London City Airport given go-ahead to expand capacity but more Saturday flying rejected

In one of the first signals of its approach to growing Britain’s aviation sector, the Labour government has granted London City Airport permission to expand capacity significantly.

The plans mean the City hub, which is particularly popular among London’s business elite due to its proximity to Canary Wharf, can increase its annual passenger cap from 6.5m to 9m passengers and fly three extra flights in the first half hour of operations.

It comes after an extended spat between the airport and Newham Council, which voted to block the proposals in April last year due to their impact on the local community.

City Airport also wished to lengthen its Saturday afternoon operating hours, but Labour did not accept those plans. The airport currently closes at 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays, a deadline it had wished to extend to 6:30 p.m.

Initial drafts of the proposals estimate they could create almost 2,200 jobs at the airport and contribute an additional £702m in GVA to London’s economy.

Alison Fitzgerald, chief executive of London City Airport, said: “While we welcome the approval to increase our passenger numbers, we are disappointed with the government’s decision to reject our proposal to fly from 12:30pm to 6:30pm on Saturday afternoons.

“As the government has recognised in its decision, rejecting our request to extend our Saturday afternoon operating hours will slow down airlines bringing cleaner, quieter next generation aircraft to the airport. 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.”

City Airport carried nearly 3.5m passengers last year, down from a pre-pandemic total of 5.1m.

The new government had previously remained coy over its approach to expanding the UK aviation sector, which has boomed in the post-Covid era amid soaring demand for travel. However, it signalled last month it could be “open-minded” towards airports boosting capacity as long as stringent environmental targets are met.

A number of airports, including Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and Heathrow are currently pursuing expansion projects in a bid to tap into rising demand for flying across the globe.

Many projects have faced roadblocks in the form of local council opposition, excessive red tape in the planning sector and opposition from climate activists.

Heathrow’s long-delayed third runway proposals, which are currently up in the air, remain the most controversial of the active plans.