Summary Airlink's helicopter shuttle service operated between Heathrow & Gatwick from 1978-1986, transporting passengers in 15 minutes at £12. British Airways Helicopters and British Caledonian Airways offered a helicopter service between London's busiest airports. Noise restrictions and the completion of the M25 led to the discontinuation of the air shuttle service in 1986.
London's Heathrow and Gatwick Airports are the busiest airports in the United Kingdom, welcoming thousands of passengers from around the world every day. Many airlines serve either Heathrow or Gatwick, while a few serve both. While access to these airports is just a flight away, getting between them is more challenging and time-consuming, requiring a journey by rail or road.
However, until about four decades ago, it was possible to transfer between the two hubs in 15 minutes with a helicopter shuttle service provided by Airlink and other predecessors. Let us explore how the service was operated. Accessing Gatwick from Heathrow London Heathrow Airport is 15 miles west of central London, while London Gatwick Airport is 30 miles south of London near Crawley in West Sussex.
The quickest and most efficient way to get from the airport to central London is to take the Heathrow Express train to Paddington Station. Trains depart every 15 minutes with a journey time of 15 minutes from Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. From Terminal 4 and Terminal 5, add another five minutes.
Currently, there is no direct rail link between the two airports, so if you need to get between the two airports by rail or underground, you will need to change in central London. Have you driven past the model aircraft when arriving at London Heathrow Airport? The helicopter shuttle service made the transfer a lot quicker and less challenging. Operating between 1978 and 1986, it connected the growing airports in the years before Margaret Thatcher opened the final section of the M25 motorway.
Without the London Orbital Highway, getting between the two airports took much longer than it does today. The shuttle cost just £12 (£75 today). Shuttle services between Heathrow and Gatwick The first significant air connection between the airports came in 1969, compliments of Westward Airways.
The airline offered up to six direct shuttle flights between Heathrow and Gatwick per day during the week, using a Britten-Norman BN-2A 'Islander.' Flights took around 20 minutes, and the service operated for just over a year before shutting down due to operational issues. Adding on to the issues, Westward was forced to lease another Islander after its aircraft was damaged in an accident in February 1970.
The last time the route was served, between July and August 1970, flights were operated with a Piper PA-28 Cherokee leased from another company. Throughout the 70s, there were several debates on whether a shuttle service should be reintroduced. Major carriers like British Caledonian and Dan-Air, which operated out of Gatwick, called for more efficient links to Heathrow for their passengers and staff.
Meanwhile, the UK government was trying to move some foreign airlines to Gatwick to alleviate pressure on Heathrow. While a motorway was proposed for the future, the air shuttle was considered a good temporary solution. How hard can it be? Airlink's operations in London With passenger numbers at both airports rising year-on-year , British Caledonian Airways and British Airways Helicopters offered a shuttle service between London's two busiest airports.
The British Airports Authority (BAA) owned both airports and agreed to the Airlink joint venture. British Airways provided the pilots and engineering services, while British Caledonian Airways provided the ground crew and a single cabin crew member. British Airways Helicopters later withdrew from the joint venture and was replaced by British Caledonian Helicopters, which also provided the crew and engineering.
The helicopter chosen for the job was an American-built Sikorsky S-61 registered V-LINK. The service operated as follows: Seats per flight: 28 Flights per day: 6 (each way) Passengers per year: 64,000 (estimated) Flights took off June 9th, 1978, with the future King Charles. Having qualified as a helicopter pilot in 1974, the Prince of Wales reportedly flew in the jump seat on the flight deck for the short hop to Heathrow.
He had earlier toured the terminal building with British Caledonian chairman Sir Adam Thomson. A noisy connection The big drawback with the helicopter shuttle was that the flight path took it over densely populated areas of London. Because of noise restrictions, flights were only allowed to operate between 06:30 and 21:15.
Despite only being allowed to operate from morning until late evening, groups like the Gatwick Conservation Area Campaign and the Federation of Heathrow Anti-Noise Group campaigned against the flights. They argued that a bus link between the two airports was a better solution. British Airways countered those claims, saying that its business and first class passengers would not be happy having to take a bus.
The helicopter shuttle lived up to its initial estimates, carrying 60,000 passengers a year during the years it operated. Passenger loads remained high, even after the helicopter's carrying capacity was reduced to 26 passengers in order to accommodate more passengers. During its eight years of operations, Airlink was believed to have achieved the following figures: Passengers 600,000 Direct revenue £10.
5 million Indirect revenue £100 million No. of jobs 62 The completion of the London Orbital Motorway, the M-25, in 1986 was the beginning of the end for the helicopter link. Despite continued efforts to continue the service, Transport Secretary Nicholas Ridley decided that Airlink was no longer needed and revoked its license.
The final Airlink flights operated on February 6th, 1986, and the helicopter has since been scrapped. This proved to be a big blow for British Caledonian Airways and partially led to them ceasing operations two years later. Getting between the airports today As previously mentioned, the fastest way to access central London from Heathrow is through the Heathrow Express .
A second option is to take the London Underground. The airport lies at the end of the Piccadilly Line, which takes around 55 minutes to reach London. It also has stops on the long-awaited Elizabeth Line, which connects the airport to London in approximately 40 minutes.
The best way to get to central London from Gatwick is to take the Gatwick Express train. The service operates every 30 minutes and has a journey time of 30 minutes. The other option is to travel by bus, with National Express and Oxford Bus Company offering direct links.
A one-way ticket costs around £25 ($31) and can take anywhere from 1 hour to 1 hour and 25 minutes, depending on the bus you get and the traffic. A third option is to shell out for a taxi. Taking a taxi between the two airports may be the easiest option, but it comes at a price.
A black cab ride between the two airports can cost over £100 one way. Rather than charging by the mile, London black cabs charge by the minute. It should take around 45 minutes to get between the two airports, but it could be costly if you are unfortunate enough to get stuck in traffic.
Another option is to pay for a private taxi service in advance to meet you at the airport. The advantage of this is that you know the price upfront and that a driver will be waiting for you in the terminal's arrival area..
