Rules and routes
Air traffic control for helicopters
Who gives a London helicopter its clearance, on which frequency, and in what order.
The control arrangements below come from the UK AIP entry for Heathrow (AD 2.22), the London Heliport's own documents and the CAA. Frequencies and procedures are revised each AIRAC cycle, so treat this as an explanation, not a reference.
Who controls what
- Heathrow Radar controls VFR/SVFR helicopters in the London CTR
- aurora.nats.co.uk
- London Heliport (Battersea Tower)
- aurora.nats.co.uk
- Northolt Approach
- aurora.nats.co.uk
- Route H4 (Thames)
- aurora.nats.co.uk
- Routes H3, H5, H7, H9, H10 (others on the chart: H2)
- aurora.nats.co.uk
- Route chart
- caa.co.uk
- Where the current UK AIP is
- nats-uk.ead-it.com
- Flight Priority categories A to E
- aurora.nats.co.uk
Weather and clearance
- VFR/SVFR clearance from Heathrow Radar
- All VFR and Special VFR helicopter flying in the London CTR needs ATC clearance (exceptions: Local Flying Areas of Brooklands, Denham, Fairoaks, White Waltham). Clearance is obtained from Heathrow Radar on 125.625 MHz; pilots should call at least 3 minutes before the CTR boundary giving callsign, type, route, ETA, entry point and destination.
Reference: UK AIP EGLL AD 2.22 para 10 (AIRAC 11/2026). AIP wording: 'Pilots must obtain a VFR or Special VFR clearance from Heathrow Radar.' aurora.nats.co.uk - Weather minima at Heathrow for VFR and SVFR helicopter crossings
- VFR: visibility 5 km or more and cloud ceiling 1,500 ft or more. SVFR: visibility 2 km or more and ceiling 600 ft or more. SVFR helicopter crossings are normally limited to high Flight Priority (A to E) helicopters; access to the Inner Area needs permission by phone at least 60 minutes ahead.
Reference: UK AIP EGLL AD 2.22 para 8 aurora.nats.co.uk - SVFR minimum on helicopter routes
- Special VFR along the helicopter routes needs at least 1 km flight visibility (route-specific minima differ from the general CTR minima).
Reference: UK AIP EGLL AD 2.22 para 8/10 (as summarised from the page) aurora.nats.co.uk - Frequency Monitoring Code
- Pilots near but outside the London CTR, listening only on Thames Director 132.700 MHz, are encouraged to squawk 0012; this does not imply an ATC service.
Reference: UK AIP EGLL AD 2.22.15 aurora.nats.co.uk - Mode S TMZ and Special VFR: SVFR also for Heathrow movements
- Heathrow AIP says types permitted include IFR/VFR/SVFR; SVFR clearance during Heathrow Radar hours for aircraft in the CTR.
Reference: UK AIP EGLL AD 2.2 and 2.22 aurora.nats.co.uk
Sources and checks
Facts on this page come from these sources, last checked 2026-11-03. Where a source could not be reached or did not say, we left the fact out.
- aurora.nats.co.uk aurora.nats.co.uk
- caa.co.uk caa.co.uk
- nats-uk.ead-it.com nats-uk.ead-it.com
- cixvfrclub.org.uk cixvfrclub.org.uk