London City Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | London City Airport Limited | ||||||||||
| Serves | London | ||||||||||
| Location | Royal Docks,Newham, London, England | ||||||||||
| Opened | 26 October 1987; 38 years ago (1987-10-26) | ||||||||||
| Operating base for | BA CityFlyer | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 19 ft / 6 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 51°30′19″N000°03′19″E / 51.50528°N 0.05528°E /51.50528; 0.05528 | ||||||||||
| Website | londoncityairport | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  LCY/EGLC Location within Greater London Show map of Greater London LCY/EGLC LCY/EGLC (England) Show map of England | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2022) | |||||||||||
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| Sources: UKAIP atNATS[2] WAD[3] Statistics from theUK Civil Aviation Authority[1] | |||||||||||
London City Airport (IATA:LCY,ICAO:EGLC) is an international airport inLondon, England. It is located in theRoyal Docks in theBorough of Newham, about six miles (ten kilometres) east of theCity of London and three miles (five kilometres) east ofCanary Wharf. These are the two centres of London's financial industry, which is a major user of the airport. The airport was developed by the engineering companyMowlem between 1986 and 1987. The airport is owned and operated by London City Airport Limited.
London City Airport has a single 1,508-metre-long (4,948 ft) runway, and aCAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P728) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers; this licence also allows training flights, but only for the purpose of training pilots to operate at this specific airport.[4] Only multi-engine, fixed-wing aircraft up toEmbraer E195-E2,Airbus A220[5] andA318[6] size, with specialaircrew andaircraft-certification to fly 5.5° approaches, strictnoise limitations and further restrictions are allowed to conduct operations at London City Airport.[7] As of 2020,[update] the airport is about 60 hectares (150 acres) in size.[8]
London City had 5.1 and 3.57 million passenger movements in 2019 and 2024, respectively.[9] It is the fifth-busiest airport by passengers and aircraft movements serving the London area—afterHeathrow,Gatwick,Stansted andLuton—and was the14th-busiest in the UK in 2017.[1]
The airport was first proposed in 1981 byReg Ward, who was Chief Executive of the newly formedLondon Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) that was responsible for the regeneration of the area. He in turn discussed the proposal with chairman ofJohn Mowlem & Co Sir Philip Beck and the idea of an airport for Docklands was born. By November of that year Mowlem and Bill Bryce ofBrymon Airways had submitted an outline proposal to the LDDC for a DocklandsSTOLport city centre gateway.[10]
On 27 June 1982 Brymon's Captain Harry Gee landed ade Havilland Canada Dash 7 turboprop aircraft onHeron Quays, in the nearbyWest India Docks, in order to demonstrate the feasibility of the STOLport project. Later that year the LDDC published a feasibility study, an opinion poll amongst local residents showed a majority in favour of the development of the airport, and Mowlem submitted an application forplanning permission.[10]
A 63-dayplanning inquiry started on 6 June 1983. By the middle of the following year,Nicholas Ridley theSecretary of State for Transport had indicated that he was "disposed to agree the application", but asked for further details. TheGreater London Council brought an action in theHigh Court of Justice to reopen the inquiry. After the High Court dismissed the action in March 1985,[10] outline planning permission was granted in May of that year, followed by the grant of detailed planning permission in early 1986.[10] The airport site had an initial footprint of 37 hectares (92 acres) in area.[11]
Construction began on the site shortly after permission was granted, withCharles, Prince of Wales laying the foundation stone of theterminal building, designed by R Seifert and Partners, on 2 May 1986. The first aircraft landed on 31 May 1987.[10]
The first commercial services began operating from the airport on 26 October 1987.Queen Elizabeth II officially opened London City Airport in November of the same year.[10]
In 1988 – the first full year of operation – the airport handled 133,000 passengers. The earliest scheduled flights were operated to and fromPlymouth, Paris, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. With a runway of only 1,080 m (3,543 ft) in length, and a slope of theglidepath of 7.5° (for noise abatement reasons), the airport could only be used by a very limited number of aircraft types, principally 50-seat de Havilland Canada Dash 7 and 19-seatDornier 228 turboprops. In 1989, the airport submitted a planning application to extend the runway, allowing the use of a larger number of aircraft types.[10][12]
