0Section Title

London City Airport
Master Plan 2020

London City Airport
Master Plan

1

London City Airport
Master Plan

Contents

3

Chief Executive foreword
Consultation summary
London City Airport in numbers
Executive summary

1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6

Introduction
Our story so far
The airport site
Getting to and from the airport
Employment
Our community
Current airport
operations and controls
Investment programme

4
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5

5

2.5
2.6

Context
2006 master plan
The growth of London
Demand for aviation
Aviation infrastructure
and operations
Airspace modernisation
Policy

3
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5

Towards a new master plan
A new master plan
Demand forecasts
Route development
New generation aircraft
Innovation and technology

1.7
2
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4

4.6

5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5

Cover: Michael Tomas

6
6.1

A.1
A.2
A.3

Vision for growth
Growth and modernisation
Adapting our infrastructure
Adjusting current operations
Creating new jobs and opportunities
Contributing to wider
economic growth
Improving sustainable transport
to and from the airport
Sustainability andenvironmental strategy
Noise
Air quality
Carbon and climate change
Other environmental matters
Heritage and archaeology
Public Safety Zone
and other safeguarding
Public Safety Zone andother safeguarding
Appendix
Glossary of terms
Master plan phasing
References

London City Airport
Master Plan

Chief Executive
foreword

This master plan sets out our vision forsustainable and responsible growth at
London City Airport to accommodate up
to 11 million passengers per year. We had
intended to publish the document earlier in2020 following consultation in 2019. However,in light of the unprecedented impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic, we took the decision
to defer publication, instead prioritising thesafety and wellbeing of our passengers,
supporting our airlines and the emergency
services, as well as keeping our staff safeand protecting as many jobs as possible.

Matt Grayson

COVID-19 has undoubtedly caused asignificant shock to the global economy, withthe aviation and travel industry amongst
the hardest hit. London City Airport was no
exception. During the height of the COVID-19
crisis, we temporarily closed our doors as
many people decided to stop travelling
following government advice and travelbans in the UK and across Europe. While wereopened our doors in late June, the impactof quarantine restrictions and a second
national lockdown have resulted in passenger
numbers remaining significantly down.
We recently took the difficult decision
to temporarily pause the City Airport
Development Programme having completed
eight new aircraft stands, a full-length
parallel taxiway and new passenger facilities.
The new infrastructure will allow us to provide
additional capacity when demand returns
and provides a firm foundation for the futureterminal extensions now that the mostcomplex infrastructure activities have been
completed. While these are undoubtedly
extremely challenging times for the sector,
we have full confidence that the UK aviation4

industry – the third largest in the world anda global success story – will return to growth.
We know that demand for air travel remains
strong. Polling by Survation undertaken overthe summer shows that nearly two thirdsof UK business leaders see international
travel as key to their future prospects.
We also know that domestic aviation is key
to economic recovery. Aviation is not justan industry itself. It also acts as an enablerof other sectors such as trade, tourism,
hospitality and conferences. The Government
clearly recognises the importance of theaviation sector to the wider economic growthprospects of every part of the UK and weare confident that a comprehensive testing
regime will be approved to replace the needfor quarantine which will see the sector
gradually return to growth as people begin
to travel for business and leisure again.
While there remain significant challenges
for aviation and no doubt a short-term
re-adjustment of the industry overall, we
believe that it will bounce back strongly inthe medium to long-term as it has following
other economic crises. We continue to havefull confidence in the vision set out in our
new master plan and that is why we havetaken the decision to publish it now, despite
the ongoing impacts of the pandemic.
In June last year, we published our draft
master plan and undertook a 16-weekconsultation process where we asked
for your views on how the airport could
respond to increasing passenger demandin a sustainable and responsible way
over the next 15 years. We were extremely
pleased with the extent of feedback

Chief Executive foreword

London City Airport
Master Plan

environmental impact, and we at London City
Airport, in particular, have made significant
progress in reducing our own emissions andmaking the operation much more sustainable.
Building on our recent accreditation as acarbon neutral business for airport operations
and our target to achieve net zero carbon
emissions by 2050, we absolutely understandthe climate challenge and that more must
be done. As part of our commitment toachieving net zero we will also look toachieve Level 4+ carbon accreditation
and will work with industry partners andthe Government’s new Jet Zero Council toposition London City Airport as a leader inthe future of flight and sustainable aviation.

received from all our stakeholders during theconsultation, including members of the local
community, businesses, local government
and passengers. The level of engagement
reflects the important role we play for the
UK, London and our local communities
and we would like to thank everyone whoshared their views. We have now reviewed
all responses and have taken them into
account in finalising this master plan.

future growth at London City Airport remain;
including the airport’s location in a growing
East London and its ability to connect tothe UK’s regions and Europe. This masterplan shows what can be achieved and how
London City Airport can continue to be a
generator of jobs and economic benefits
that will help to underpin the recovery
and success of London by providing
national and international connectivity.

