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Covid-19 Shutters London Heliport

The Covid-19 crisis has claimed another victim: the London Heliport at Battersea is closed until at least April 13 on advice from Public Health England and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In a statement issued Monday morning, the heliport said it has paused all operations and is “unable to provide full services until the national lockdown is lifted.” The statement added the heliport expected to resume operations in the future and that it would “consistently ensure that our dedicated clients and stakeholders are updated with any changes, as soon as clarity is provided.” 

Heliport general manager Simon Hutchins praised the performance of his team to date during the crisis. “Everyone has been working tirelessly to ensure we adhere to government guidance at all times.” As April 13 approaches, the heliport said it would issue a status update. 

The London Heliport has been in operation since 1959 and is currently owned by the real estate firm Reuben Brothers. It is the only CAA-licensed heliport, hosting nearly 12,000 operations annually, many of them connecting passengers to executive aircraft at suburban London airports at London Biggin Hill, Luton, Oxford, Farnborough, and Stansted. Located on the River Thames between Battersea and Wandsworth bridges, the heliport caters to customers requiring fast access in and out of the city. The heliport also runs its own charter brokerage.

March 31, 2020 View in browser   •   Email Editor

Airbus Closes Voom Per-seat Helicopter Charter Service Airbus-backed helicopter charter service Voom ceased operations on March 30. Confirming the decision in a blog post, Voom CEO Clément Monnet said Airbus decided not to resume services that had been suspended on March 23 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Voom launched its on-demand, per-seat booking service in 2017 in São Paulo, Brazil, and later expanded it to Mexico City and the San Francisco area. The company used a network of operators to provide the flights, which could be booked via an app or online up to an hour before departure. According to Monnet, Voom has provided Airbus with extensive data about consumer preferences and behavior that will support the wider plans of its Silicon Valley-based A3 division to develop urban air mobility services using eVTOL aircraft. He also hailed what he said was the first mobile helicopter booking platform in a market that now includes competitors Uber Copter and Blade. Nearly 150,000 people signed up for the Voom app and the service flew more than 15,000 passengers. In its first year of operation, 60 percent of customers were making their first flight in a helicopter. Monnet claimed that the service achieved a 45 percent repeat customer rate and that the average price for a ride was around double the cost of private car service but 10 times faster.