In 1990, the airport handled 230,000 passengers, but the figures fell drastically after theGulf War and did not recover until 1993, when 245,000 passengers were carried. By this time the extended runway had been approved, opening on 5 March 1992.[13] At the same time the glide path was reduced to 5.5°, still steep for a European airport (the slope of an airport glide path is normally 3.0°), but sufficient to allow a larger range of aircraft, including theBritish Aerospace 146 andAirbus A318, to serve the airport.[10]
By 1995, passenger numbers reached half a million, and Mowlem sold the airport to Irish businessmanDermot Desmond. Five years later passenger numbers had climbed to 1.58 million, and over 30,000 flights were operated. In 2002, ajet centre catering tocorporate aviation was opened, as well as additional aircraft stands at the western end of theapron. In 2003, a new ground holding point was established at the eastern end of the runway, enabling aircraft awaiting takeoff to hold there whilst other aircraft landed.[10]
On 2 December 2005,London City Airport DLR station opened on a branch of theDocklands Light Railway, providing rail access to the airport for the first time, and providing fast rail links toCanary Wharf and the City of London. By 2006, more than 2.3 million passengers used London City Airport.
In October 2006, the airport was purchased from Dermot Desmond by aconsortium comprising insurerAIG Financial Products andGlobal Infrastructure Partners (GIP). In the final quarter of 2008 GIP increased its stake in the airport to 75%, the remaining 25% belonging toHighstar Capital.[14]
London City Airport was granted planning permission to construct an extended apron with four additional aircraft parking stands and four new gates to the east of the terminal in 2001; they became operational on 30 May 2008. They are carried on piles above the water of theKing George V Dock.[15]
British Airways commenced the first scheduledtransatlantic flights from the airport in September 2009, with a twice a day service toNew York City'sJohn F. Kennedy International Airport via Shannon using a specially configured Airbus A318 aircraft. The A318 is the smallest airliner to operate transatlantic services since BA's corporate predecessor,BOAC, began transatlantic jet flights on 4 October 1958, with thede Havilland Comet 4.
The first day of the service, one week afterWillie Walsh of British Airways pledged to theUnited Nations that aviation would deliver deep cuts in carbon emissions, was disrupted by activists fromPlane Stupid and Fight the Flights dressed up in business suits.[16][17][18]
Before the2012 Summer Olympics in London, it was reported that over £7 million (in 2011) was invested in the terminal to extend the Central Search area and adding other improvements.[19] During the Games, however, the airport was only open for a few hours with strict restrictions (for security), and the small apron and short runway excluded most long-range arrivals. However, it was the closest airport toOlympic Park, with normal scheduled travel by road of 15 minutes.[20]
In early 2013, work was expected to start on a £15 million investment programme to refurbish the western pier with new departure gates and improved lounges and to redevelop the international arrivals hall and baggage handling areas.[21] In response to the UK governmentwhite paperThe Future of Air Transport, the airport operators produced a master plan outlining their vision for growth up to 2030. The plan was subject to public consultation during spring 2006, and was republished incorporating comments from this consultation. The master plan shows a phased expansion of the airport, giving the capability of handling 8 million passengers per annum by 2030. It does not propose the addition of a second runway, or significant expansion of the airport boundaries.[22] Phase 1 of this development would be undertaken by 2015. It would include the in-progress construction of the eastern apron extension and provision of a finger pier to the south of this apron to provide passenger access to aircraft using the new parking stands. The terminal building would also be extended to use the triangle of land between it and the railway station. The existing jet centre serving corporate aviation would be extended, a newhangar built to allow aircraft maintenance, and a replacement fire station provided.[23]