Our master plan shows how the airport
can grow to provide capacity for 11 million
passengers and 151,000 aircraft movements
annually which we expect to be reachedat some point in the mid to late 2030s andsupporting up to 5,300 local jobs. As recent
events have shown, it is not possible to beprecise about future trends. However, we
believe that the fundamentals underpinning

We are also conscious that the future growthof the airport is conditional on operating
to the highest environmental standards
and helping the UK, as a whole, meet theclimate change challenge. One of the mainareas of concern that was expressed in the
consultation responses was aviation’s impact
on climate change. For many years, theaviation industry has focussed on reducing its

The feedback we received during theconsultation has informed our approach to
growth that we believe can be clean andgreen while creating more opportunities forour communities. In publishing our master
plan, we have also carefully considered theGovernment’s net zero carbon obligationsin the Climate Change Act, which enshrines
the Paris Agreement into law, and our own
contribution to meeting those targets. For
example, we are targeting 80% of journeys to
be made by public and sustainable transportmodes by the time we reach 11 million
passengers and up to 90% beyond that.
Furthermore we will accelerate opportunities
for our airlines to operate more of thecleaner, quieter, new generation aircraft.
We have published this master plan now
in order to help others to understand how
sustainable and responsible growth can beachieved and to allow this to be factored into
future Local Plans and development proposals
nearby. As we come out of the current crisis,5

we will closely monitor changes that influence
how we operate. In the months ahead we will
work with airlines and Government to help
restore confidence to the UK aviation market
and we will continue to support our local
authority and our communities as they plan
for life beyond the crisis. Given the uncertainty
around the UK’s economic recovery andas the Government develops its long-term
policy on aviation and climate change, wewill keep this master plan under review.
The airport has a bright future, and as you
will read in this master plan, can contributeto helping London maintain its position
as the greatest city in the world, with anairport that helps the UK, once again, leadthe way in defining the future of flight.
Robert Sinclair
Chief Executive Officer

London City Airport
Master Plan

Consultation
summary

Alongside this master plan, we have publisheda Consultation Report. The Consultation Reportprovides more details around the consultation
activity undertaken during the 16-week public
consultation on the draft master plan, which
ran from June to October 2019. It also contains
an overview of the feedback received on the
key issues and how we have responded tothe main themes raised by our stakeholders.
We were extremely pleased with the levelof engagement on the draft master planand the extent of feedback received acrossall of our stakeholders including the local
community, elected representatives andlocal authorities, industry and businesses,
as well as our passengers. The consultation
was widely advertised in local papers andonline, with almost 12,000 people visiting
our designated consultation webpage. Fivepublic consultation events were held, andthese were attended by over 100 people.
We received over 2,100 detailed responses
and believe this reflects the importanceof the airport and its future plans to abroad cross section of the community.
Overall, the detailed feedback was balanced.
Responses from industry, passengers and local
businesses offered broadly supportive andpositive feedback, particularly with respect
to the economic benefits, job creation andimproved connectivity and choice that growthwould bring, especially to East London. While
there was also some positive sentiment frommembers of the public, local authorities andpolitical representatives, concerns were raised
regarding the potential impacts of growth on
the local community and the environment,
particularly with respect to climate change, air
quality, noise impacts and the consideration

