London City Airport has confirmed it will appeal against a decision made by London's Newham Council to refuse the airport's planning application to increase passenger numbers and amend its opening hours in what would be a UK airport first - a commitment that only cleaner, quieter, new generation aircraft would be allowed to fly in any extended periods.
The airport submitted its plans in December 2022 to increase its annual passenger cap from 6.5 million to nine million; to fly on Saturday afternoons until 1830L (1730Z) in summer; and add three more flights in the first half hour of operations during the week – with no increase to the annual number of flights, beyond what is currently permitted.
The Newham Council's Strategic Development Committee unanimously rejected the application over concerns about the impact of noise on local residents on Saturday afternoons and the three additional morning flights. Out of consideration for residents, there is currently a curfew on flights from 1230L (1130Z) on Saturdays to 1230L (1130Z) on Sundays. Objections were also raised over increased carbon emissions.
"The airport considers that this was the wrong decision and did not properly balance the limited impacts with the very significant benefits of the proposals, particularly in the context of government policy, including making the best use of existing runway capacity."
"The proposals would create 4,500 additional jobs across London; contribute an additional GBP702 million pounds (USD917 million) in gross value added to London's economy, and enhance connectivity and passenger choice by enabling airlines to serve new routes," the airport said in a statement.
Commenting on the decision, London City Airport's Chief Executive Robert Sinclair, said: "If the appeal can be determined shortly, our airlines will be able to progress re-fleeting to cleaner, quieter, new generation aircraft sooner; delivering more choice for passengers, more jobs for local people and reducing the overall noise impact as early as next summer".
According to Tom Stoddart, CEO of BA CityFlyer (CJ, London City), the proposed extended Saturday afternoon operating hours would support the investment into new, more fuel-efficient and quieter aircraft, benefiting the local community. The British Airways (BA, London Heathrow) subsidiary currently operates twenty 98-seater ERJ 190-100SRs and has previously touted both the A220 and E1/2 as potential replacements.
