City Airport expansion greenlit

London City Airport is now set to expand its capacity to 9 million from 6.5 million passengers per year after an application was approved by the UK government.

It means the UK’s finance district will see higher numbers of fly-in, and fly-out commuters – as well as higher numbers of weekend travelers into the capital.

The decision, announced on Monday, permits the airport to increase the number of weekend and early morning flights to accommodate this growth.

Local campaigners and Newham Council had opposed the expansion, arguing that the increased air and noise pollution would negatively impact nearby residents and potentially raise carbon emissions.

The Labour government, however, deemed the expansion necessary to meet the expected rise in demand for flights and stated that the decision aligns with national climate policy.

Despite approving the increase in passenger capacity, the government also rejected a proposal to extend the airport's Saturday afternoon operating hours from 12:30 pm to 6:30 pm, maintaining an existing curfew.

It followed an appeal after Newham Council had previously blocked the airport’s expansion plans.