About Us & Opening Hours

Aviation Retail Direct is Heathrow Airport's only professional aviation retail outlet specialising only in aircraft. We are proud not to have to diversify our attention to non aviation related items, and have the best name in the business for customer care, attention to detail and the personal service. We are the UK partner of the Aviation Centre Alliance and frequently have limited and rare model releases in our showroom in Hillingdon, on the approaches to RAF Northolt in Middlesex.

We boast openly that our website is the most up to date in the aviation field and offers fair prices and an unrivalled selection of merchandise, with new and easy to use categories/search engines and better quality thumbnails.

Our ARD members Club is the aircraft businesses fastest growing club and we are currently signing members up at a phenomenal rate. Benefits from joining the club for a small price of just £10.00 a year are a minimum of 10% discount on any purchase, a monthly e-mail to all members of new and forthcoming models and books, special offers and discount privileges on certain planned days in the year, and much much more! We do not believe publishing a magazine is necessary as all printed information will be out of date as soon as published.

Many model aircraft manufacturers put their faith in our sales outlets and provide exclusive rights on sales, companies such as InFlight200, British & Irish Aero Classics and Herpa/Hogan from Japan.

If you have a special aircraft model which you have always wanted, call us as we can arrange for your model to be made in the colours and type of your choice! Our specialist model makers are the best in the world and can undertake your request for a hand painted model.

We also publish civil and military aviation books for the serious enthusiast with titles such as World Airline Registrations and World Air Forces Directory.

We have a massive worldwide mail-order department and despatch hundreds of parcels every week.

Please note: both of our shops are temporarily closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Click & collect purchases can be arranged by contacting us by phone.

Our website orders are processed as normal.

ARD Hillingdon

Heathrow Branch

Heathrow Academy (ex Visitor Centre)
Aviation Shop
Newall Road
London Heathrow Airport
TW6 2AP