London City Airport
| London City Airport | |||
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| IATA: LCY – ICAO: EGLC | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | GIP | ||
| Operator | London City Airport Ltd. | ||
| Serves | London, England | ||
| Location | London Docklands | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 19 ft / 6 m | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 10/28 | 1,508 | 4,984 | Grooved concrete |
| Statistics (2006) | |||
| Aircraft movements | 79,436 | ||
| Passengers | 2,358,184 | ||
| Source: UK AIP at NATS Statistics from the UK CAA[1][2] |
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London City Airport (IATA: LCY, ICAO: EGLC) is a single-runway airport, for use by STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) airliners, and principally serving the financial districts of London. It is located on a former Docklands site 10km (6 miles) east of central London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in East London, England. It was developed by the engineering company Mowlem in 1986/87. London City is the fifth-largest international airport 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.
The airport has produced a master plan outlining their vision for growth up to 2030. The plan shows an expansion of the airport to a maximum capacity of 8 million passengers per annum, without the addition of a second runway, or significant expansion of the airport boundaries. [3]
London City Airport was purchased from the Irish billionaire Dermot Desmond, in October 2006 by a consortium comprising AIG Financial Products Corp. and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) for an undisclosed sum. In 2007, London City Airport served a record 2.9 million passengers; a 23 percent rise over 2006.
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History of the airport
Proposal and construction
The airport was first proposed in 1981 by Reg Ward, who was Chief Executive of the newly formed London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) that was responsible for the regeneration of the area. 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. By November of that year Mowlem and Brymon Airways had submitted an outline proposal to the LDDC for a Docklands STOLport city centre gateway.[4]
On 27 June 1982 Brymon Captain Harry Gee landed a de Havilland Canada Dash 7 aircraft on Heron Quays, in the nearby West 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 the application for planning permission.[4]
A 63 day planning enquiry started on 6 June 1983. By the middle of the following year, the Secretary of State for Transport had indicated that he was disposed to agree the application, but asked for further details. After the failure of a court case brought by the Greater London Council in 1985, outline planning permission was granted in May of that year, followed by the grant of detailed planning permission in early 1986.[4]
Construction began on the site shortly after permission was granted, with the Prince of Wales laying the foundation stone of the terminal building on May 29 1986. The first aircraft landed on May 31 1987, with the first commercial services operating from October 26 1987. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened London City Airport in November of the same year.[4]
Placing a commercial airport into congested airspace (the London Terminal Area (TMA)) was a challenge for the National Air Traffic Services (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.
Operation and extension
In 1988, the first full year of operation, the airport handled 133,000 passengers. The earliest scheduled flights were operated to and from Paris, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. With a runway of only 1080 metres in length, and a glideslope of 7.5 degrees, the airport could only be used by a very limited number of aircraft types, principally the Dash 7 and the smaller Dornier Do 228. In 1989, the airport submitted a planning application to extend the runway, allowing the use of a larger number of aircraft types.[4][5]
In 1990 the airport handled 230,000 passengers, but the figures fell drastically after the Gulf War and did not recover until 1993 when 245,000 passengers were carried. By this time the extended runway had been approved and opened (on March 5 1992). At the same time the glideslope was reduced to 5.5 degrees, still steep for a European airport, but sufficient to allow a larger range of aircraft, including the BAe 146 regional jet liner, to serve the airport.[4]
By 1995 passenger numbers reached the half million, and Mowlem sold the airport to Irish businessman Dermot Desmond. Five years later passenger numbers had climbed to 1,580,000, and over 30,000 flights were operated. In 2002 a jet centre catering for corporate aviation was opened, and additional aircraft stands at the western end of the apron. In 2003 a new holding point was established at the eastern end of the runway, enabling aircraft awaiting takeoff to hold there whilst other aircraft landed.[4]
By 2006, more than 2.3 million passengers used the airport. On December 2 2005, London City Airport DLR station opened on a branch of the Docklands Light Railway, providing rail access to the airport for the first time, and providing fast rail links to Canary Wharf and the City of London. On November 30 2006, the airport was sold to a consortium consisting of insurer AIG and Global Infrastructure Partners.[2][4]
The airport today
Operations
The airport has stringent rules imposed on the noise impact from aircraft operations. This, together with the physical dimensions of the runway and the steep glideslope, limits the aircraft types that can use London City Airport.
