Article from BTNews 6 APRIL 2020
London heliport closes
The coronavirus pandemic is having a severe impact on helicopter operations along the Thames and into London.
With virtually zero bookings the London Heliport at Battersea, opposite Chelsea Harbour, has paused all operations. No reopening date has been suggested.
Popularly known as the Battersea Heliport the very restricted site first opened in April 1953 with backing from Westland, the Yeovil-based helicopter manufacturer.
In 2003 London Heliport was acquired by Weston Homes. In 2012 it was bought by the Reuben Brothers, who also own Oxford Airport, for £35m. It is capped at 12,000 movements. In the first nine months of 2019 it recorded 7,672 against 8,700 for the same period in 2018, a drop of 11%.
The London Hospital in Whitechapel has a landing facility for air ambulance.
According to the CAA stats total helicopter movements along the Thames have averaged around 22k in recent years but declined to 18,674 in 2019.
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