6of changes to the existing 24 hour weekend
curfew, as well as the first and last half hour ofoperations. We also received 2,473 campaign
postcards produced by HACAN East, whichwere opposed to any increase in flights
or changes to existing operating hours.
Responding to your feedback
We have taken the time to carefully consider
all feedback received during the consultation
period and this has informed the preparationof this master plan. In the draft master plan
we forecast that passenger demand to use
London City Airport would increase over the
next 15 years (by 2035) to around 11 million
passengers per annum (mppa) and up to151,000 air transport movements (ATMs). This
growth could be delivered by making best useof our existing runway and supporting up to
5,300 local jobs1 (an increase of around 2,7002).
Since the publication of the draft masterplan in 2019, the aviation industry has been
severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, we remain very confident that the
impacts from the pandemic will be short term
and that passenger demand will recoverand continue to grow. We now expect thatthe forecast growth to 11 mppa and 151,000
air transport movements may be achievedslightly later than previously forecast. Thismaster plan reflects our revised expectations
for growth in demand and is based on ourcurrent prediction that the airport could
accommodate 11 mppa somewhere in
the mid to late 2030s depending on thepace and profile of the recovery from thepandemic. The feedback on the draft masterplan forecasts remains valid given that thesame passenger and movement forecasts
continue to underpin this master plan.

Consultation summary

Having taken on board the feedback
received, this master plan addresses
some of the key themes raised as partof the consultation process as follows:••

London City Airport
Master Plan•

Airport operating hours: Recognising theconcerns raised by many who responded
to the consultation, we will maintain theeight-hour night time flight curfew. We
also have no immediate plans to seek
to extend the operating hours, either
during the week or at weekends, however,
we will keep this under review as the
airport recovers from the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic. Should any futureadjustments be proposed, these would beconsidered and consulted upon throughthe planning process before a decision
is taken by the relevant authority.
Climate change and carbon emissions:
Since the draft master plan was publishedin June 2019 there has been a significant
political and public focus on climatechange, including the Government
legislating the commitment to net zerocarbon emissions by 2050, as well asclimate emergency declarations fromnumerous local authorities surrounding
the airport. Our master plan recognises
these changes and commits to building
on our 30% reduction in carbon emissions
over the last five years and our recent
accreditation as a carbon neutral businessfor airport operations. We are focusedon ensuring that we respond to demandsustainably. The airport will work towards
achieving net zero carbon emissions by
2050 for its own operations and will also
work with the airline industry to deliver
their ambitious carbon reduction targets3.

•

Improving transport to and from theairport: In the draft master plan we sought
to further improve our performance as theUK’s leading airport for public transport use
by passengers, with a target of achieving
80% of journeys by public and sustainabletransport modes by the time we reach
11 mppa4. However, acknowledging theMayor of London’s ambitious transport
targets, we believe we can go further
and will work towards a target of 90%
of journeys by DLR, walking, cycling andother sustainable transport modes by
2041. Reaching these targets will require
support and continued investment fromTransport for London (TfL), local authorities,
communities and local partners –particularly to deliver extended operating
hours on the DLR, additional bus services,enhanced pedestrian and cycle networks
and, potentially, a dedicated Elizabeth Linestation. We will also review opportunities
to limit parking and introduce an emissions
and occupancy-based charging scheme
for vehicles to help reduce congestion andsupport the expansion of the London Ultra
Low Emission Zone when it comes forward.
Air quality: We have strengthened ourcommitment to significantly increasesustainable transport to and fromthe airport, limit car parking spaces
and increase the provision and futureavailability of electric charging points
and cycle bays. This is in recognitionof the London Borough of Newham’s
recently published Climate Emergency
Action Plan and Air Quality Action Plan
which cite road transport as one of the
primary sources of ground level pollutant
concentrations in the local area5.

•

Aircraft noise: In the consultation
feedback there was strong support for any
future growth in aircraft movements only
to occur within our existing noise contour
area limit. By incentivising the utilisationof cleaner, quieter new generation aircraft
we will explore opportunities to bringforward reductions in the contour area
and, as a result, the number of people thatwould otherwise be within it. We will also
explore further improvements to our Sound
Insulation Scheme where appropriate.

7

Consultation summary

London City Airport
Master Plan••

Airspace change: Separate to theconsultation on the draft master plan,
we also engaged with stakeholders insummer 2019 to develop design principles
under Stage 1 of the airspace change
process. However, as part of the draft
master plan consultation, we received
feedback suggesting that respite routes
should be introduced as part of theairspace change programme. This option
will be fully considered, among others, as
design options are developed ahead ofany future planned public consultation.
Making best use of our runway: To
further align with Government policy,
as recently restated, we have identified
areas on the existing airfield where there
is potential to accommodate a greaternumber of new generation aircraft if our
airlines renew their fleets as we expect.

