Miami Opa-locka. Customs on the field, and the nearest airport to the Formula 1 circuit.
Miami International takes the airlines. Opa-locka takes the jets: a full length general aviation runway, five private terminals, customs on the field, and about twenty five minutes to the sand when the roads behave.
The airport
Opa-locka Executive at a glance
- CodesOPF / KOPFOfficially Miami Opa-locka Executive Airport, run by the Miami-Dade Aviation Department alongside Miami International. About 11 miles north of downtown Miami.
- Runways8,002 feet, 6,800 feet and 4,309 feetThe main runway 9L/27R is one of the longer general aviation runways in the United States, which is why the biggest private aircraft in Florida sit here rather than at the smaller executive fields.
- HoursOpen 24 hoursUnusually for a busy general aviation field close to housing, there is no curfew. It is one of the reasons the airport absorbs late arrivals in event weeks.
- CustomsAirport of entry, with noticeInternational arrivals clear on the field. Customs asks for advance notice rather than accepting an aircraft unannounced, and the handler files it. Hours are long but not round the clock.
Miami has several fields and they are not interchangeable. Opa-locka is the one for Miami Beach, Bal Harbour, Aventura and the stadium. Miami Executive suits Coral Gables and the south, Fort Lauderdale Executive suits Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach, and Miami International is where a VIP airliner goes.
Journey times
From Opa-locka
| To | Quiet roads | Busy roads |
|---|---|---|
| Bal Harbour and Surfside | 20 to 30 minutes | 30 to 45 minutes |
| Miami Beach and South Beach | 25 to 35 minutes | 40 to 60 minutes |
| Aventura and Sunny Isles | 20 to 30 minutes | 30 to 45 minutes |
| Downtown Miami and Brickell | 25 to 35 minutes | 40 to 60 minutes |
| Coral Gables and Coconut Grove | 30 to 40 minutes | 45 to 70 minutes |
| Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens | 10 to 20 minutes | 30 minutes to well over an hour on a race day |
| Fort Lauderdale | 30 to 45 minutes | 45 to 75 minutes |
| Palm Beach | 1 hour 5 to 1 hour 30 | 1 hour 30 to 2 hours 15 |
Realistic ranges. I95 and the Palmetto are the two arteries and both behave badly at the wrong hour. Cars in Florida are arranged through operators we know. Our own fleet and our own chauffeurs are in London and Manchester, and a trusted global network covers everywhere else.
On the field
Five terminals, and a notice period
Opa-locka has an unusually deep bench of private terminals for a single field: Signature Aviation, Atlantic Aviation, Fontainebleau Aviation and Embassair among them, with newer hangar campuses added in recent years. They are spread around a large airfield and the drive from one to another is a proper drive, so we ask for the terminal by name every time and stage the car at that building. Signature is a partner of ours in the United Kingdom; we claim no relationship with any handler in Florida, and none is needed to be at the right door at the right minute.
The customs detail is the one that changes a plan. Opa-locka is an airport of entry, so a flight from London, the Bahamas or the Caribbean clears here rather than at Miami International. Customs works to long published hours and asks for advance notice of an arrival, which the handler files. Given properly, the clearance is quick and the passenger is in the car within minutes of shutdown. Given late, or not at all, the aircraft waits.
Because there is no curfew, Opa-locka is the field that absorbs a late arrival when a European departure has slipped. That matters more than it sounds in a city whose peak weeks all end with an evening event.
Peak weeks
The race, the fair and the boat show
Three weeks reshape Miami. The Miami Grand Prix is run at the circuit laid out around Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, which is a few miles from Opa-locka and closer to this airport than to any other. On race days the roads around the stadium are closed and managed in a way that makes a published drive time meaningless: the useful number is the one measured on the morning, and the useful decision is the drop-off point, which we agree in advance rather than improvising at a cordon.
Art Basel Miami Beach in December moves the pressure onto the causeways instead. The convention centre and the beach hotels are on the far side of the water and every crossing is busy at the same hours, so the collection times are set around the causeway rather than around the appointment. The Miami International Boat Show crowd and the Fort Lauderdale shows add the same pattern further north.
In all three weeks, private parking at the airport is finite and handlers fill up. That is a conversation for the operator, early. See private jet charter and, for a party that arrives together, group charter.
Planning it well
What we ask for a Miami arrival
The details that decide whether the car is where it should be.
- The private terminal by name, because Opa-locka has several and they are far apart on the field
- Whether the flight is international, and from where, so the customs notice is filed in good time
- The exact address on the beach side, so the causeway is chosen before the day rather than during it
- Passengers and luggage. Miami trips run heavy on cases and a second vehicle is often the calmer answer. See group travel
- Whether this is a race, fair or show week, so road closures are priced into the timing honestly
- Whether a yacht is part of the trip, and which marina, so the car meets the tender rather than the terminal. See yacht charter
Onward
Around a Miami trip
Request a quote
Tell us the arrival
Date and time, tail number or operator, which private terminal, passengers and luggage, and the address in Miami. Say if the flight is international so the clearance is in the plan, and tell us if it falls in a race, fair or show week. We come back with a clear price and an honest drive time. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About Opa-locka
Are these your own cars?
Our own fleet and our own chauffeurs are in London and Manchester, and a trusted global network covers everywhere else. In Florida cars are arranged through operators we know, and one person at Odyssey holds both ends of the journey.
Why not fly into Miami International?
You can, and a VIP airliner will. For a jet, Opa-locka is quicker on the ground, closer to Miami Beach and Bal Harbour, and far closer to the stadium. Miami International is the right answer only for the largest aircraft.
Can we clear customs at Opa-locka?
Yes. It is an airport of entry and the handler files advance notice of the arrival. Hours are long but not continuous, so an overnight arrival needs checking rather than assuming.
Is there a curfew?
No. The airport is open 24 hours, which is why it absorbs late arrivals when a European departure slips.
Which airport is best for the Grand Prix?
Opa-locka, comfortably. The circuit is built around Hard Rock Stadium a few miles away. Road closures on race days are the real constraint, not the distance.
Can you arrange the aircraft as well?
Yes. See private jet charter and group charter.