Phases 2 and 3 would be undertaken between 2015 and 2030. Further aircraft parking stands would be built to the east of the terminal, and a taxiway would be constructed alongside and to the south of the runway, to avoid the need for aircraft to back-track on the runway. Both these developments would involve further reduction in the water area of the King George V Dock. The existing fuel farm would be relocated to a site at the east of the airport, where it could be supplied bybarge, and linked to a hydrant based supply system, thus eliminating bothroad tanker deliveries and on-airportfuel bowser movements. The existing surface car park would be replaced by amulti-storey car park, allowing extension of the vehicle drop-off and pick up area. The jet centre and hangar facilities would be further extended. Finally the existing terminal building would be replaced.[23]
In line with phase 1 of the master plan, London City Airport made a planning application to the London Borough of Newham in August 2007. This would allow it to increase the number of flights per year from 80,000 to 120,000 by 2010.[24] In July 2008, the Planning Officer for Newham Council produced a report on the Planning Application, recommending that planning permission be granted.[25] The decision was deferred by the council's Development Control Committee at their meeting on 30 July 2008, following a request fromBoris Johnson, theMayor of London, that the decision be delayed until after a study by the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) has been published.[26]
Over 10,000 local residents were consulted by Newham Council over the plan, of which 1,109 replied, 801 with objections and 308 in support.[25] The 801 objections mainly concerned increase in noise, increase in air pollution, surface transport, socio-economics and regeneration. The 308 supporters mainly concerned the reduction of air pollution, an alternative London and 2012 Olympic gateway, additional jobs, and benefits to the local economy.[25] The residents campaign groupHACAN East (formerlyFight the Flights) was opposed to expansion due to noise and pollution issues.[26]
On 29 September 2009,Fight the Flights took Newham Council to court in order to challenge their decision to allow a 50% increase from 76,000 to 120,000 flights.[27] On 20 January 2010, the challenge was dismissed, and a deadline of 14 days to appeal was set.[28] The plan was given the go-ahead in February 2015.[29] However this was overturned by Boris Johnson in March 2015.[30] On 27 July 2016 London City Airport was given approval by authorities to implement the £344 million expansion plan.[31]
In October 2015,Global Infrastructure Partners which owned 75% of the facility, put it up for sale, with the agreement ofOaktree Capital Management which held the remaining 25%.[32] A sale to a Canadian-led consortium ofAlberta Investment Management Corporation,OMERS, theOntario Teachers' Pension Plan and Wren House Infrastructure Management of theKuwait Investment Authority for £2 billion was confirmed in February 2016, taking a 25% stake each.[33][34] The sale was completed on 10 March 2016.[35]
In September 2016, British Airways announced the termination of one of its two daily long-haul all-business class Airbus A318 services from the airport to New York City, citing economic reasons.[36]
Green Party of England and Wales candidate for the2016 London mayoral election and member of theLondon AssemblySiân Berry has been vocal in calling for the closure of London City Airport and subsequent redevelopment of the area it occupies.[citation needed]Caroline Russell, the leader of the Green Party on the London Assembly andScott Ainslie, former Green MEP for London and councillor on Lambeth Council have both called for its closure.[37]
In March 2020, British Airways suspended its daily service to New York due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. In September 2020, the airline confirmed the service would not return.[38]
In November 2020, the new parallel taxiway and eight additional aircraft parking stands were declared operational. These were delivered as part of the first phase of the City Airport Development Programme (CADP).[39] Both the new stands and the parallel taxiway were constructed on a concrete deck mounted on piles driven in to the bed of the King George V Dock.[40]
In January 2021, after a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, London City became the first major airport controlled by aremote air traffic control tower.[41] The airport had previously decided to relocate the control tower to a site 80 miles (130 km) away atSwanwick, Hampshire, utilising three cable links providing live video to air traffic controllers.[42]
In July 2023, the revised operating distances for the runway became operational following the introduction ofEngineered Material Arresting Systems (EMAS) in the Runway Safety Areas at each end of the runway.[43]
Plans were approved to increase the passenger cap at the airport from 6.5 million to 9 million passengers, with the number of morning flights increasing between 06:00 to 09:00.[44]
