Helicopter hire in Toronto
Short sightseeing flights from the island airport, private charters to cottage country and wine country, and the rules on where a helicopter can land in the city.
- Tour base
- Billy Bishop (CYTZ)
- Airport hours
- 06:45 to 23:00
- To Muskoka
- About 35 min
- Private hire
- C$2,240 to C$6,560/hr
Flying over Toronto by helicopter
From Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (CYTZ) on the Toronto Islands, where a helicopter tour business is based at the Stolport FBO. Sellers list shared flights of about 8 and 14 minutes past the CN Tower and the waterfront, in a helicopter seating three passengers. The airport is closed to all but medevac flights from 11 p.m. to 6:45 a.m. A private helicopter typically costs C$2,240 to C$6,560 per flight hour for the whole aircraft.
Toronto's helicopter flights start at the island airport downtown or at heliports outside the city, because the regulations keep take-offs and landings in built-up areas to airports and heliports.
Billy Bishop is owned and operated by the Toronto Port Authority (PortsToronto). Its tenants include the Ornge air ambulance, based there since 1977, the Stolport and Porter FBOs, and a helicopter tour business.
For charters, National Helicopters flies from Bolton Heliport in Kleinburg, north of the city, and NovaJet arranges twin-engine helicopters from Toronto. In 2016 NovaJet quoted about 35 minutes to a Muskoka cottage and about 20 minutes to Niagara wine country in an S-76.
Heading further? See private jets from Toronto, Muskoka or Toronto to Montreal.
Sources:Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport: corporate information and tenants, checked 19 October 2026Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport: noise management policies, checked 19 October 2026Acukwik: Billy Bishop Toronto City (CYTZ), checked 19 October 2026Viator: helicopter tour over Toronto from Billy Bishop, checked 19 October 2026National Helicopters, Bolton Heliport, Kleinburg, checked 19 October 2026NovaJet, 2016: executive helicopter charter (Dockside Magazine, spring 2016)Canadian Aviation Regulations s. 602.13, built-up areas, current to 30 September 2026
Toronto helicopter tours
- From
- Billy Bishop, Hangar 1
- Flight time
- About 8 min, almost 12 miles
- Passengers
- Up to 3, shared
- Route
- CN Tower, Rogers Centre, Fort York, the Exhibition grounds and the Lake Ontario waterfront
- From
- Billy Bishop, Hangar 1
- Flight time
- About 14 min, nearly 22 miles
- Passengers
- Up to 3; 260 lb each, 600 lb per group
- Route
- A wider loop over the city
- From
- Your pickup point
- Flight time
- Your choice
- Passengers
- By helicopter
- Route
- Quoted per trip, about C$2,240 to C$6,560 per flight hour
Tour details as listed by the tour's resellers, checked 19 October 2026; the tour operator's own site could not be read, so prices are not shown here. Seats on the short tour are not private.
Sources:Viator: helicopter tour over Toronto from Billy Bishop, checked 19 October 2026Travelocity: 14-minute helicopter tour over Toronto, checked 19 October 2026Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport: corporate information and tenants, checked 19 October 2026
Tell us the dates and passengers. A specialist replies with aircraft options and an all-in price, around the clock.
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
- ICAO CYTZ, IATA YTZ. Airport and tower hours 06:45 to 23:00, and slots are required.
- Under the Tripartite Agreement, no aircraft other than medevac may take off or land between 11 p.m. and 6:45 a.m.; the airport calls itself one of the most noise-restricted in North America.
- Private aircraft are handled by Stolport FBO and Porter FBO.
- An airport of entry with customs, for aircraft with up to 15 passengers; there is no US pre-clearance.
- Ornge, the air ambulance and medical transport service, has been based here since 1977.
Sources:Acukwik: Billy Bishop Toronto City (CYTZ), checked 19 October 2026Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport: noise management policies, checked 19 October 2026Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport: corporate information and tenants, checked 19 October 2026
Cottage country, wine country and business trips
| Route | Flight time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto to a Muskoka cottage | About 35 min | Depends on the landing spot |
| Toronto to Niagara wine country | About 20 min | Niagara Helicopters, at Niagara Falls, flies daily from 9 a.m. to sunset |
| Toronto to Prince Edward County | About 45 min | Charter |
Times quoted by NovaJet in 2016 for a twin-engine Sikorsky S-76C+ seating six. Today NovaJet says it has twin-engine helicopters for charter from Toronto, and [[National Helicopters|/en-ca/operators/national-helicopters/]] flies charters from Bolton Heliport.
