British Airways has announced an expansion plan at London City Airport saying that more aircraft, more routes and more frequencies will be added to the network this winter.
Starting November 11, a new year-round service will be launched to Rome from the Docklands airport, with one-way hand baggage only fares from GBP55. In addition, the airline will add a fifth daily service to the Zurich route on week days. Rome is the first of a number of new routes and extra flights to be announced for next year, the airline said.
Further, four additional Embraer E190 aircraft will join the BA CityFlyer fleet during 2019, bringing the total fleet number to 26 aircraft. These aircraft will add nearly 20 per cent more seats from London City Airport in 2019 and enable the launch of new destinations.
Tom Stoddart, managing director BA CityFlyer, said: ‘It is an exciting time for us at London City Airport. The four new aircraft shows our commitment to giving our customers an even bigger range of destinations and flight times. This growth will see the number of job opportunities in East London increase with direct employment opportunities for pilots, cabin crew and engineers, as well as indirect roles for our various suppliers in and around the airport.’
Luke Hayhoe, general manager commercial and customer, said: ‘It is very positive to continue the year-on year-expansion at London City Airport. We added 13 per cent more capacity in 2018 and will add nearly 20 per cent in 2019. The new route to Rome will increase the number of British Airways’ destinations from London City Airport to 33.’
Richard Hill, Chief Commercial Officer at London City Airport, said: ‘BA CityFlyer is London City Airport’s largest airline partner and this investment in four additional E-Jets demonstrates absolute commitment to its base at London’s most central airport, and continued growth as we enter 2019.
‘An enlarged fleet will mean more choice for tourists and business travellers alike, giving customers more flights to the destinations they love, under the British Airways brand. Introducing a Rome service and adding frequency to Zurich, already one of our busiest routes, keeps London connected to major European cities, and is a real endorsement of the London City proposition by our home-based carrier. We look forward to further new route announcements in the near future.’
British Airways is undertaking £4.5 billion investment for customers over the next five years, which includes the installation of WiFi and power in every seat, fitting 128 long-haul aircraft with new interiors and the acquisition of 72 new aircraft.