As explained in the accompanying
consultation report, many of the key themes
raised by participants would be addressed in
more detail should any planning application
come forward in the future to deliver someor all of the forecast growth in the masterplan. An airport master plan is not intended
to provide the level of information thatsome of our stakeholders suggested theymight like to see at this stage. Its function
as a non-statutory document is to give ahigh-level indication of potential future
development. In line with Government
guidance, this master plan is intended toprovide a clear statement of intent to the
local community and stakeholders and to
inform local authority development plansregarding potential future development.

8

Where relevant, we have updated thismaster plan’s content to reflect thepassage of time since we consulted
on the draft in summer 2019.
As we look to the future, London City Airport
will continue to listen and collaborate
with our local authorities, communities,
passengers, airlines, businesses andother partners to grow in a sustainable
and responsible way. We recognise thatlegislation, policies, the economy andpeople’s needs change with time. To reflect
this, realising the forecast growth in linewith this master plan is intended to beapproached in a flexible manner and thecapacity could be delivered in different
stages as demand reaches current permitted
development limits and evolves over time.

London City Airport
Master Plan

London City Airport
in numbers

9

5.1 MILLIONPASSENGERS
the highest in our history

All data from 2019

DESTINATIONS£75,000

1145

awarded each year to local organisations
through our Community Fund73%

of passengers travelled
to/from London City Airport by
public transport or Black Taxi

AIRLINESOVER 2,200
people employed at the airport6, with almost
two thirds living within our local area7

46% 54%business travellers

BEST AIRPORTIN EUROPE
at the Airport Council International
Airport Service Quality (ASQ) awards

SKYTRAXBESTAIRPORT
under 5 million passengers in 2019

LONDONLIVING WAGEEMPLOYER
only London airport to be both London Living
Wage and Mayor of London’s Good Work
Standard accredited

leisure travellers

OVER
400,000

LEVEL 3+ CARBON
ACCREDITATION

of our passengers live within
5 miles of the airport

meaning we are one of six
Carbon Neutral Airports in the UK

London City Airport
Master Plan

Executive
summary

Mid-20th century

Evolution of the airport
Since opening our doors in 1987, London City
Airport has connected other parts of the UK,
Europe and the rest of the world to the Cityof London, Canary Wharf and East London.
As a key part of its transport infrastructure,
we have helped London claim and retain its
position as one of the leading finance citiesof the world and one of the largest centres ofglobal aviation demand, supporting upwardsof £11 billion per year of trade in services8.
Business travel remains a core part of ourservice, but as we grow with London, andEast London in particular, our catchment areaand passenger mix has expanded beyond
our traditional markets. In 2019, more than
400,000 of our passengers lived within fivemiles of London City Airport, demonstrating
our appeal to the communities around us.
In addition to a growing list of ‘point topoint’ destinations, in recent years we haveseen several major national flag carriers
launch multiple daily services between
London City and their European hub
airports allowing passengers to connect
onto their global networks. This means that

London City Airport in 1987. Credit: Vic Abbott

10

passengers can now fly to virtually anywherein the world from London City Airport.
Our speedy, efficient and friendly service,with the best onward connections to central
London and the wider transport network
primarily via the Docklands Light Railway(DLR) provides a highly valued service to ourstaff and passengers. Our customers can beon the DLR within 15 minutes of leaving theiraircraft, at Canary Wharf within 15 minutes ofgetting on the DLR, or in the City of London
within 21 minutes of getting on the DLR. This
excellent connectivity is why two thirds of ourpassengers choose to use public transport
to travel to and from the airport, the highest
proportion of any airport in the UK.
Our vision is to make travel to and fromthe centre of London as quick, easyand sustainable as possible for all ourbusiness and leisure passengers, as wellas improving access by sustainable modes
for those living and working closest to the
airport. We will continue to invest andwork collaboratively with key partners likeTransport for London to ensure that we offer