Sources:NovaJet, 2016: executive helicopter charter (Dockside Magazine, spring 2016)NovaJet: executive air charter, checked 19 October 2026National Helicopters, Bolton Heliport, Kleinburg, checked 19 October 2026Niagara Helicopters, checked 19 October 2026
When to fly
- Billy Bishop is open from 06:45 to 23:00 all year; resellers offer the city tours in the afternoon and evening.
- Niagara Helicopters flies all year, from 9 a.m. until sunset, weather permitting.
- Over the city, helicopters fly at least 1,000 ft above the highest obstacle within 500 ft, so tours keep to the waterfront and the lake.
Sources:Acukwik: Billy Bishop Toronto City (CYTZ), checked 19 October 2026Viator: helicopter tour over Toronto from Billy Bishop, checked 19 October 2026Niagara Helicopters, checked 19 October 2026Canadian Aviation Regulations s. 602.14, minimum altitudes, current to 30 September 2026
What goes into a helicopter price
On a charter you hire the whole helicopter and its pilot, so the price is per flight, not per seat.
- Flying time for the whole helicopter: as a guide, C$2,240 to C$6,560 per flight hour.
- Positioning when the helicopter is based away from your pickup point, both to reach you and to fly home.
- Landing and parking fees: at the Whistler heliport, $70 to $130 per landing and $100 a night to park.
- GST at 5% on published tour and transfer prices, plus airport fees where they apply.
- Waiting time if the helicopter holds for you during the day.
Sources:Resort Municipality of Whistler: Whistler Municipal Heliport, checked 19 October 2026Blackcomb Helicopters: Whistler and Vancouver heli transfer, checked 19 October 2026SKY Helicopters: Vancouver city helicopter tour, checked 19 October 2026
Where a helicopter may land in Canada
Transport Canada sets the rules through the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs). Cities are the main limit; national parks have their own rules under Parks Canada.
- In a built-up area of a city or town, a take-off or landing must be at an airport, heliport or military aerodrome (CAR 602.13). The exceptions are police operations, saving human life, and commercial operations permitted under Part VII.
- Heliports in a built-up area, and heliports used for scheduled passenger service, must hold a heliport certificate (CAR 305.02). Vancouver and Victoria harbour heliports are both certified.
- Over a built-up area a helicopter flies at least 1,000 ft above the highest obstacle within 500 ft; elsewhere it stays at least 500 ft from any person, vessel, vehicle or structure, except when taking off or landing (CAR 602.14).
- Helijet asks for at least 60 days' notice for a destination that is not an airport or heliport, to obtain permits from Transport Canada and other stakeholders.
- In national parks, take-offs and landings are banned except at places listed in the National Parks of Canada Aircraft Access Regulations. In Banff, the only listed place is the Banff airstrip, and only for diversions and emergencies.
Sources:Canadian Aviation Regulations s. 602.13, built-up areas, current to 30 September 2026Canadian Aviation Regulations s. 305.02, heliports that need a certificate, checked 19 October 2026Canadian Aviation Regulations s. 602.14, minimum altitudes, current to 30 September 2026Helijet: South Coast BC charters and estimated flight times, checked 19 October 2026National Parks of Canada Aircraft Access Regulations (SOR/97-150), current to 30 September 2026
Check the operator's licences
- Nobody may operate an air transport service without a Transport Canada air operator certificate (CAR 700.02).
- A publicly available air service in Canada also needs a licence from the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), which requires liability insurance and Canadian control. Sightseeing flights are a specialty service excluded from the CTA licence.
- The CTA warns that an unlicensed operator may not have the insurance it must carry, and may void your own cover in an accident.
- 1,393 helicopters fly in the charter fleets of Canadian licence holders on our list.
- As a broker, Altivo Jets names the operator and its licences before you book.
