Aberdeen Airport. It works like the energy capital it serves.
Six miles from the city at Dyce, with a single passenger terminal, private handling and one of the busiest commercial heliports anywhere. Most of the travel through it is work, which is why the ground arrangements have to be right.
The airport
Aberdeen at a glance
- CodesABZ / EGPDAt Dyce, about 6 miles north west of Aberdeen city centre, off the A96 and close to the western peripheral route.
- TerminalOneA single passenger terminal handles all fixed wing arrivals and departures.
- Private aviationSignature at AberdeenSignature Aviation, one of our partners, runs private handling here. See Signature Aberdeen.
- HelicoptersThe offshore heliportCrew flights to the North Sea fields run from a separate heliport area, and it is one of the busiest commercial helicopter operations in the world.
Dyce railway station is a couple of miles from the terminal with a weekday bus link, so the last stretch is still a road journey for almost everybody.
Journey times
From Aberdeen Airport by road
| To | Quiet roads | Busy periods |
|---|---|---|
| Dyce business parks | 5 to 10 minutes | 10 to 20 minutes |
| Westhill | 15 to 25 minutes | 25 to 40 minutes |
| Aberdeen city centre and Union Street | 15 to 25 minutes | 30 to 45 minutes |
| Aberdeen harbour and the south of the city | 20 to 35 minutes | 35 to 55 minutes |
| Royal Aberdeen and the coastal courses | 20 to 35 minutes | 35 to 50 minutes |
| Peterhead | 50 to 65 minutes | 65 to 80 minutes |
| Ballater and Royal Deeside | 60 to 80 minutes | Longer in winter conditions |
| Edinburgh | 150 to 180 minutes | Longer again in bad weather |
Realistic ranges, not promises. The peripheral route has taken a great deal of traffic out of the city, but the approaches to the harbour and the older industrial estates remain slow at shift changes.
Why clients use us here
The travel here is mostly work
Aberdeen is not a leisure airport. The people we drive from it are visiting the energy companies at Westhill and Dyce, going to the harbour, sitting through two days of meetings and flying out again, or arriving for one of the conferences that fill every hotel in the city and half the hotels outside it. A few are going to Deeside for a weekend, and rather more are going to the golf on the coast, but the backbone is corporate.
That shapes what a good job looks like. Meetings run late and flights are the last fixed point of the day, so the chauffeur waits rather than turning over to the next booking. Several sites in a day is normal, which is usually an as directed booking rather than a set of transfers. Discretion is not a luxury add-on in a city this small and this closely connected: if two parties to the same transaction are being driven in the same week, that is our problem to manage, not yours to worry about. See security and discretion.
Our own cars and employed chauffeurs are in London and Manchester, so Aberdeen is covered by an operator we know in the north east of Scotland, briefed by us and run from our desk, with the booking and the invoice coming from us. For a longer engagement, or when a visiting principal wants one face for the whole trip, we will quote for sending our own chauffeur north and we will tell you what that costs before you ask.
Practicalities
Worth knowing
- Airport set down and short stay charges apply at the terminal, with a free longer wait available in the long stay car park and a shuttle to the door. Whatever we use goes into your quote rather than being added afterwards
- Private arrivals are handled away from the passenger terminal: send the tail number and the handling agent and we will confirm which entrance the car uses and where it may wait
- Offshore crew changes and the helicopter operation give this airport a rhythm of its own. Early mornings are busy in a way the passenger timetable does not suggest
- Weather is a genuine planning factor between November and March. Haar in summer and snow or ice inland in winter both cause diversions, most often to Edinburgh or Glasgow. If your flight goes elsewhere, tell us and we will move the car rather than leaving it at Dyce
- Four or more passengers with cases and equipment: ask for a V-Class. For a visiting team, see group travel
Onward
Where Aberdeen passengers go next
Request a quote
Tell us the visit
The dates, the flights or tail number, how many passengers, and the sites you need to reach. If it is a two day visit across several offices, send the whole thing and we will build it as one engagement rather than a list of transfers. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About Aberdeen transfers
Are these your own cars?
Our own fleet and employed chauffeurs are in London and Manchester. In Aberdeen the car is arranged through an operator we know in the north east of Scotland, briefed by us, with the movement kept on our operations desk and the invoice from us. For a longer visit we will quote for sending our own chauffeur.
Can the chauffeur wait while meetings overrun?
Yes, and in this city we assume it will happen. An as directed booking is usually the right structure so the car is yours for the day rather than for a slot.
Can you meet a private flight?
Yes. Private handling here is provided by Signature Aviation, one of our partners. Send the tail number and we will confirm the arrangement with them.
What happens if my flight diverts?
Diversions from Aberdeen usually go to Edinburgh or Glasgow. Tell us as soon as you know and we will reposition, or meet you at the other airport and drive you up.
Do you cover Royal Deeside and the coast?
Yes. Ballater and Deeside are around an hour and a quarter, and the coastal golf courses are much closer. Both are regular runs from this airport.