London City Airport in 2017. Credit: Jason Hawkes

Executive summary

London City Airport
Master Plan

an industry leading, end to end passenger
experience and to promote sustainable travel
options getting to and from the airport.
Setting the scene for this master plan
Our previous master plan was publishedback in 2006 and covers the period to2030 when we predicted that the airport
would handle eight million passengers
and 171,000 flights each year (143,000
scheduled, 27,600 business aircraft). Since
then the aviation industry, passenger
trends and London have all changed. It
is now time to update our master plan.
The growth in passenger numbers up until
the beginning of 2020 has been higher than
we anticipated in 2006, but the growth in thenumber of flights is lower than forecast. This
is in part a reflection of a greater proportion
Passengers
Movements

Passengers

AircraftMovements

6,000,000

120,000

5,000,000

100,000

4,000,000

80,0003,000,000

60,0002,000,000

40,0001,000,000

20,000of slightly larger jet aircraft including
new generation aircraft using the airport,
continued strength in demand, industry
innovation, introduction of new airlines
and fewer business aircraft movements.
This trend is evident from the airport’s 6.3%
year on year growth in passenger numbers
in 2019, which was delivered with broadly
the same number of aircraft movements
as the previous year, around 83,000.
There have also been significant
developments in the aviation industry,
not only in the UK but across Europe.
Connectivity has improved significantly,
thanks to enhanced city to city routes
and greater regional connectivity. London
too has continued to prosper, and thisis projected to continue, particularly in
East London and close to the airport. In
December 2018, the Government published
its draft Aviation Strategy: ‘Aviation 2050:
The Future of UK Aviation’. This set out thepolicy principle that airports should makethe best use of their existing runways, subject
to environmental issues being addressed, tomeet demand for air travel whilst minimising
the need for new airport infrastructure,
Government support for this policy was
restated as recently as February 2020.

11

Meeting projected demand
Following the grant of planning permission
by the Secretaries of State for Transportand Communities and Local Government
in July 2016, we have begun delivering
new infrastructure and passenger facilities
which will transform the airport. This £500
million private investment places significant
emphasis on sustainability and will extend theterminal buildings, deliver additional aircraft
parking stands that can accommodate
more of the cleaner, quieter, new generation
aircraft and provide a parallel taxiway
to make better use of our single runway.
Once complete, the airport will become amore welcoming high-quality gateway to
London, with more space and enhanced
facilities and services for passengers.
Our passenger numbers grew by over 40%
in the six years to 2019 when we welcomedover 5.1 million business and leisure travellers,
the most in our history. Our current planningpermission allows us to accommodate up to
6.5 million passengers and 111,000 aircraft
movements per year. These annual limits are
expected to be reached in the coming years.

Business
Leisure

54

0

0
1988
Based on CAA data

1998

2008

2018

2019
CAA Passenger Survey 201946

Executive summary

London City Airport
Master Plan

The increase in larger aircraft now being
operated as well as the forecast increasein new generation aircraft now make itlikely that we will reach our 6.5 million
annual passenger limit before our 111,000
annual ATM limit. The aviation industry is
dynamic and ever changing and this masterplan is sufficiently flexible to respond toa number of different short-term growth
permutations in terms of the relationshipbetween passenger and ATM growth andpotential re-fleeting decisions by airlines.
Whilst there are significant challenges for
the UK economy and the aviation industry inthe short term as a result of COVID-19, thismaster plan vision is based on a predicted
return to growth over the master plan period
as the economy and passenger demandfor business and leisure travel re-emerges inparallel with a growing economy and returns
to anticipated levels over the next few years.
As passenger numbers and aircraft
movements reach currently permitted limits,
the changes shown in this master plan would
allow the airport to meet the significant
forecast demand from both business andleisure passengers, which would be awelcome boost to the wider London economy
and, in particular, support continued
growth in the East London economy.

Master plan purpose – vision for
future growthThis master plan sets out a vision for how webelieve we might best respond to continued
demand for air travel over the long term. It
also sets out how we believe this could beachieved in a sustainable and responsible
way over the next 15 years or so. It has
been adapted from the draft master plan
to reflect the passage of time, feedback
received from the consultation, and presents
an appropriate and realistic set of potential
development scenarios for the airport.
Making the most effective use of our existing
runway and infrastructure remains at theforefront of our vision in this master plan,
which is in keeping with Government policy.
We have not included proposals for a new
runway, to extend the length of our existing
runway or to significantly expand our existingsite boundary. Instead the master plan shows
how we can respond to and meet demandby making modest, incremental changes
to our existing airfield to help pave the way
for more new generation aircraft. These
aircraft are up to 17% more fuel efficientthan current models and, coupled with moreseats, this means carbon emissions perpassenger mile flown are lower than withexisting and previous generation aircraft.
This master plan shows how we will meet thechallenges set out in the Government’s draft
2050 Aviation Strategy by setting out what
we have achieved to date and demonstrating
our commitment to sustainable growth, whilefurther enhancing sustainable transport toand from the airport, embracing innovation,
creating jobs and keeping London connected.

