London’s littlest airport has been defining the phrase ‘small but mighty’ for quite some time now, having repeatedly been named the best aviation hub – not just in the capital, but in the entire country. London City Airport certainly doesn’t plan to rest on its laurels, though. In fact, it seems as though the capital’s most easily-accessible airport is just going to keep on getting bigger and better.
The wheels have recently been set in motion on a public consultation regarding a proposed new landing approach at London City Airport. The trusty transport hub wants to introduce a slightly shallower approach that could be used by newer, larger aircrafts. This would mean that less flights would need to take off each year. And less flights means less noise and less carbon dioxide emissions.
A new landing approach at London City Airport
Most planes currently land at London City Airport using a 5.5° approach. This is pretty steep compared to most other UK airports which use a 3° to 3.5° approach. The steep approach at London City is due to the airport’s central London location. And whilst it works well, it restricts the types of aircraft that is able to operate from the the airport.
London City Airport wants to change the airspace in order to add a new final approach descent angle of 4.49°. This shallower landing approach would mean that larger and more efficient new-generation planes (such as the Airbus A320neo) could land at the airport.
This proposed airspace change wouldn’t affect existing flight paths, and the new landing approach would only be used by the specific new generation aircrafts. The majority of flights landing at London City would continue to use the current descent angle.
Being able to introduce these larger-capacity aircrafts would help London City meet its (rather hefty) expansion goals in a more sustainable way, as they’d be able to decrease the overall number of flights. If the changes go ahead, approximately 76,500 less flights could take off from the airport over the next 12 years. It’s also estimated that 18.380 tonnes of carbon dioxide could be saved alongside 5,780 tonnes of fuel. Noise exposure could also be reduced for a whopping 110,000 people.
Andy Cliffe, CEO at London City Airport, said: “This consultation marks an important moment for London City Airport and the communities around us. Our proposals would allow us to grow more sustainably by reducing the number of flights and the level of noise people would experience when compared with not making this change. By enabling quieter and more efficient aircraft to operate at London City Airport, we can deliver the benefits of growth while lessening the impact on those who live nearby.”
The public consultation is running until May 17. If all goes to plan, the changes would be introduced from January 2027 (at the very earliest). Find out more about London City Airport’s plans and have your say in the public consultation here.