In June 2025, Australian companyMacquarie Asset Management acquired a 25% stake in the airport from Ontario Teacher's Pension Plan.[34] In October 2025, Macquarie took an additional 50% stake in the airport from Alberta Investment Management Corporation and OMERS.[45]
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Owing to London City Airport's proximity to London's Docklands and financial district, the airport's primary users are business travellers with destinations such asLuxembourg andFrankfurt, although the number of leisure destinations served likePalma de Mallorca,Málaga orChambéry has increased. London City is at its busiest during the winter months, when a number of airlines, most notablyBritish Airways andSwiss International Air Lines, fly toski resort gateway destinations.Zürich,Geneva, andMilan are among the destinations popular amongwinter sports enthusiasts.[46]
As the airport is close to Central London, it has stringent rules imposed to limit the noise impact from aircraft operations. This, together with the physical dimensions of the 1,508-metre-long (4,948 ft) runway and the steepglideslope, limits the aircraft types that can use the airport. The size and layout of the airport, and the overall complexity caused by the lack oftaxiways, mean that the airport gets very busy during peak hours. Theair traffic controllers have to deal with over 38 flights per hour on a runway which, prior to the opening of the full length taxiway at the end of 2020, required a lengthy backtrack for each aircraft needing to depart from runway 27 or land on runway 09. Operations are restricted to 06:30 to 22:30 Monday to Friday, 06:30 to 13:00 on Saturdays and 12:30 to 22:30 on Sundays. These restrictions are related to noise.[2] On 19 December 2022, the airport applied for the restriction on Saturday afternoon to be removed.[47] This application was rejected by Newham Council on 10 July 2023, citing "continued concerns over the noise and environmental impact of the airport on those living nearby."[48]
Mid-range airliners seen at London City include theATR 42 (both−300 and−500 variants),ATR 72,Airbus A318,Bombardier Dash 8 Q400,BAe 146/Avro RJ,Dornier 328,Embraer ERJ 135,Embraer 170,[49]Embraer 190 andFokker 50. On 30 January 2009, trials were completed successfully with theATR 72–500, leading to its approval for use at the airport.[50] TheEmbraer 190SR underwent trials from 28 March 2009, and thereafter gained approval.[50] TheFokker 70,BAe Jetstream 41,Saab 340 andSaab 2000 also have approval for scheduled operations at the airport. A number of airlines includingSwiss andOdyssey have ordered theAirbus A220 with the intention of operating it from London City once delivered and approved. A220-100 operations for Swiss from City commenced in late 2017.[51][52][needs update]
On 22–23 March 2017, the A220-100 completed tests for the 5.5-degree approach in Wichita and Salina, Kansas.[53] The A220-100 was certified for the steep approach landing for London City in April 2017.[7] In 2023,Airbus confirmed working on certifying the larger A220-300 for operation at the airport.[54] Corporate aircraft such as theBeechcraft Super King Air,Cessna CitationJet series,Hawker 400,Hawker 800,Piaggio Avanti and variants of theDassault Falconbusiness jets are increasingly common. The airport is not available for use by single-engine aircraft or helicopters; recreational flights and single-pilot operations are also not permitted.[4] In 2025, the airport authority applied for approval of the significantly largerAirbus A320neo to be operated into the airport.[55]
On 26 March 2025, anEmbraer E195-E2 operated byHelvetic Airways landed at London City Airport for the first time. The E195-E2 is the largest certified aircraft at the airport.[56][57]
The size of the airport, constrained by the water-filledRoyal Albert andKing George V docks to the north and south respectively, also means that there are no covered maintenance facilities for aircraft. In the late 2000s,AirSea Lines envisaged using the airport as aseaplane base.[58]
With space limited inEast London, and comparatively low passenger volumes, London City Airport is small compared with other airports serving London. The airport has a single, two-storey passenger terminal building with 15 gates[59], allhardstands. The ground floor contains the check-in desks and some service facilities as well as a staircase leading to the security control on the upper level, after which the airside waiting area and several more shops can be found.[60] The waiting area is connected to piers on both sides where corridors on the upper floor lead to the departure gates on the ground level. As the airport has nojet bridges, walk-boarding is used on all stands.
