Helicopter hire in Vancouver
A floating heliport on the downtown waterfront, scheduled flights to Vancouver Island, transfers to Whistler and scenic flights over the Coast Mountains.
- 30-min city tour
- $385 per adult
- To Victoria
- About 35 min
- To Whistler
- About 35 to 45 min
- Private hire
- C$2,240 to C$6,560/hr
Flying from Vancouver by helicopter
SKY Helicopters sells a 30-minute Vancouver city tour at $385 per adult, plus 5% GST and a 3.5% airport fee, with at least two seats sold for the flight to go. Private scenic flights from the downtown Vancouver heliport start at $699 per seat for 30 minutes. A private helicopter for your own trip typically costs C$2,240 to C$6,560 per flight hour for the whole aircraft.
Vancouver is one of the few cities with a heliport on its downtown waterfront, served by scheduled helicopter flights to Vancouver Island.
Helijet flies twin-engine Sikorsky S-76s, with two pilots, from Vancouver Harbour Heliport to Victoria in about 35 minutes and to Nanaimo in about 18. Its charters fly from its YVR South base to Whistler in about 35 minutes.
The harbour heliport floats on the south shore of Burrard Inlet and is run by Pacific Heliport Services, a Helijet subsidiary. It is certified by Transport Canada and open to other operators with prior notice.
Flying on by jet? See private jets from Vancouver, Vancouver to Los Angeles or Calgary to Vancouver.
Sources:SKY Helicopters: Vancouver city helicopter tour, checked 19 October 2026SKY Helicopters: Vancouver heliport departures, checked 19 October 2026Helijet: scheduled flights, Vancouver, Victoria and Nanaimo, checked 19 October 2026Helijet: South Coast BC charters and estimated flight times, checked 19 October 2026Business Examiner, 10 August 2022: Helijet subsidiary completes $1.7M heliport upgradeSkyVector: Vancouver Harbour (Public) Heliport, CBC7, checked 19 October 2026
Helicopter flights from Vancouver
- Flight time
- About 35 min
- Operator
- Helijet
- Notes
- Scheduled, Sikorsky S-76
- Flight time
- About 18 min
- Operator
- Helijet
- Notes
- Scheduled, Sikorsky S-76
- Flight time
- About 35 min
- Operator
- Helijet
- Notes
- Charter, S-76 with up to 12 passengers
- Flight time
- About 45 min
- Operator
- Blackcomb Helicopters
- Notes
- $5,850 + GST one way for 1 to 5 passengers, AS350
- Flight time
- About 25 min
- Operator
- Helijet
- Notes
- Charter
- Flight time
- About 20 or 15 min
- Operator
- Helijet
- Notes
- Charter
- Flight time
- About 35 min
- Operator
- Helijet
- Notes
- Charter
Times published by Helijet and Blackcomb Helicopters, checked 19 October 2026. Helijet's charter times are its own estimates for the S-76.
Sources:Helijet: scheduled flights, Vancouver, Victoria and Nanaimo, checked 19 October 2026Helijet: South Coast BC charters and estimated flight times, checked 19 October 2026Helijet: Sikorsky S-76 specifications, checked 19 October 2026Blackcomb Helicopters: Whistler and Vancouver heli transfer, checked 19 October 2026
Tell us the dates and passengers. A specialist replies with aircraft options and an all-in price, around the clock.
Vancouver helicopter tours and prices
- From
- Downtown heliport or Pitt Meadows
- Flight time
- 30 min
- Price
- $385 per adult, $305 per child, $479 per seat private
- From
- Downtown Vancouver heliport
- Flight time
- 30, 45, 60 or 90 min
- Price
- $699, $889, $1,069 or $1,419 per seat
- From
- Pitt Meadows
- Flight time
- 30 to 90 min
- Price
- From $385 per adult
Tours by [[SKY Helicopters|/en-ca/operators/sky-helicopters-ca/]] as published, checked 19 October 2026, before 5% GST and a 3.5% airport fee. At least two seats must be bought; the 90-minute flight needs three or more. Maximum 300 lb per seat. Helijet does not sell sightseeing seats.
Sources:SKY Helicopters: tours and departure points, checked 19 October 2026SKY Helicopters: Vancouver city helicopter tour, checked 19 October 2026SKY Helicopters: Vancouver heliport departures, checked 19 October 2026Helijet: South Coast BC charters and estimated flight times, checked 19 October 2026
The harbour heliport and the airport base
455 Waterfront Road West, reached by car from Main Street or on foot through Waterfront Station. Certified, with prior notice required and landing fees; four concrete pads and Jet A-1 fuel. Overall helicopter length is limited to 52.5 ft by day and 44 ft at night. It opens after 8 a.m. on Sundays and holidays.