Mid-range airliners seen at London City include the ATR42, DHC Dash 8, BAe-146 Whisperjet, Dornier 328, Embraer ERJ 135, Embraer E-Jets[6], Fokker 70, Fokker 50 and Saab 2000. Successful compatibility testing for the Airbus A318 was undertaken in 2006.
Corporate aircraft such as the Beechcraft Super King Air, Cessna Citation, Hawker 400, Hawker 800, and variants of the Dassault Falcon bizjet are increasingly common. Helicopters are denied access for environmental reasons.
The size and layout of the airport and overall complexity caused by the lack of taxiways mean that the airport gets very busy during peak hours. The Air Traffic Controllers have to deal with over 38 flights an hour on a runway requiring a lengthy backtrack for each aircraft wishing to depart.
Operations are restricted to 06.30 to 22.00 Monday to Friday, 06.30 to 12.30 on Saturdays and 12.30 to 22.00 on Sundays. The closure of the airport between 12.30 on Saturday and 12.30 on Sunday gives residents some relief from noise.[7]
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.
Terminal facilities
London City Airport is small compared with the other four London international airports. Users include business travellers from London's Docklands and financial district, and leisure passengers. Inside the terminal there are 22 check-in desks plus self-service kiosks for Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, VLM Airlines, KLM, Luxair, Swiss and SAS. There are fourteen gates at London City Airport, with a further four stands to the west connected via an airside bus.
The airport flight path restricts the maximum height of new skyscrapers in and around Canary Wharf, and the management keeps a watch on planning applications for tall buildings in the area.
London City Airport is the closest private jet centre to central London. In 2005 the centre was voted the best corporate aviation passenger handling facility in Europe by European Business Air News.
London City Airport has recently introduced free WiFi for all its passengers. It is available throughout the whole terminal area and the Business Centre (located in City Aviation House). This is believed to be the first airport in the UK to offer this service for free to its passengers.
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aer Arann | Isle of Man [begins 19 January] |
| Air France operated by Cityjet | Dublin, Geneva, Nice, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly |
| Air France operated by Scot Airways | Dundee, Edinburgh, Eindhoven, Strasbourg |
| Air One operated by Transwede Airways | Milan-Linate |
| British Airways | New York-JFK, Shannon [Both begin September 2009][8] |
| British Airways operated by BA CityFlyer | Amsterdam, Barcelona, Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Geneva [Begins 15 December], Glasgow-International, Lyon [Begins 15 December], Madrid, Nice, Warsaw, Zurich |
| British Airways operated by Sun Air of Scandinavia | Billund [Begins 19 January] |
| Eastern Airways | Amsterdam [Begins January '09] |
| KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Operated By KLM Cityhopper | Amsterdam [Ends January '09] |
| Lufthansa Operated By Augsburg Airways | Frankfurt, Munich |
| Lufthansa Operated By Contact Air | Dusseldorf, Hamburg |
| Lufthansa Operated By Eurowings | Berlin-Tegel, Frankfurt |
| Lufthansa Operated By Lufthansa CityLine | Frankfurt, Munich |
| Luxair | Luxembourg, Saarbrucken |
| Scandinavian Airlines System Operated By Atlantic Airways | Copenhagen |
| Scandinavian Airlines System Operated By Transwede Airways | Oslo, Stockholm-Arlanda |
| Swiss International Air Lines Operated By Swiss European Air Lines | Basel/Mulhouse, Geneva, Zurich |
| VLM Airlines | Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Isle Of Man, Jersey, Luxembourg, Manchester, Rotterdam. |
Ground transport
London City Airport is linked to London's new financial district at Canary Wharf and to the traditional financial district of the City of London via the Docklands Light Railway, and with interchange to the London Underground. London City Airport DLR station is situated immediately adjacent to the terminal building, with enclosed access to and from the elevated platforms.
