London City airport has announced it is planning to restart
commercial operations from the end of June, with further details including
which airlines will resume flights due to be released soon.
The airport, which closed to commercial traffic on 25 March
due to coronavirus travel restrictions, said it is expected that domestic
services to key UK cities and regions will be the first to take off. It hopes
international destinations can follow in July, though the timing may depend on quarantine
measures for arriving passengers.
According to London City, progress has been made on the
airport’s development programme, with construction continuing under social
distancing guidelines on key airside projects including aircraft stands, the
parallel taxiway and new immigration and baggage facilities.
The airport is taking steps to reassure passengers, such as
the installation of temperature-checking technology both on departure and
arrival, providing staff with facemasks and visors and displaying clear
instructional signage throughout the terminal. It will also implement new
cleaning protocols including the use of an anti-bacterial surface treatment
that lasts for up to 12 months.
In addition, it is partnering with Crowd-Vision to deploy
technology that will detect areas in the terminal where there is a high
concentration of passengers so people can be directed to quieter areas for
social distancing purposes.