London City Airport expansion

Whilst clearly still suffering from the results of the pandemic, London City Airport has applied to the London Borough of Newham for changes to the airport’s existing planning permission after reflecting feedback from a 10-week consultation exercise.

The airport says that it expects to top 3m passengers by the year end, clearly well down on the record 5.1m of 2019.  

London City, owned by a consortium including Canadian interests and the Kuwait Investment Bank is requesting an increase in its annual passenger cap from 6.5m to 9m and to fly on Saturday afternoon until 18:30, with an additional hour in summer for arrivals only.  This is a reduction on the original application, but it will allow airlines to despatch more aircraft in the morning and return in the afternoon.  Should the application be successful over the coming months extra Saturday flights could be introduced.

No increase to the annual number of permitted flights, which will remain at 111,000, and no change to the existing eight-hour night-time curfew.

“It’s very sad to see no mention of either a connection to the Elizabeth Line or the station the previous Mayor of London refused to build.  An electric bus service to Custom House remains possible,” said Malcolm Ginsberg, the London City Airport historian who first visited the site in 1982.  “No mention also of a return for flights to New York.  Back in 2017 the Airbus A220 (then Bombardier C series) proved the possibility.  The airport needs to promote the concept!”  

A City Hall spokesperson said that London Mayor Sadiq Khan was pleased that changes had been made.  “It is essential the airport recognises that unfettered growth is not an option and that it must be proactive in addressing its noise, air quality and carbon impacts.”  Mayor Khan has not officially visited the airport since his election to office in 2016.

www.londoncityairport.com

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