The short version: Cheap flights from Porto to London go nonstop to three airports. Gatwick has British Airways, TAP Air Portugal and easyJet, Stansted has Ryanair, and Luton has easyJet four days a week. Heathrow and London City have no flight from Porto. The flight is timetabled at 2 hours 15 to 2 hours 25 minutes, and both cities keep the same clock. Checked on 2 November 2026.
Two questions decide most bookings on this route. Which London airport is closest to where you are going? And can you get to Porto airport in time if you pick an early flight?
Gatwick, Stansted or Luton: who flies where
| London airport | Airlines from Porto | Departures listed for November 2026 | Departure times from Porto |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gatwick (LGW) | British Airways, TAP Air Portugal, easyJet | 98 | 07:45 to 18:15 |
| Stansted (STN) | Ryanair | 99 | 06:10 to 17:55 |
| Luton (LTN) | easyJet | 18 | 15:45, Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays |
| Heathrow (LHR) | none | 0 | Last listed flight: British Airways, 28 October 2023 |
| London City (LCY) | none | 0 | Last listed flight: TAP, 25 October 2019 |
Gatwick is where the choice is. It is the only London airport with more than one airline from Porto, and the only one with full-service carriers. Its departures swing between one and six a day in November, so the day you fly matters more here than on the other two.
Stansted is the steady one. Ryanair flies it three or four times every day, from the 06:10 departure to one just before 18:00.
Luton is an afternoon flight on four days. easyJet's single departure leaves at 15:45, with nothing on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Saturdays.
Nothing in the November listings leaves Porto for London after about 18:15, so plan on a daytime flight this winter. Older guides still mention Wizz Air to Luton, but its last listed flight was on 24 March 2023.
Need Heathrow? If you are connecting to a long-haul flight there, Porto cannot get you to it nonstop. Lisbon to London has Heathrow flights on TAP Air Portugal and British Airways, so compare that against changing airports in London.
The 06:10 Stansted flight and the first metro
Porto airport is the last stop on metro Line E, the violet line. From central Porto, a single is a Z4 ticket at 2.30 euros, loaded on a reusable Andante card.
Metro do Porto's timetable, in force from 7 September 2026, gives these first trains to the airport:
| Day | First train from Trindade | Arrives at the airport |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Friday | 05:58 | 06:29 |
| Saturdays, Sundays and holidays | 06:22 | 06:49 |
After that, trains run roughly every 15 minutes, and the last one leaves Trindade at 00:37.
So Ryanair's 06:10 Stansted departure cannot be reached by metro on any day. Book a taxi or a ride-hailing car, or choose a later flight. The first Gatwick departure, at 07:45, works on a weekday train, which gets you to the airport 76 minutes before take-off. At the weekend the first train leaves you less than an hour, which is tight with a bag to drop.
Coming from Campanhã, the main railway station? Only some Line E trains start there, and the first direct one leaves at 07:07 on weekdays. For an earlier flight, change to Line E at Trindade.
From Gatwick, Stansted or Luton into London
| Airport | Fastest rail link | Time into central London |
|---|---|---|
| Gatwick | Gatwick Express to Victoria; Thameslink to London Bridge and St Pancras | About 30 minutes to Victoria |
| Stansted | Stansted Express to Liverpool Street | About 48 minutes |
| Luton | DART shuttle to Luton Airport Parkway, then Luton Airport Express or Thameslink | 4 minutes, then 22 to 32 minutes to St Pancras on the Express |
At Gatwick the railway station is at the South Terminal. If you land at the North Terminal, a free shuttle train links the two in a couple of minutes. Rail times were checked on 13 October 2026 for our Lisbon to London guide, which also lists the advance rail fares. Our UK airports guide compares all the London airports, and the London guide helps you match the airport to where you are staying.
Before you board: the £20 ETA and the eGates
Portuguese and other EU passport holders need a UK electronic travel authorisation (ETA) before they fly. It costs £20 on GOV.UK. Every traveller needs their own, babies and children included. Apply on the official GOV.UK page, because other websites may charge more. Irish passport holders do not need one.
On arrival, EU passport holders can use the eGates if their passport has the chip symbol on the cover. You must be at least 8 years old and 120 cm tall, and anyone aged 8 to 17 goes through with an adult. A Portuguese citizen card (Cartão de Cidadão) cannot be used at the eGates, so travel on a passport if you want the faster lane. Brazilian passports are not on the eGate list either, so mixed groups should plan to meet after passport control.
Price the bag before you compare
Ryanair and easyJet usually show the lowest headline price, but their cheapest fares cover only a small under-seat bag. TAP Air Portugal and British Airways sell several fare levels, and the cheapest may leave out the hold bag too. Add the bag you actually need to every option, then compare. Best Budget Airlines in Europe shows what each low-cost carrier's cheapest fare includes.
Flying the other way first? London to Porto covers arriving at Porto, the night bus after a late landing and the trains to the Douro. Our Porto guide covers the city itself.
Where the flight, metro and ETA facts come from (read 2 November 2026)
- FlightsFrom, Porto to Gatwick, to Stansted, to Luton, to Heathrow and to London City: airlines, November 2026 departures, departure times, flight times and the dates of the last Heathrow, London City and Wizz Air flights.
- Metro do Porto, maps and timetables and its published timetable data, valid from 7 September 2026: first and last Line E trains, frequency and the Z4 fare.
- GOV.UK, apply for an ETA and GOV.UK, faster travel through the UK border.
- London rail links, checked 13 October 2026: TfL, London airports, Gatwick Express, UCL travel guide for Gatwick, Stansted Airport on the Stansted Express and London Luton Airport trains to London.
No fares for the flights themselves are quoted: they move daily, so check them in the search form above.