Sources:Canadian Aviation Regulations s. 700.02, air operator certificate, checked 19 October 2026Canadian Transportation Agency: FAQ, air licensing, checked 19 October 2026Canadian Transportation Agency: is your air carrier licensed?, checked 19 October 2026
Helicopters flying in Ontario
City tours use small helicopters seating three passengers; executive charters use twins such as the Sikorsky S-76.
Operators around Toronto
Canadian air carriers based in and around the Greater Toronto Area.
Bolton Heliport, Kleinburg. Tours, private and executive charters since 1985
Mississauga. Twin-engine helicopters arranged for charter from Toronto
Niagara Falls. Year-round scenic flights over the Falls
Breslau. CTA licence for domestic and international charter
Meaford. CTA licence for domestic and international charter
Sources:National Helicopters, Bolton Heliport, Kleinburg, checked 19 October 2026NovaJet: executive air charter, checked 19 October 2026Niagara Helicopters, checked 19 October 2026Canadian Transportation Agency: is your air carrier licensed?, checked 19 October 2026
Questions, answered
Still deciding? A charter specialist will talk you through aircraft, airports and price, with no obligation.
Ask a specialistWhere do helicopter tours in Toronto leave from?+
From Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on the Toronto Islands, Hangar 1 at 2 Eireann Quay.
How long is a Toronto helicopter tour?+
Resellers list flights of about 8 minutes (almost 12 miles) and about 14 minutes, past the CN Tower and the waterfront.
Can a helicopter land downtown or at my building?+
Not in the built-up area of the city unless it is an airport or heliport; the exceptions are police work, saving life and commercial operations Transport Canada permits.
Can I fly to Muskoka by helicopter?+
Yes, by charter. NovaJet quoted about 35 minutes from Toronto to a Muskoka cottage in 2016, depending on the landing spot.
Are there night flights from Billy Bishop?+
Not between 11 p.m. and 6:45 a.m., when only medevac flights may operate.
How much does a private helicopter cost?+
As a guide, C$2,240 to C$6,560 per flight hour for the whole helicopter, plus positioning, landing fees and GST.
Fares, dates and rules on this page were checked on 19 October 2026. Official fares and schedules change every season; the operator or authority named in each source has the final word.
- 1.Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport: corporate information and tenants, checked 19 October 2026
- 2.Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport: noise management policies, checked 19 October 2026
- 3.Acukwik: Billy Bishop Toronto City (CYTZ), checked 19 October 2026
- 4.Viator: helicopter tour over Toronto from Billy Bishop, checked 19 October 2026
- 5.National Helicopters, Bolton Heliport, Kleinburg, checked 19 October 2026
- 6.NovaJet, 2016: executive helicopter charter (Dockside Magazine, spring 2016)
- 7.Canadian Aviation Regulations s. 602.13, built-up areas, current to 30 September 2026
- 8.Travelocity: 14-minute helicopter tour over Toronto, checked 19 October 2026
- 9.NovaJet: executive air charter, checked 19 October 2026
- 10.Niagara Helicopters, checked 19 October 2026
- 11.Canadian Aviation Regulations s. 602.14, minimum altitudes, current to 30 September 2026
- 12.Resort Municipality of Whistler: Whistler Municipal Heliport, checked 19 October 2026
- 13.Blackcomb Helicopters: Whistler and Vancouver heli transfer, checked 19 October 2026
- 14.SKY Helicopters: Vancouver city helicopter tour, checked 19 October 2026
- 15.Canadian Aviation Regulations s. 305.02, heliports that need a certificate, checked 19 October 2026
- 16.Helijet: South Coast BC charters and estimated flight times, checked 19 October 2026
- 17.National Parks of Canada Aircraft Access Regulations (SOR/97-150), current to 30 September 2026
- 18.Canadian Aviation Regulations s. 700.02, air operator certificate, checked 19 October 2026
- 19.Canadian Transportation Agency: FAQ, air licensing, checked 19 October 2026
- 20.Canadian Transportation Agency: is your air carrier licensed?, checked 19 October 2026
See Toronto from the air.
A specialist replies around the clock with aircraft options, the operator's name and an all-in price.