
London City Airport (LCY) is located in the Royal Docks in the Borough of Newham, about 6 miles east of the City of London. LCY is the most centrally located airport in London and is easily accessible by tube, bus, taxi, or even private transfer. The airport was developed by the engineering company Mowlem between 1986 and 1987.
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What You'll Learn

London City Airport is located in the Royal Docks, Newham, London
London City Airport (LCY) is located in the Royal Docks, in the Borough of Newham, London. It is about 6 miles (10 kilometres) east of the City of London and 3 miles (5 kilometres) east of Canary Wharf. These two areas are the centres of London's financial industry, which is a major user of the airport. London City Airport is London's most central airport and is easily accessible by Tube, bus, taxi, or even private transfer. The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) provides fast rail links to Canary Wharf and the City of London. Local bus routes serving the airport include the 473 and 474, and taxis are readily available at the airport.
London City Airport has a single 1,508-metre-long (4,948 ft) runway and a single terminal building. The airport initially had four stands for aircraft parking, but it has since expanded to include more parking stands and gates. The airport's runway has a fairly steep approach angle, which is necessary to comply with noise restrictions and avoid surrounding buildings. This limits the types of aircraft that can use the runway, as only certain aircraft are certified to fly at the required 5.5-degree angle.
London City Airport was developed by the engineering company Mowlem between 1986 and 1987. By 1995, passenger numbers reached half a million, and the airport was sold to Irish businessman Dermot Desmond. The airport changed hands again in 2006, when it was purchased by a consortium comprising insurer AIG Financial Products and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). The airport has continued to grow and expand over the years, with various redevelopment and expansion projects. In 2019-2020, a major project was completed, which included building a new passenger pier, constructing a parallel taxiway, and adding more aircraft parking stands.
London City Airport is currently undergoing another significant expansion project to increase its capacity to 6.5 million passengers annually by 2025. This project includes plans for a new terminal building, additional aircraft stands, a parallel taxiway, and an extension of the existing runway. The airport is also taking steps to improve its facilities and operations, such as relocating the fuel farm, replacing the surface car park with a multi-storey car park, and extending the vehicle drop-off and pick-up area.
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LCY is the closest airport to central London
London City Airport (LCY) is the closest airport to central London. It is located in the Royal Docks in the Borough of Newham, about 6 miles (10 kilometres) east of the City of London and 3 miles (5 kilometres) east of Canary Wharf. These are the two centres of London's financial industry, which is a major user of the airport. London City Airport is one of the most convenient and accessible airports in the UK due to its central location. It is also London's most central airport.
London City Airport was opened in 1987 and handled 133,000 passengers in its first year of operation. The airport was developed by the engineering company Mowlem between 1986 and 1987. In 1995, passenger numbers reached half a million, and Mowlem sold the airport to Irish businessman Dermot Desmond. By 2000, the number of passengers using the airport had grown to over 1.5 million. As of 2017, that figure was over 4.5 million.
London City Airport has a single 1,508-metre-long (4,948 ft) runway and a single terminal. The airport is fairly restricted in size due to its centrality. As a result, the runway has a fairly steep approach angle of 5.5 degrees, which limits the types of aircraft that can use it. To cope with increasing demand, the airport has embarked on several expansion projects over the years, including extending its runway and constructing additional aircraft parking stands.
London City Airport is easily accessible by Tube, bus, taxi, or private transfer. The airport has its own DLR station, which provides fast rail links to Canary Wharf and the City of London. Local bus routes serving the airport include the 473 and the 474. The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is also the UK's first fully accessible railway for wheelchair users, with all platforms level with the trains for step-free access. Parking is available at the airport, and there are also exclusive retail discounts and great parking prices.
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The airport is popular among business travellers
London City Airport (LCY) is located in the Royal Docks in the Borough of Newham, about six miles (or 10 kilometres) east of the City of London and three miles (five kilometres) east of Canary Wharf. These are the two centres of London's financial industry, which is a major user of the airport.
London City Airport is the most centrally located airport in London. Its location was specifically designed to be close to the financial heart of London, with a focus on business travellers. The airport is one of the most convenient and accessible in the UK, offering speedy access to the financial district and the rest of London. It is easily accessible by Tube, bus, taxi, or even private transfer. Local bus routes serving the airport include the 473 and the 474. Taxis queue for customers at the airport, with the cost of the journey displayed inside the cab. The airport also has dedicated staff to help travellers with accessibility needs. The Docklands Light Railway (DLR), which can be accessed from the airport, was the UK's first fully accessible railway for wheelchair users.