5911 Airport Road South, Richmond: Helijet's hangar, head office and charter base. Blackcomb Helicopters' Whistler transfers also land at YVR South unless another site is agreed.
SKY Helicopters' hangar and recommended departure point for backcountry tours, with a free shuttle from downtown hotels and the cruise terminal (about 45 minutes each way).
Sources:Helijet: destinations and heliports, checked 19 October 2026SkyVector: Vancouver Harbour (Public) Heliport, CBC7, checked 19 October 2026Business Examiner, 10 August 2022: Helijet subsidiary completes $1.7M heliport upgradeWhistler Blackcomb: helicopter transfer, checked 19 October 2026SKY Helicopters: tours and departure points, checked 19 October 2026SKY Helicopters: Vancouver city helicopter tour, checked 19 October 2026
When the helicopters fly
- Helijet runs its scheduled service all year; check in at least 20 minutes before departure.
- SKY Helicopters runs its downtown hotel shuttle at 9:30 a.m. all year, and at 1:30 p.m. as well from 1 May to 30 September.
- Blackcomb Helicopters flies the Whistler transfer all year in civil daylight, subject to weather, and recommends a ground backup.
Sources:Helijet: scheduled flights, Vancouver, Victoria and Nanaimo, checked 19 October 2026Helijet: tickets and fare rules, checked 19 October 2026SKY Helicopters: tours and departure points, checked 19 October 2026Blackcomb Helicopters: Whistler and Vancouver heli transfer, checked 19 October 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 from Vancouver
Helijet's scheduled and charter flights use the twin-engine Sikorsky S-76; Blackcomb's Whistler transfers use the single-engine AS350, which the catalogue lists as the H125.
Operators around Vancouver
Canadian air carriers based in and around Vancouver.
Richmond (YVR South). Scheduled S-76 flights to Victoria and Nanaimo, and charters
Pitt Meadows. City and backcountry tours, some from the downtown heliport
Richmond. CTA licence for domestic and international charter
Langley. CTA licence for domestic and international charter
Squamish. CTA licence for domestic services
Sources:Helijet: charter flights, checked 19 October 2026SKY Helicopters: tours and departure points, 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 specialistHow much is a helicopter tour in Vancouver?+
SKY Helicopters' 30-minute city tour costs $385 per adult and $305 per child, before 5% GST and a 3.5% airport fee. Private flights from the downtown heliport cost $699 per seat for 30 minutes, with at least two seats bought.
Where is the Vancouver heliport?+
Vancouver Harbour Heliport is at 455 Waterfront Road West, on the downtown waterfront, reached on foot through Waterfront Station.
How long is the helicopter from Vancouver to Victoria?+
About 35 minutes on Helijet's scheduled flight, harbour to harbour.
Can I fly from Vancouver to Whistler by helicopter?+
Yes, by charter. Helijet estimates about 35 minutes from YVR South to the Whistler heliport in an S-76; Blackcomb Helicopters quotes about 45 minutes and $5,850 plus GST one way for up to five passengers.
Does Helijet sell sightseeing tours?+
No. Helijet does not sell seats on sightseeing tours, though it flies scenic charters on request.
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.SKY Helicopters: Vancouver city helicopter tour, checked 19 October 2026
- 2.SKY Helicopters: Vancouver heliport departures, checked 19 October 2026
- 3.Helijet: scheduled flights, Vancouver, Victoria and Nanaimo, checked 19 October 2026
- 4.Helijet: South Coast BC charters and estimated flight times, checked 19 October 2026
- 5.Business Examiner, 10 August 2022: Helijet subsidiary completes $1.7M heliport upgrade
- 6.SkyVector: Vancouver Harbour (Public) Heliport, CBC7, checked 19 October 2026
- 7.Helijet: Sikorsky S-76 specifications, checked 19 October 2026
- 8.Blackcomb Helicopters: Whistler and Vancouver heli transfer, checked 19 October 2026
- 9.SKY Helicopters: tours and departure points, checked 19 October 2026
- 10.Helijet: destinations and heliports, checked 19 October 2026
- 11.Whistler Blackcomb: helicopter transfer, checked 19 October 2026
- 12.Helijet: tickets and fare rules, checked 19 October 2026
- 13.Resort Municipality of Whistler: Whistler Municipal Heliport, checked 19 October 2026
- 14.Canadian Aviation Regulations s. 602.13, built-up areas, current to 30 September 2026
- 15.Canadian Aviation Regulations s. 305.02, heliports that need a certificate, checked 19 October 2026
- 16.Canadian Aviation Regulations s. 602.14, minimum altitudes, current to 30 September 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
- 21.Helijet: charter flights, checked 19 October 2026
From the waterfront to the mountains.
A specialist replies around the clock with aircraft options, the operator's name and an all-in price.