London City Airport to increase services

London City Airport has been given permission to increase its passenger numbers by more than one-third, as part of the new British government's program of projects to boost growth.

The airport is located in the Royal Docks, a short distance from the capital's two main commerce hubs, the City of London and Canary Wharf, which makes it particularly popular with business travelers.

The Labour Party put measures to increase growth at the heart of its manifesto for the general election that it won in July, restoring it to government after 14 years, and the newly expanded services will see passenger numbers rise from 6.5 million to 9 million by 2031.

London City Airport serves a variety of short-haul destinations across Europe, including winter sports locations when there is seasonal demand.

In 2009, it began offering a business class service to JFK Airport in New York, but this was suspended at the start of the pandemic, and scrapped altogether in August 2020.

Despite being so close to business hubs, the airport is also surrounded by residential areas in the Borough of Newham, whose council had initially blocked plans for increased services.

The airport appealed to the government, which overturned the council's decision, but as a concession to local residents, refused a bid for additional flights on Saturday afternoons, and also ruled that quieter craft must be used for any early morning flights.

Mixed response

News of the expansion has provoked a mixed response, with environmental campaigners saying many of the journeys made by users of the airport could be done by train instead, and that the decision undermines the government's ambition to be a world leader in climate change and netzero initiatives.

London City Airport CEO Alison FitzGerald welcomed the expansion to service, but said the limits on weekend flights could cause delays to quieter and greener craft being introduced by airlines.

"Local residents would have had the added benefit of these aircraft operating at the airport throughout the week, not just in the extended operating hours," she said.

Newham Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz called the weekend flight restrictions a "victory" for local residents, but told Sky News she had worries about an increase in early morning flights from six to nine, which she called "deeply" concerning.

"We will be studying the decision notice carefully and considering all options as we remain concerned about the detrimental impacts on the health and quality of life of our residents," she added.