Airport Lift — Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire's premier airport, seaport and resort transfer service.
Book Now
Blog

Newark-on-Trent to East Midlands Airport: A46 timings and fixed prices

NG24 to EMA is a 45-minute run on the A46 and A52. Here is how to time it, what it costs, and why the A46 roadworks pattern matters.

2026-02-22 · 5 min read

Newark is about 45 minutes from East Midlands Airport, mostly on the A46 dual carriageway. It is a straightforward run that occasionally is not, because the A46 corridor between Newark and the A52 has been through several years of junction works and still throws up overnight closures.

The route and the realistic time

From Newark, Balderton and Fernwood we take the A46 south-west to the A52, then across to the A453 and the airport. Allow 45 minutes on a clear road, 55 in weekday rush hour, and up to an hour if an overnight A46 closure sends us via Bingham and the A52.

Farndon, Rolleston and Averham are on the same clock. Collingham and Sutton-on-Trent add 10 to 15 minutes at the start.

When to leave Newark

With 45 minutes of driving:

  • 06:00 short-haul: pick-up 03:15.
  • 07:00 short-haul: pick-up 04:15.
  • 10:30 long-haul charter: pick-up 06:45.

That is two hours at check-in for short-haul, three for long-haul. East Midlands security is at its worst between 04:00 and 06:30, so the earlier flights need the fuller buffer, not the smaller one.

Newark is also well placed for the A1 airports

A lot of Newark travellers default to EMA when another airport suits the trip better:

  • East Midlands: 45 minutes. Best for charter and European short-haul.
  • Doncaster: straight up the A1, useful when flights are running.
  • Birmingham: around 90 minutes on the A46 and M42, strong long-haul.
  • Heathrow: around 3 hours via the A1 and M25, and a fixed price beats four rail tickets for a family every time.

What the fixed price covers

The fare is locked when you book: the 3am start, the drop-off charge at the terminal, and the wait if your inbound flight is late. Book the return in the same transaction and the return discount is applied automatically and displayed in whole pounds in the breakdown.

If your trip needs a stop on the way — collecting a relative in Bingham, dropping a case at a friend's house in Radcliffe — add it as a via when you book and the price adjusts on screen rather than at the roadside.

Coming home to NG24

Late arrivals into East Midlands are exactly when a rank is least useful. We track the flight number, hold the car, and include an hour of grace time on standard airport pick-ups so a customs queue does not cost you extra.

Book it

Fixed-price airport transfers from Newark-on-Trent to East Midlands Airport and every other UK airport we serve, 24 hours a day.

Ready to book your transfer?

Get a fixed price in 30 seconds — no account required.

Get a quote

More from the blog

Why we need your full pick-up address (and what happens if we do not have it)

House number, street, postcode. Here is why a partial address is the single most common cause of a delayed airport pick-up, and how our system handles it.

Multi-stop airport transfers: adding vias without surprise charges

Collecting a friend on the way, dropping a case at home, a second address in another town — here is how vias are priced, ordered and reversed on returns.

Airport transfers for large groups: how we price two vehicles as one booking

Twelve passengers, ten suitcases, one flight. Here is how our booker builds the cheapest working vehicle combination and keeps it as a single booking.

How our return airport transfer discount actually works

Book both legs together and the return discount comes off automatically — in whole pounds, with a breakdown that adds up. Here is exactly how it is calculated.

Flying from Heathrow out of Nottingham? Get the terminal right

Heathrow's four terminals are miles apart and airlines move between them. Here is a Nottingham traveller's guide to landing at the right door first time.

Nottingham to Stansted Airport: A14 or M25? Here is the quick way

Stansted is around 2 hours 30 from Nottingham if you route it properly. Here is the road we use, the timing for early Ryanair banks and what the fare covers.