In November, London City Airport (LCY] celebrates 26 years in business.
Her Majesty The Queen opened London City Airport on November 5, 1987, and it is the only airport actually based in London.
Over the past quarter of a century, the operation in London’s Royal Docks has registered more than one million flights, and close to 40 million passengers have passed through the airport. In 2012, LCY celebrated its millionth flight, 36 millionth passenger and 25 years of operation.
Based just three miles from Canary Wharf and seven miles from the City, the airport has become a favoured facility for business travellers, who represent 60 percent of total passengers using the airport. London City Airport continues to develop as an important London gateway, now serving 47 destinations across Europe, operated by 10 airlines, as well as a business-class only service to New York JFK.
Declan Collier, CEO at London City Airport, said: ‘We are delighted to celebrate this milestone, particularly as this year has been such a momentous one for LCY. We are on track to see our highest ever passenger numbers; we have added eight new routes and have submitted an application for planning permission to develop our existing infrastructure to enable us to create 1,500 new jobs, welcome next generation aircraft and double passenger numbers by 2023. The future looks very exciting at LCY.’
The airport is presently considering a development plan that would see the addition of seven new aircraft parking stands, the extension of the existing taxi lane to maximise use of the runway, the development of existing terminal buildings and the addition of a new, dedicated arrivals facility. The terminal forecourt would be developed, and plans are also underway for a new 250-room hotel. The development plans will create 1,500 new fulltime jobs and an additional 500 jobs during construction, LCY said in a release.