12This master plan also explains how wecurrently operate within a set of strict andcomprehensive noise and environmental
controls. These include a noise contour area
limit, steep approaches and a noise quota
count system – the only one used in the
UK to control daytime noise. Our plans will
ensure continued operation within thesecontrols, particularly our noise contour area
which we will seek to reduce in size overthe master plan period. We believe it isalso important to maintain an eight-hournight ban on flights as we understand theimportance of respite to our local residents
and those living under our flight paths.
Our plans to make the best use of our runway
will also accelerate airlines’ plans to invest in
more of the quieter, cleaner new generation
aircraft by providing infrastructure to use
more of these aircraft at the airport.
Subject to meeting the forecast demand
and adjusting how we operate, we estimatethat with up to 11 million passengers the
airport could support approximately
5,300 jobs locally – an increase of 2,7009.
When the wider economic benefit totourism and trade is considered, ouroverall economic contribution is expected
to increase to over £2 billion per year.

Executive summary

Growingsustainably andresponsibly
As we adapt to meetdemand from both businessand leisure passengers,
we have a number ofstrategic priorities andprinciples to ensure that
we grow sustainably
and responsibly.

London City Airport
Master Plan

Jobs and community••

To create more job opportunities for our
local community over the master plan
period by working collaboratively with
the London Borough of Newham and ourpartners to increase local new recruits;
To create more opportunities across our
supply chain for local businesses to thrive.

Make best use of our runway••

To make best use of our existing runway
and infrastructure by making modestchanges to our site and avoiding any
significant extension of our boundary;To further improve passenger
experience, choice and accessibility
for all users of the airport.

Noise

•
•
•

To maintain our commitment that
we will never operate throughout thenight and that no aircraft that arenoisier than those currently allowed
to fly will do so in the future;
Not to exceed our current noise contour
area limit and to explore opportunities
with all our airlines to reduce the contour
area over the master plan period;
To add to the current comprehensive
suite of noise controls to ensure that
we mitigate noise effects associatedwith any growth beyond our current
limits (including further improvements
to our Sound Insulation Scheme, which
already has the current joint lowest
daytime threshold in the UK at 57dB).

13

Carbon emissions

•
•
•
•

Connectivity••

To be an inclusive airport serving
business and leisure passengers alike,while maintaining our reputation forspeedy, efficient and friendly service,with the best onward connections tocentral London through the DLR;To seek to retain and improve ourposition as the UK’s best performing
airport for sustainable transport use.

To continue putting sustainability at
the heart of our operations and to workwith partners to achieve and exceedindustry standards on carbon emissions;
To build upon our carbon neutral statusunder the Airports Council International
Airport Carbon Accreditation Scheme
and achieve Level 4+10 while working withindustry partners and the Government’s
new Jet Zero Council to position London
City Airport as a leader in the futureof flight and sustainable aviation;
To achieve net zero carbon
emissions from the airport’s
operations by 2050, consistent with
the UK Government’s target;
To work with the airline industry tominimise carbon emissions from aircraft
and help them achieve their targets.

Air quality••

To play our part in meeting London’s
air quality targets and encourage
our partners to do the same;
To embrace, encourage and facilitate
an increase in passenger access to the
airport by sustainable transport modes.

10Section Title
Introduction

London City Airport
Master Plan

1
Introduction

14

1
0
Section Title
Introduction

This section provides a brief summary of thegrowth of London City Airport since opening
in 1987. It goes on to give an overview ofthe existing airport site and operations,as well as some of the local employment
benefits and community initiatives. It also
provides a brief update on the £500 million
investment programme to further improve
our terminal and passenger facilities.

