ETPS Road · Farnborough · Hampshire GU14 6FD
Farnborough Airshow transfers, onto an active airfield
Farnborough is not a showground. It is a working airport that hosts one of the world's major aerospace events, which means accreditation, security screening and access roads that are controlled rather than merely busy.
Trade days and the public weekend are effectively different events with different crowds, different access and different timings. Which one you are attending determines everything about how the day is planned.
Trade days and the public weekend barely resemble each other
If you have only ever done one, the other will surprise you. Here is the difference in practical terms.
Industry, by accreditation
Badge-controlled, business dress, delegations and hospitality chalets. Arrivals spread through the morning and the day ends at a civilised hour.
A very large family crowd
When the show opens to the public, the numbers and the traffic change completely. Early arrival is the only sensible strategy.
It is an airport
Screening, vehicle checks and controlled access roads. Everything takes longer than the map suggests and none of it can be hurried.
Exhibitions and conferences
The venue runs events between airshows, and those are ordinary business jobs with none of the above complications.
Hampshire from Kent
Farnborough sits south-west of London off the M3, so from our patch it is the M25 clockwise. A long run, though a straightforward one outside the airshow's peak arrival hours.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Normal journey | Airshow day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 68 miles | 95–125 min | 2h – 2h 45m |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 62 miles | 90–120 min | 1h 55m – 2h 40m |
| Bexleyheath & Welling | 54 miles | 85–115 min | 1h 50m – 2h 35m |
| Bromley & Orpington | 48 miles | 80–110 min | 1h 45m – 2h 30m |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 50 miles | 80–110 min | 1h 45m – 2h 30m |
| Rochester, Chatham & Gillingham | 77 miles | 1h 50m – 2h 25m | 2h 20m – 3h |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 74 miles | 1h 45m – 2h 20m | 2h 15m – 3h |
| Sittingbourne & Faversham | 87 miles | 2h – 2h 40m | 2h 30m – 3h 15m |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 100 miles | 2h 15m – 2h 55m | 2h 45m – 3h 30m |
| Central London | 38 miles | 70–110 min | 1h 40m – 2h 20m |
| Heathrow Airport | 22 miles | 35–60 min | 50–90 min |
Who we carry to Farnborough
The mix here is unusual: a lot of it is corporate and international, and a lot of the rest is families on the public weekend. Very little in between.
| Passenger type | Typical requirement | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Trade delegates | Airport or hotel to site, daily | Often Heathrow-based, which is only around forty minutes away. |
| Exhibitor teams | Multi-day, with kit | Build access is well ahead of the show opening and tightly controlled. |
| Corporate hospitality guests | Collected from offices, returned after | Chalet packages run to their own timings, not the flying display. |
| International visitors | Heathrow or Gatwick legs | The airport connection is the most-requested part of the job. |
| Families on the public weekend | Day return from Kent | Early departure. The public days congest badly from mid-morning. |
| Year-round conference delegates | Standard business travel | None of the airshow complications apply on ordinary event days. |
Planning around a controlled site
Accreditation is not our department, but it affects our timings
Trade access runs on badges issued in advance, and security screening on entry is thorough because the site is an operating airport. We cannot help with the accreditation itself, but we do plan the arrival around it: getting you there with time to clear the process rather than arriving at the exact moment your first meeting starts. Tell us your first appointment and we will work backwards from it.
The public weekend needs an early start
When the show opens to the public the numbers are very large and the approach roads are the constraint. Arriving early is the whole strategy, and it is the advice we give every family group that books. Leaving Kent at seven for a show that opens at nine feels excessive right up to the moment you pass a stationary queue on the way in.
Heathrow is closer than London
Farnborough sits about forty minutes from Heathrow, which makes the airport connection the most-requested part of this job. International delegates flying in for trade days frequently want a direct run from the terminal to the site or to a local hotel, and it is a much shorter leg than most people expect. Mention the flight number when you book and we will track it.
The biennial problem
The airshow runs every other year, which means demand for vehicles concentrates into a single week every two years and a lot of people forget how far ahead they booked last time. If you are going, book early. In the intervening years the venue runs conferences and exhibitions that are ordinary business bookings with none of the airshow's constraints.
Farnborough Airshow travel questions
Access, security and timing.
How close can you drop us at the airshow?
As close as the controlled access arrangements permit for your accreditation type, which differs between trade days and the public weekend and is set by the organisers rather than by us. We confirm the current arrangement for your date and tell you where the drop will be before you travel.
How early should we arrive on a public day?
Earlier than feels necessary. The approach roads are the constraint on public days and they congest from mid-morning. Leaving Kent around seven for a nine o'clock opening is the advice we give and the advice people wish they had taken.
Can you meet international visitors at Heathrow?
Yes, and it is one of the most common Farnborough bookings. Heathrow is around forty minutes from the site. Give us the flight number and we will track it so a delay does not mean a missed pick-up.
Do you handle exhibitor build access?
Yes. Build runs well ahead of the show opening and access is tightly controlled, so the timings are set by the organisers. Tell us your access window and we will plan the run around it.
How far is it from Kent?
Between sixty and a hundred miles depending on where you start, which is roughly an hour and a half to two and a half hours normally and longer on show days. The M25 clockwise is the route.
Does the airshow run every year?
It is biennial, so it runs every other year. That concentrates demand into a single week and means booking early matters more than for an annual event. The venue hosts other exhibitions in between.
Can you take a corporate group with hospitality?
Yes. Chalet and hospitality packages run to their own schedule rather than the flying display, so we time the collection to your package. Multiple pick-ups from offices, and invoicing on account with a VAT receipt.
Can we bring camera equipment and chairs?
Yes, and mention it when booking. Photographers in particular travel with a lot of kit, and the public weekend crowd brings chairs and cool boxes. The vehicle should be sized for the load.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, agreed before travel. Queues on the approach, extended security screening or a later departure than planned do not change what you pay.
Do you cover the venue's other events?
Yes, and they are far simpler. Conferences and exhibitions at Farnborough International outside the airshow are ordinary business bookings without the accreditation and security constraints.
Other large venues and guides
Showgrounds, circuits and exhibition sites.