The airport is served by London Bus services 473 and 474 running to local East London destinations. However the express shuttle buses that formerly ran to various destination were withdrawn after the DLR line was built. The airport has a short and long term car park, both within walking distance of the terminal and a taxi rank outside the terminal door.
Future of the airport
Apron extension
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. Work is now completed, with the four new stands and gates operational as of the 30th May 2008. They are carried on piles above the water of the King George V Dock.[9]
Terminal Redevelopment
As part of the expected growth in passenger numbers, the airport is increasing the amount of airside space. The Meridian Business Centre, which was LCY's conference facility was closed and relocated to LCY's administration building City Aviation House in December 2007. This former landside space has now being re-developed and opened on the 4th May 2008 as part of the departure lounge. The new departure lounge area contains new shops, a bar and additional seating. [10]
There are plans to rebuild and refurbish the terminal over the next three years. The exterior of terminal building will remain the same, but the internal infrastructure will be rebuilt to better utilise the space and handle the projected increase in passenger numbers.
Airport masterplan
In response to the UK government white paper The Future of Air Transport, the airport operators have produced a master plan outlining their vision for growth up to 2030. The plan was subject to public consultation during spring 2006, and has been 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.[3]
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 new hangar built to allow aircraft maintenance, and a replacement fire station provided.[11]
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 by barge, and linked to a hydrant based supply system, thus eliminating both road tanker deliveries and on-airport fuel bowser movements. The existing surface car park would be replaced by a multi-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.[11]
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.[12]
In July 2008, the Planning Officer for Newham Council produced a report on the Planning Application.[13]. He recommended to grant planning permission from 80,000 to 120,000 per annum.
The decision was deferred by the Council's Development Control Committee at their meeting on 30th July 2008, following a request from the Mayor for London that the decision be delayed until after a study by the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) has been published[14].
Over 10,000 letters were sent to local residents of which 1109 replied, 801 with objections and 308 in support.[13] 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, alternate London and 2012 Olympic gateway, increase in additional jobs, and help to the local economy.[13] A campaign group Fight the Flights has criticised the increase in noise levels.[14]
Transatlantic services
On 1 February 2008 British Airways announced their intention to operate the first scheduled transatlantic flights from the airport, with a service to New York using Airbus A318 aircraft starting in 2009. The aircraft will have 32 seats in an all business class cabin with lie-flat beds. The departing New York-bound flight from London City will stop to refuel at Shannon Airport, but the eastbound flight into London City will be non-stop. The airport to be served in the New York area will be either John F. Kennedy or Newark, depending on the availability of takeoff and landing slots.[15][16][17]
References
- ↑ "Aircraft Movements". Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved on 2007-07-27.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Terminal and Transit Passengers". Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved on 2007-07-27.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "London City Airport Master Plan". London City Airport. Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 "Airport History". London City Airport Consultative Committee. Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
- ↑ "Constructing the Airport". London City Airport Consultative Committee. Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
- ↑ "ERJ 170 Approved for LCY". Aviation Today (2007-06-22). Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
- ↑ "United Kingdom AIP". NATS. Retrieved on 2008-05-09.
- ↑ http://www.britishairways.com/travel/bapress/public/en_gb
- ↑ "London City Airport Master Plan" 13. London City Airport (2006-11). Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
- ↑ "London City Airport Appoints Milligan" 1. London City Airport (2007-10). Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "London City Airport Master Plan" 24-26. London City Airport (2006-11). Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
- ↑ "London City Airport Planning Application". London City Airport. Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "Planning Officer's report on Planning Application" (PDF). London Borough of Newham. Retrieved on 2008-07-02.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "City flights decision is delayed". Retrieved on 2008-08-12.
- ↑ "London City Airport to take a bite of the Big Apple". London City Airport. Retrieved on 2008-02-01.
- ↑ "BA to launch business-only transatlantic flights". The Guardian (2008-02-01). Retrieved on 2008-02-01.
- ↑ "British Air Shuns Heathrow With U.S. Business Shuttle". Bloomberg (2008-02-01). Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
External links
- London City Airport website
- London City Airport Consultative Committee
- [1] London City Airport Fight the Flights
- Airport information for EGLC at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
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