What are the advantages of using smaller regional airfields?

16 April 2018

Large airports are becoming busier all the time which is making the process of getting a flight from them more complex, aggravating and time consuming. The demand for flights seems to be increasing every year which means that landing slots are at a premium and as a result many airport operators are giving the large commercial flights priority over privately hired aircraft.
What about smaller airfields?

There are many hundreds of small airfields in the UK alone and many of them are underused and some even struggle to survive. Using these small airfields has never been more sensible or viable for the private flyer.  Single engine turboprop aircraft which are smaller and more agile have made these airfields even more accessible.
Safety is paramount!
In 2017 The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approved the commercial use of single engine turboprop aircraft in all of its member countries. This is evidence that using a smaller aircraft to fly into smaller airfields is no less safe than flying with an airline into an international airport. This has allowed the convenience of these airfields to be utilised more effectively and opened up the travel possibilities for the potential private flying customer.
Time is money!
Obviously one of the major reasons to use private hire aircraft is the huge saving in time and that translates to money. The more local an airfield the less time one has to spend getting there and once there, the traveller is not met by long check in queues and seemingly endless security. The whole experience is more pleasant and convenient!
Privately hired aircraft are also available at a few hours’ notice should you have to make last minute plans and conversely can wait for you if you are delayed. All of this simply adds to the flexibility.
Get closer to your actual destination!
Furthermore the greater use of these smaller local airfields by the smaller more agile planes allows you the traveller to land potentially much closer to your actual destination which further reduces your travel time at the other end.
Small is beautiful?
It is not always the case but generally speaking the landing fees (and indeed ‘parking’ charges if you are staying there for some time) at the much smaller airfields will also be considerably less than their larger counterparts which makes private flying in this way even more cost effective. Added to that fuel costs will vary from airfield to airfield (even if only marginally) which further reduces the costs.
Demand for private hire of aircraft is increasing all the time and the use of these smaller, local airfields serves to make it all the more accessible for both personal trips and business flights.