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If we had the choice, we’re sure many Londoners would choose to fly from City Airport. Easy to get to and with fancy security scanners that let you bring liquid containers larger than 100ml, there’s a reason it was recently ranked the best airport in London and second-best in the entire UK.
And soon you might actually be able to check-in for more flights from the east London airport, because it’s hugely expanding its services.
This week the government officially approved plans to expand capacity at City by 2.5 million yearly passengers and gave the go-ahead for three extra morning flights to take off from the airport on weekdays. It’s one of the first major decisions made by the recently-elected Labour government on infrastructure in the capital.
The current limit on weekend operating hours will stay in place, with a Saturday service running between 6.30am-1pm and 12.30am-10.30pm on Sundays.
The expansion is part of ongoing efforts from City Airport to raise its annual passenger cap from 6.5 million to 9 million by 2031, and while it might mean more flight options for Londoner’s, not everyone’s happy about it. Newham Council rejected plans for an expansion to the airport last July, raising concerns over the potential impact on the climate and noise in the borough where the airport is located.
It also came under scrutiny after it was found that one in four flights left the travel hub more than half empty in the first six months of 2023.
We’re not not quite clear how adding more flights will solve a bunch of half-empty planes taking off, but maybe an extra 2.5 million seats will make London City more accessible to the rest of us, eh?
London’s skies
Fancy a behind-the-scenes look at an airport? You can now go on tours of an abandoned airstrip in south London, and while City Airport is no doubt a favourite in the UK, you might be surprised to learn that another London airport has been named the best in Europe. London is also home to one of the best airports globally, according to this year’s World Airport Awards.
Did you see that Gatwick Airport is getting a green makeover?
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