London City Airport’s passenger cap will be increased by 38 percent, from the current 6.5 to 9 million, following the UK’s government approval.
However, the airport’s plans to extend the weekend operating hours have not been approved by the government, VisaGuide.World reports.
The 38 percent increase in passenger numbers will permit an increase in flights between 6:00 am and 9:00 am on weekdays, in spite of the fact that the airport’s hours were not extended to 6:30 pm on Saturdays as urged by the airport.
The airport has kept strict noise abatement rules in place for more than 20 years as part of efforts to give local residents weekend respite by not permitting flights from 12:30 pm on Saturday.
New Changes Sparking Controversies
The new changes, however, have not been unanimously welcomed after they have sparked controversies related to the refusal to extend weekend operating hours and “air-flight noise” that would be brought from the new decision to serve 2.5 million more passengers.
As Travel Tomorrow explains, the airport’s chief executive, Alison FitzGerald, expressed his disappointment related to the airport’s limited working hours.
At the same time, local Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz expressed her concerns that residents will still be “harmed by the impact of further air-flight noise”
We will be studying the decision notice carefully and considering all options as we remain concerned about the detrimental impacts on the health and quality of life of our residents.
Fiaz is backed by eight other local councils nearby and environmental groups such as Greenpeace UK, which said:
This decision is a surprisingly clumsy misstep from our new government. Over half of the destinations served by the airport can be reached by train in under six hours, with Amsterdam and Edinburgh among the most popular routes. The approval undermines the UK’s climate leadership and would mostly benefit an elite of wealthy frequent fliers.
Over 3.4 Million Passengers Welcomed in 2023
London City registered a total of 3.4 million passengers last year, while the airport is expected to reach 9 million passengers by 2031.
2023’s figures marked an increase compared to 2022’s figures, during which 2.9 million passengers were welcomed.
However, in spite of the increase in passenger numbers, the figures continue to remain below those registered before the spread of COVID-19 in 2019. In 2019, London City Airport registered 5.1 million passengers.