It was the symbol of a triumphant City of London, with its small planes linking the Docklands district to the whole of Europe. Opened in 1987, the London City Airport had its golden age in the years 2000 and 2010. The hub offered flights to some thirty European cities, as well as a British Airways all-business class Airbus A318 service to New York. In 2019, traffic exceeded 5 million passengersThis is because of the proximity of this platform to the financial heart of the British capital.
But since Covid, the airport has struggled to get back on its feet. Admittedly, it is still linked to some 25 European cities. But its traffic remains 35% below its pre-2020 level. Last year, London City Airport welcomed 3.4 million passengers. It should return to a traffic level of 4 million this year.
According to a recent interview with the airport's new President, Alison FitzGerald on a daily basis Financial Times, the hub is suffering from a drop in daily trafficBusiness travellers are increasingly favouring the " bleisure" . This means longer journeys. As a result, the advantages offered by City Airport are of lesser importance. " It's becoming difficult to define who is a business traveller. We find that people travel differently "explained Alison FitzGerald to the FT.
The leisure segment to the rescue
The airport is therefore seeking to attract leisure travellerswith its opening up to destinations that are more holiday than business.
France and French-speaking EuropeCity Airport is now linked only to Nice and Luxembourg. For seasonal flights, there are also routes to Bergerac, Chambéry and Geneva. The hub has also seen the launch of flights to the Greek islands, the Algarve and the Canaries. The airport president also hopes to bring back a service to New York in the near future.
Unfortunately, the gamble is far from won. A recent request to authorise flights on Saturday afternoons (traffic at the airport stops at 12.30pm on this day) has just been rejected by the British Civil Aviation Authority. On the other hand, the government authorised the airport to increase its capacity from 6.5 to 9 million passengers. Work is scheduled for completion in 2031.
The government is also allowing three extra early-morning flights every day of the week. In its 2019 masterplan, the airport forecast total traffic of more than 11 million passengers by 2035. It is likely that he will have to be less ambitious.
