Walters added that there is “lots more in the pipeline.” Even the flight training organization that was mooted and a hotel opposite the Rizon hangar are live plans again, he said. Designs are also well advanced to add a second big hangar, able to take larger aircraft (such as the new Bombardier Global 7000 and 8000).
Movements at London Biggin Hill totaled 41,000 over the past 12 months (as of September) of which 15,000 were business aviation-related. Unlike Farnborough, there are flying schools at Biggin Hill (fitting well with its RAF heritage–see box on this page). Farnborough does have FlightSafety International simulators but no flying schools. “We have the ability to do 125,000 movements a year,” said Walters, “and there are no slot restrictions.” Farnborough does have a movement cap of 50,000 movements (phased to 2019), but is only halfway to this number, and those are purely business aviation operations.