London City Airport
Master Plan

1.1
Our story
so far
1.2
The airport site
1.3
Getting toand from
the airport
1.4
Employment

15

1.5
Our community
1.6
Current airport
operations
and controls
1.7
Investment
programme

1
Introduction

1.1
Our story so far
An airport in theheart of London

London City Airport in 2017

London City Airport
Master Plan

London City Airport is located in London’sRoyal Docks, approximately six miles eastof the City of London, two miles east of
Canary Wharf and half a mile away fromthe ExCeL Exhibition and ConferenceCentre. The surrounding area includes a mixof residential, industrial and commercial
uses. There is also a significant amount ofplanned development and regeneration in
the Royal Docks and the surrounding area.
We opened in 1987 with a plan to connectbusinesses in the City of London and thethen newly established Canary Wharf withdomestic and European markets. Since
then the airport has grown progressively
alongside East London, and in 2019 we
handled over 5.1 million passengers andaround 83,000 flights, with services to 45
domestic and European destinations.

Andrew Holt

As East London has grown, our catchment
area has evolved beyond our traditional
business passenger market. With a diverse
selection of mainstream flag carrier airlines,
who offer global hub connectivity as wellas point-to-point services, we now havea more diverse passenger base, with analmost equal split between passengers
travelling for business and for leisure, andincreasingly including residents from ourlocal communities using the airport.

16

In 2016, a consortium made up of Alberta
Investment Management Corporation(AIMCo), The Ontario Municipal Employees
Retirement System (OMERS), Ontario
Teachers’ Pension Plan and Wren House
Infrastructure Management purchased the
airport. Collectively they have a portfolio
of infrastructure investments across theUnited Kingdom and in the aviation industry
internationally11. The airport’s owners are
ethical, long term investors not only in the
airport, but also in the UK and its future.
We take great pride in offering an
outstanding passenger experience. Ouraward winning, fast and efficient train toplane proposition has played a key role ingrowing passenger numbers year on year.
In 2019, we were awarded the Best Airport
in Europe (2 to 5 million passengers) at the
Airport Council International’s Airport Service
Quality (ASQ) awards, as well the title ofbest airport in the world under 5 million
passengers at the 2019 SKYTRAX awards.

1
Introduction

1.2
The airport site
An international
airport in London’sRoyal Docks
Figure 1.1: London City Airport aerial image (2017)

London City Airport
Master Plan

The airport site illustrated in Figure 1.1
extends to approximately 60 hectares. It
was constructed on the site of a disused
shipping dock, and the runway is situatedon the strip of land between King George
V Dock and the Royal Albert Dock.
The existing runway has a declared TakeOff Run Available (TORA) length of 1,199
metres. It is used by aircraft taking off andlanding in either an easterly (Runway 09)
direction or westerly (Runway 27) direction
depending on the wind direction. The total
paved area extends to 1,508 metres.
The existing aircraft stands are locatedbetween the runway and terminal building
and are serviced by the existing Westand East Piers which adjoin the terminalbuilding. The airport currently has 20
operational stands for use by scheduled
aircraft. Eleven of these aircraft stands
date from the original airport in the 1980s
with the more recent ones built over King
George V Dock being completed in 2008
and 2020. The 12 newer stands, located on
the east apron over King George V Dock,
can accommodate the largest aircraft
currently operating at the airport, including
the cleaner, quieter, new generation
aircraft such as the Airbus A220-100.

Google Earth

The existing terminal building has beenreconfigured on several occasions andis expected to be transformed as part of
the City Airport Development Programme(CADP), which is described in section 1.7.

17

Our corporate aviation facility (known as
the Jet Centre) at the western end of the
airfield (location 1 on Figure 1.2) handledaround 4,000 aircraft movements in2019 and is used by smaller company/
privately owned or leased aircraft. It
accounts for a small proportion of the total
annual number of aircraft movements.
The airport also owns much of the land
to the south of King George V Dock. In
addition to the existing terminal forecourt
areas, this land is currently used for offices,
engineering facilities and car parking.
We recently completed the constructionof a digital air traffic control tower which
is currently undergoing testing prior to
becoming fully operational shortly (location
4 on Figure 1.2). It will be a global first on
this scale, using state-of-the-art highdefinition cameras and sensors to provide
a live feed with a 360° panoramic viewof the airfield, along with sensory andoperational data, which will be sent via
super-fast secure fibre connections to a
new National Air Traffic Services (NATS)
control room in Swanwick, Hampshire.

