What is London City Airport?

Information about London City Airport

London City Airport

IATA: LCY – ICAO: EGLC
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner AIG, GE Capital and Credit Suisse
Operator London City Airport Ltd.
Serves London
Location London Docklands
Elevation AMSL 19 ft / 6 m
Website www.londoncityairport.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
10/28Grooved Concrete
Statistics (2006)
Aircraft Movements79,436
Passengers2,358,184
Source: UK AIP at NATS
Statistics from the UK CAA[1]


London City Airport (IATA: LCY, ICAO: EGLC) is a single-runway airport, intended for use by STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) airliners, and principally serving the financial districts of London. This airport could also be considered a STOLport. It is located on a former Docklands site, in the London Borough of Newham in East London, England, and was developed by the engineering company Mowlem in 1986/87. London City is the fifth-largest international airport in size serving the London area after Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton.

London City Airport has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P728) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction, subject to an aircraft being approved for a 5.5 degree or steeper approach.

History

Enlarge picture
Looking east to London City Airport from Royal Victoria Dock
The airport was first proposed in 1981 by Reg Ward — Chief Executive of the newly formed London Docklands Development Corporation. He in turn discussed the proposal with Sir Philip Beck (Chairman of John Mowlem & Co plc) and the idea of an airport for Docklands was born. Mowlem and Brymon Airways submitted an outline proposal to the LDDC for a Docklands STOLport city centre gateway in November 1981, and on 27 June 1982 Brymon Captain Harry Gee landed a Dash 7 aircraft on Heron Quay to demonstrate the feasibility of the STOLport project. After planning permission problems and a public inquiry, construction began on the site (the former Royal Docks) in 1986, with the Prince of Wales laying the first stone of the terminal building.[2]

Queen Elizabeth II opened London City Airport in November 1987.

Placing a commercial airport into congested airspace (the London Terminal Movements Area (TMA)) was a challenge for the National Air Traffic Service (NATS). In the event, a new airspace authority, Thames Radar, was established to provide a radar control service and provide safe separations for London City arrivals and departures.

The airport has been extended in three stages. The original runway was 1080 metres in length.[3] The runway was lengthened and the angle of glideslopes was reduced from 7.5 to 5.5 degrees, still steep for a European airport. The western apron was enlarged and a turning loop built in 2003 at the eastern end of the runway.

More than 2.3 million passengers used the airport in 2006.[1] Its management believes that economic development nearby will sustain a potential for over five million passengers per annum. Domestic routes to Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Dundee, the Isle of Man and Jersey complement international services.

It has become a useful adjunct to London's larger airports, particularly for workers in Docklands, and has met its operating costs in recent years. It is an important element in the Newham labour market and, together with the nearby ExCeL Exhibition Centre, has stimulated a local surge of hotel building.
Enlarge picture
London City Airport DLR station
On the other hand the airport flight path restricts the maximum height of new skyscrapers in and around Canary Wharf, and the management keeps a close watch on planning applications for tall buildings in the area.

Passenger access to the City of London is via a branch of the Docklands Light Railway from London City Airport DLR station, which opened in December 2005. Initially shuttle and London Bus services connected the airport to Canning Town and beyond, however they were withdrawn after the DLR station was built at City Airport.

Airlines and destinations

Enlarge picture
LCY (Greater London)

LCY
The location of London City Airport within Greater London
The airport has stringent rules imposed on the noise impact from aircraft departures. This, together with the physical dimensions of the runway, limits the aircraft types that can use London City Airport. Operations are restricted to periods from 5.30 to 21.30 Monday to Friday, with even more restricted service on Saturday and Sunday. The airport is required to shut for at least 24 hours every weekend in order to give local residents some relief from the noise that aircraft operations can generate.

Mid-range airliners seen here include the ATR42, DHC Dash 8, BAe-146 Whisperjet, Dornier 328, Embraer ERJ 135, Embraer E-Jets[4], Fokker 50 and Saab 2000. Corporate aircraft such as the Beechcraft Super King Air, Cessna Citation, Raytheon Hawker 400 and 800, and variants of the Dassault Falcon bizjet are increasingly common. Helicopters are denied access for environmental reasons. The earliest scheduled flights were operated by De Havilland Canada Dash 7s and Dornier 228 aircraft with Paris, Amsterdam and Rotterdam as the initial destinations. The size of the airport, constrained by the water-filled Royal Albert and King George V docks to the north and south respectively, means that there are no covered maintenance facilities for aircraft.

On 13 May 2006 an Airbus A318 jet was flown into the airport for compatibility tests. These tests were successful.

In 2007 CityJet in conjunction with Air France, launched the CityJet for Air France network out of London City Airport. CityJet for Air France routes consist of 5 new routes including Belfast City, Geneva, Madrid, Nice and Zurich in addition to their existing services to Paris Orly and Dublin.

The following airlines fly to London City Airport:

London City Airport today

Enlarge picture
Docklands Light Rail station at London City Airport
LCY is at its busiest during the winter months, when a rise in total passengers is seen due to flights to ski resorts run by Swiss International Air Lines.

London City Airport is small compared to the other four London international airports. This, however, is beneficial for those using the airport, in that the experience is pleasant and hassle-free for the many business travellers from London's Docklands and financial district, also leisure passengers. Inside the terminal there are 26 check-in desks plus an extra five self-service kiosks for BA, Air France and Lufthansa. There are nine gates at London City Airport and a further five stands connected via an airside bus. Outside there are two car parks, one for short stay and one for long stay, free valet parking and a new administration building called City Aviation House, which opened in 2004.

Drivers Jonas are advisers to the airport and are involved in many of the decisions concerning the airport.

Central location

London City Airport also has what is believed to be the closest private jet centre to central London. In 2005 the centre was voted by European Business Air News, as the best corporate aviation passenger handling facility in Europe.

In a 2006 advertising campaign the airport claimed to be the 'only airport in London'. A complaint by London Biggin Hill Airport that this was untrue and misleading was not upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority because London City Airport demonstrated it is the only airport in Greater London to be within the London postal area and have a telephone number prefixed with 7 (which traditionally, but not necessarily, indicates an inner London location).[5]

In August 2007, London City Airport has put in a Planning Application to the London Borough of Newham to increase flights from 80,000 to 120,000 by 2010.

References

1. ^ Aircraft Movements, Terminal and Transit Passengers
2. ^ Airport History. London City Airport Consultative Committee. Retrieved on 30 July, 2006.
3. ^ www.lcacc.org/history/construction.html.
4. ^ ERJ 170 Approved for LCY
5. ^ Non-broadcast Adjudication Details. Advertising Standards Authority. Retrieved on 30 July, 2006.

External links


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An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier, IATA station code or simply a location identifier [1] , is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
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London
Canary Wharf is the centre of London's modern office towers
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