London City Airport faces opposition over bigger planes plan
Opposition to plans to allow bigger jets to use City Airport is taking off among London politicians who work right under the flightpath into the Docklands hub.
The London Assembly’s environment committee has raised questions over aircraft such as the Airbus A320neo being used to boost capacity at the capital’s smallest and most central aviation strip.
It has written to the airport’s chief executive, Andy Cliffe, drawing attention to “potential noise impacts”. It said the Airbus A320neo “will be up to four decibels noisier than some of the current alternative planes which use the airport”.
City Airport has already won out over local opposition to receive government backing in 2024 to boost passenger capacity.
Having been refused consent to extend Saturday flight hours to 6:30pm from 12:30pm, one way to expand includes using larger planes, to take the annual passenger number to nine million by 2031. Around 3.5m people used it last year.
But that would mean altering the flightpath into City, and lower runway approaches. The difference would be about 27 metres over large parts of the east of the capital.
London’s local government is now based at the Royal Docks in the E16 postcode, where London Mayor Sadiq Khan moved it to save costs. Its original bespoke headquarters by Tower Bridge, designed by Norman Foster, proved expensive to run and was running short of space.
The committee’s letter said: “Depending on approach paths, the London Assembly itself already experiences noticeable levels of disturbance from planes. Consultation documents suggest that planes will be flying 90 feet lower over City Hall.”
London City Airport has said that its expansion plans would include more destinations and “support London’s connectivity and economic growth”.
A decision on the flightpath proposal from the Civil Aviation Authority is due around the autumn.
In the meantime, new routes have already been unveiled. BA’s Cityflyer brand now serves Toulon in Provence, giving east London a direct link with the French Riviera.