London City Airport has a single runway and terminal and is fairly restricted in size due to its centrality. As a result, the runway has a fairly steep approach angle, which limits the types of aircraft that can use it. The airport can only accommodate small turboprop aircraft that can perform steep approaches and short take-offs and landings. This makes landing at London City Airport a unique and thrilling experience for pilots and passengers alike.
London City Airport is undergoing a significant expansion project to increase its capacity to 6.5 million passengers annually by 2025. The project includes a new terminal building, eight new aircraft stands, a parallel taxiway, and an extension of the existing runway. The airport has also recently completed a major redevelopment project, which included building a new passenger pier with eight more stands for aircraft parking and constructing a parallel taxiway to reduce runway occupancy.
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LCY has a single runway and terminal
London City Airport (LCY) is a regional airport located in the Royal Docks in the Borough of Newham, about 6 to 7 miles east of the City of London and 3 to 5 kilometres east of Canary Wharf. These are the two centres of London's financial industry, which is a major user of the airport. LCY has a single runway and terminal and is fairly restricted in size due to its centrality. As a result, the runway has a fairly steep approach angle which limits the types of aircraft that can use it.
The airport was developed by the engineering company Mowlem between 1986 and 1987. In 2016, it was bought by a Canadian-led consortium. In its first year of operation, LCY handled 133,000 passengers, with this number steadily growing to over one million by 1993. To accommodate this demand, LCY has undergone several expansion projects over the years, including extending its runway to allow larger aircraft to operate. By 2006, more than 2.3 million passengers were using the airport, and in 2019-20, LCY completed a major redevelopment project that included building a new passenger pier with eight more stands for aircraft parking.
LCY is London's most central airport and is easily accessible by Tube, bus, taxi, or even private transfer. The airport has dedicated staff to help travellers with accessibility needs. The Docklands Light Railway (DLR), which can be accessed from the airport, was the UK's first fully accessible railway for wheelchair users. The DLR provides speedy access to the financial district and the rest of London.
LCY is undergoing a significant expansion project to increase its capacity to 6.5 million passengers annually by 2025. The project includes a new terminal building, eight new aircraft stands, a parallel taxiway, and an extension of the existing runway. The project will also bring more jobs and economic benefits to the local community.
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London City Airport has undergone several expansion projects
London City Airport (IATA: LCY, ICAO: EGLC) has been undergoing near-constant expansion since its opening in 1987. The airport's location—approximately 6 to 7 miles east of the City of London and 3 miles east of Canary Wharf—was specifically chosen to be close to the financial heart of London, with a focus on business travellers.
In 1995, passenger numbers reached half a million, and Mowlem sold the airport to Irish businessman Dermot Desmond. By 2000, the number of passengers had grown to over 1.5 million. In 2001, the airport was granted permission to construct an extended apron with four additional aircraft parking stands and four new gates to the east of the terminal, which became operational in 2008. In 2002, a jet centre catering to corporate aviation was opened, along with additional aircraft stands at the western end of the apron. In 2003, a new ground holding point was established at the eastern end of the runway, allowing aircraft to wait for takeoff while others landed.
In 2005, a Docklands Light Railway station opened at the airport, providing fast rail links to the financial district and the rest of London. By 2006, more than 2.3 million passengers were using the airport. In 2009, British Airways commenced the first scheduled transatlantic flights from the airport, offering a twice-daily service to New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
In 2013, the airport submitted a planning application for the City Airport Development Programme (CADP), a £344 million expansion programme to extend its aviation capacity. The planning application was approved by the council in February 2015, and the airport received planning permission from the UK government to begin expansion in July 2016. The expansion covers an area of 60.1 hectares and includes a major extension to the existing terminal, with the construction of a new passenger pier. Airfield improvements include the construction of seven aircraft parking stands and a taxi lane extension.
In 2023, the airport whisked away over 3.4 million passengers, and the expansion is expected to increase its annual passenger capacity from 6.5 million to 9 million by 2031. Phases 2 and 3 of the expansion, to be undertaken between 2015 and 2030, will include further aircraft parking stands built to the east of the terminal and a new taxiway constructed alongside and to the south of the runway. The existing terminal building will also be replaced.
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Frequently asked questions
LCY stands for London City Airport.
London City Airport is located in the Royal Docks in the Borough of Newham, about 6 miles (10 kilometres) east of the City of London and 3 miles (5 kilometres) east of Canary Wharf.
London City Airport is easily accessible by Tube, bus or taxi. The airport also has its own DLR station on a branch of the Docklands Light Railway, which provides a fast connection to Canary Wharf and the City of London.
London City Airport has a range of shops, eateries, bars and cafes throughout the airport. The airport also offers parking, with great prices, and exclusive retail discounts.
























