London City Airport submits expansion plans – to enable 50,000 more aircraft movements per year – to Newham Council
London City Airport has submitted its expansion plans to Newham Council. The plans could see an extra 50,000 flight movements each year, from the current level of around 64,000 in 2012 to around 120,000 (the level that was permitted by Newham in July 2009). The planned expansion could see the airport handling up to 6 million passengers per year, compared to around 3 million in 2012. The plans (costing some £200 million) would include 7 new parking stands, parking stands enlarged to cater for larger aircraft, due to arrive in 2016, a new eastern passenger pier and associated works on a platform over the King George V Dock. Plans also include an extension to the aircraft taxiway running along the eastern length of the runway, and a new passenger forecourt in front of the terminal building, an extension of the terminal, a new office building (to replace City Aviation House) and a hotel. Passenger and staff car parking will re-organised. The airport says it needs these, as morning and evening business flights were almost at capacity. Deadline for comment is 16th October.
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City Airport submits expansion plans to Newham
By Beth Allcock
September 18, 2013 (Wharf.co.uk)
London City Airport has submitted its expansion plans to Newham Council which could see an extra 50,000 flights movements each year.
That would see the airport able to carry up to six million passengers.
If approved, the £200 million investment will see parking stands enlarged to cater for larger aircraft, due to arrive in 2016.
It will also see an extension of the terminal at the Royal Docks airport.
It added the expansion was needed as morning and evening business flights were almost at capacity and this was likely to increase with further development planned in east London.
Chief executive Declan Collier said: “Increasingly, this area is a focus for foreign investment – the recent announcement by ABP of its intention to build a multi-billion pound business park on Royal Albert Dock is one such example – and the connectivity to business centres across Europe, Eastern Europe and the Middle East that the airport provides, or will provide in the future, is central to this continuing.
“In terms of the wider UK economy, the airport already contributes £750m every year – through business and leisure tourist spend, the operation of businesses on site, productivity savings and air passenger duty – and when this project is completed, we can expect to double that amount.”
The airport added it was not extending the runway.
The increase in flight movements was previously approved by Newham Council in 2009.
http://www.wharf.co.uk/2013/
and the Evening Standard at
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See also the HACAN East webpage at http://www.hacaneast.org.uk
They say:
What would its plans mean for residents?
“City Airport claims that the larger aircraft will be quieter than the current ones but have provided no hard evidence to back this up.
“The extra passengers using these planes will mean more traffic using the area. Even with cars and planes becoming cleaner over the coming years, there must also be a real risk of increasing air pollution in the locality of the airport which already is one of the most polluted in London.”
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The London City Airport website says:
The City Airport Development Programme (CADP) planning application was submitted to the London Borough of Newham on July 26th. Newham will be conducting their own statutory consultation in August.
CADP aims to prepare London City Airport for the future, safeguard thousands of jobs as well as creating thousands more and reinforce the airport’s role as an international gateway to Newham and a catalyst for the on-going, exciting regeneration of the borough.
Crucially these improvements do not propose an increase in flight movements above the 120,000 that LCY already has permission for, an extension to the existing runway or any plans for a new one.
Our development will also bring a number of benefits to the local area, including:
- 1,500 new jobs in the airport and its partner businesses, and an extra 500 jobs in the construction of phase of the CADP
- A potential direct contribution to the UK economy of £1.5bn by 2023
- Facilitation of inward investment into the London Borough of Newham and the wider east of London as a whole
What is proposed?
The development will comprise seven aircraft parking stands, an extended terminal building, a new eastern passenger pier and associated works on a platform over the King George V Dock.
It is proposed to provide a new passenger forecourt in front of the terminal building together with a new office building (to replace City Aviation House) and a hotel. Passenger and staff car parking will re-organised.
The new aircraft parking stands are proposed to the east of existing aircraft parking stands 21-24. As part of the upgrade works there will be an extension to the aircraft taxiway running along the eastern length of the runway.
A landside access pontoon for use by emergency services will also be provided at the eastern end of the seven new stands.
The proposals are not intended to alter how the airport operates.
The proposals will:
- Not increase the permitted number of aircraft movements. The airport will continue to operate up to a maximum limit of 120,000 noise factored movements per annum, as approved by London Borough of Newham in July 2009;
- Maintain environmental and operational controls, strategies and systems approved through the 2009 Planning Agreement (with any appropriate amendments, where necessary)
- Not create new runways or extend the existing one.
Why are the works required?
LCY – the business traveller’s airport
In 2011 London City Airport handled 70,000 scheduled aircraft movements and 3 million passengers. By 2021 this is expected to increase to just over 100,000 scheduled aircraft movements and 6 million passengers.
The increase stems from anticipated demand for air travel particularly by the business community which London City Airport is well placed to capture because of its location three miles from Canary Wharf, seven miles from the City of London and 10 miles from Westminster.
London City Airport has the highest proportion of business travellers of any major UK airport, which means its business is focussed around weekday activity in the morning and evening busy period, when business travellers need to fly.
As the airport becomes busier it will be more challenging to accommodate passengers and aircraft movements during the concentrated morning and evening peaks.
LCY – the 20/10 proposition
LCY has a unique 20/10 passenger proposition – the promise of a 20 minute check-in, door to gate and a 10 minute arrival, tarmac to train. To airline customers, it delivers a 30 minute aircraft turnaround time.
As flight movements and passenger numbers increase, without infrastructure improvements the airport’s ability to guarantee its proposition is eroded.
LCY – accommodating ‘next generation’ aircraft
The next generation of aircraft, likely to begin using the airport in 2016, are more fuel-efficient and quieter but also larger. They present specific challenges to the airport, both in terms of the increased passenger numbers they will bring and in terms of parking them and manoeuvring them around the runway.
They are not able to use the taxi lane, or park, at the western end of the airfield and are required to back track on the runway on both arrival and departure. This has the effect of capping the rate at which aircraft can take-off or land and limiting the airport’s capacity for growth.
Simply put, without the enhanced infrastructure proposed, LCY would never reach its permitted 120,000 movements and would not be able to fulfil its potential as an international gateway to Newham, East London and the financial centres of Canary Wharf and the City.
Why are the works required now?
When the Airport prepared its Additional Movements scheme planning application for up to 120,000 noise factored movements in 2007 (subsequently approved in 2009), it was not considered necessary to provide additional infrastructure to meet the forecast number of aircraft movements.
The 2007 application predicted the attainment of 120,000 noise factored movements by 2010 with 3.9 million passengers. However, the changes described above – larger aircraft and greater passenger numbers – have resulted in a significant change to the Airport’s medium to long term requirements.
By 2021, over 100,000 noise factored movements are expected, carrying in the order of 6 million passengers. To be ready to meet this challenge, LCY needs to begin preparing its facilities now.
http://www.londoncityairport.com/aboutandcorporate/page/cadp