The following airlines operate regular services to and from London City Airport:[61]
Passenger numbers at London City Airport saw rapid growth between 2003 and 2008, doubling from around 1.5 million per year to over 3 million. Totals declined in 2009 and 2010, but have since recovered and in 2019 over 5.1 million passengers passed through London City.[1] In 2020, passenger numbers sharply dropped to below 1 million annually during theCOVID-19 pandemic.[citation needed]
| Year | Passengers[a] | Movements[b] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 1,161,116 | 34,605 | ||
| 1998 | 1,360,187 | 39,078 | ||
| 1999 | 1,385,965 | 44,376 | ||
| 2000 | 1,583,843 | 52,643 | ||
| 2001 | 1,618,833 | 57,361 | ||
| 2002 | 1,602,335 | 56,291 | ||
| 2003 | 1,470,576 | 52,856 | ||
| 2004 | 1,674,807 | 61,029 | ||
| 2005 | 1,996,397 | 71,105 | ||
| 2006 | 2,377,318 | 79,436 | ||
| 2007 | 2,928,820 | 91,177 | ||
| 2008 | 3,271,716 | 94,516 | ||
| 2009 | 2,802,296 | 76,861 | ||
| 2010 | 2,793,813 | 68,640 | ||
| 2011 | 3,009,783 | 68,792 | ||
| 2012 | 3,030,005 | 70,781 | ||
| 2013 | 3,390,264 | 74,006 | ||
| 2014 | 3,702,032 | 76,260 | ||
| 2015 | 4,319,749 | 84,753 | ||
| 2016 | 4,526,059 | 85,169 | ||
| 2017 | 4,511,107 | 80,490 | ||
| 2018 | 4,800,190 | 78,036[1] | ||
| 2019 | 5,100,025[95] | 80,751 | ||
| 2020 | 905,326 | 18,850 | ||
| 2021 | 713,969 | 12,921 | ||
| 2022 | 2,990,201 | 44,731 | ||
| 2023 | 3,412,122 | 52,101[96] | ||
| 2024 | 3,569,871 | |||
| Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority[1][97] | ||||
| Rank | Airport | Total passengers | Change 2023–2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amsterdam | 563,953 |  8.8% |
| 2 | Edinburgh | 334,893 |  -2.3% |
| 3 | Zurich | 331,913 | -6.5% |
| 4 | Dublin | 266,658 | 10.7% |
| 5 | Milan (Linate) | 260,840 | 159.1% |
| 6 | Frankfurt | 234,909 | -6.2% |
| 7 | Glasgow | 207,739 | -0.4% |
| 8 | Berlin | 198,121 | 13.2% |
| 9 | Luxembourg | 162,657 | -3.2% |
| 10 | Belfast–City | 122,445 | -7.3% |
London City Airport is served byLondon City Airport DLR station, which is an elevated station adjoining the terminal building. The station is on a branch of theDocklands Light Railway, which links the airport toCanary Wharf and theCity of London as well as toStratford International andWoolwich Arsenal stations with interchanges toLondon Underground,London Overground,Elizabeth line,Greater Anglia,c2c,Thameslink andSoutheastern High Speed train services.[99]
Until 2006,Silvertown railway station on theNorth London line served the airport, but it was closed during the construction ofCrossrail. TheElizabeth line, which opened in May 2022,[100] passes around 300 m to the south of the airport,[101] but does not stop there. Proposals were put forward that a new station should be opened on the Elizabeth line to serve the airport, but a London City Airport station was not included in TfL's Crossrail plans.[102][103][104][105] In 2025, TfL set out that they did not support an additional Elizabeth line station in the area, as it could lead to increased operating costs and slower journeys for existing passengers using the line.[106]
The airport is served by theA1020 road and theA112 road. These give fast links toCanning Town, theCity of London andStratford, as well as connecting to theA13 and theNorth Circular Road, London (A406). Also the A13 provides easy access to theM25 motorway, as with the A406 connecting to theM11 motorway.The airport has both a short-term and a long-term car park, both within walking distance of the terminal and a taxi rank outside the terminal door.
The airport is served byLondon Buses services.[107]The express shuttle buses, which formerly ran to various destinations, were withdrawn after the DLR line was built.
Thames Clippers services call at a pier at the nearby residential developmentRoyal Wharf, allowing travel into Central London using anOyster card orcontactless smart card.[108]
Media related toLondon City Airport at Wikimedia Commons
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