London City airport has revealed plans to raise its passenger cap from the current 6.5 million per year to nine million within the next 10 years.
The east London airport is launching a 10-week public consultation detailing its expansion plans with the promise that it will “mandate the use” of quieter and less polluting aircraft at specific times of the day.
The airport wants to be allowed to cater for nine million passengers by 2031 by being given more flexibility to operate on Saturdays, as well as during the start and end of each day’s operations.
London City said that only “cleaner, quieter, new generation aircraft, such as the Airbus A220 and Embraer E2” would be allowed to operate during these extended operating hours.
Under the plans, the airport’s current eight-hour overnight curfew will remain, as would its operating hours on Sunday which only permits flights after 12.30pm.
London City expects to cater for three million passengers in 2022 with its numbers set to return to 2019 levels by 2024.
Robert Sinclair, the airport’s CEO, said: “London City airport plays an incredibly important role in quickly and easily connecting London to the rest of the UK and the world for both business and leisure travel. The strength of our rebound demonstrates the huge pent-up demand for air travel and the need to plan responsibly for the future.
“Most importantly, following our commitment to be the first net zero airport in London by 2030, these proposals set out how London City and its airlines can meet future demand in a sustainable way.
“In particular, it will accelerate investment in cleaner, quieter, new generation aircraft, for use in the extended periods, delivering the benefit of quieter aircraft to our local community throughout the whole week.”
The proposals have been welcomed by London City’s largest carriers including British Airways CityFlyer and KLM Cityhopper. The consultation will include seven public events across east London alongside “pop-up” events this summer.