1
Introduction

Figure 1.2: Existing airport plan

London City Airport
Master Plan18

1
Introduction

London City Airport
Master Plan

1.3
Getting to andfrom the airport
The highest public
transport use of
any UK airport
Stansted
Luton

Heathrow

9m

il e

13

m

il e

24

m

28

m

London City Airport’s locationin the London airports system

il e

s

s

s

il e
s

Gatwick

Since the opening of the airport’s DLR stationin 2005, we have developed a reputationfor offering a quick and reliable passenger
experience. We have the highest public
transport use amongst passengers of any
UK airport12, with only 9% arriving by private
car13. Our Airport Surface Access Strategy setsambitious short-term targets to achieve 75%
of passenger journeys by public and othersustainable transport modes and fewer than
40% of staff travelling by single occupancy
car by 2025. This is supported by our recently
published Travel Plan, which includes targets
for managing the impacts of the airport’s staff
and passengers on the local road network.

19

The DLR offers a high frequency service into
central London (every four minutes at peaktimes), connecting with the wider tube andrail network. Passengers can get from the
DLR to their gate in 20 minutes and fromaircraft to DLR in 15 minutes. This speedy
and efficient service is an important partof our ongoing passenger proposition.
We also benefit from two bus services, the473, running every 10 to 15 minutes between
North Woolwich and Stratford, and the474, running 24 hours at a similar frequency
between Canning Town and Manor Park.

1
Introduction

London City Airport
Master Plan

Northern LineDocklands Light Railway (DLR)
Jubilee Line
Overground
Hammersmith & City
Elizabeth LineBus Route
TFL Line
Thames Clippers
Potential future
Crossrail extension

King’s Cross

20

Stratford
Manor Park
Old Street
473

ShoreditchHigh Street
WhitechapelWest Ham
Moor
Gate
Bank

Bond Street

Liverpool
StreetGreen Park

PrinceRegentShadwellCanaryWharf

East Ham

Barking

BecktonCanning Custom House
Town
for ExCeL

Poplar

Wapping

Plaistow

Cyprus474

474

Barking
Riverside(2019)

Westminster

LondonBridgeCanada
Water

Royal
Wharf
(2019)

Woolwich

Abbey Wood

SurreyQuays
Greenwich

Belvedere
Erith
Slade Green
Dartford
Stone Crossing
Greenhithe
Swanscombe
Ebbsfleet International

LewishamApproximate travel times
from London City Airport

Westminster
25 mins

Waterloo
23 mins

The Shard
20 mins

6 milesBank
21 mins

Stratford andOlympic Park
15 mins

Canary Wharf
12 mins

3 miles

O2 Arena
10 mins

DLR/Tube

Woolwich
Arsenal7 minsBarking Riverside
35 mins(Overgroundfrom 2021)
3 miles

1
Introduction

London City Airport
Master Plan

21

Our current priorities and initiatives for further improving how people
get to and from the airport are listed below. We continue to workwith stakeholders, including the Airport Transport Forum, London
Borough of Newham, TfL and the DLR to realise these:

•
•
•
•
•
•

Earlier DLR services: to better match
staff shift patterns and demand fromearly morning departing passengers;
Improving DLR services: delivering
additional rolling stock, station
staff and capacity, as partof our CADP investment;
Connections to Crossrail: toprovide connectivity when the
Elizabeth Line opens and for aninterchange at Stratford station;
Connecting with future plannedriver services: promoting theavailability of the recently
completed Royal Wharf Pier;
Access to the best and most up todate travel information, wayfinding
and journey planning: giving ourpassengers and employees informationin both digital and physical formats,including in-carriage on the DLR
and London Underground;  
Inclusive, considerate design and equal
access: to ensure that the airport iswelcoming for all passengers and staff;

•
•
•
•

Actively promoting healthier modesof transport such as cycling andwalking: by investing in new cycle
and walking routes and infrastructure,including a new link from the airport
to the proposed cycle and walking
route for the Royal Docks;
Supporting improvements in local
air quality and lower carbon
emissions: by providing additional
electric charging facilities, including
rapid charging for black taxis.

Additional priorities for our staff include:
Provision of cycle parking andhire facilities at the airport: toencourage staff to cycle to work;
Lift-share initiative: launched in 2018
to encourage our staff to travel towork more sustainably to reduce
congestion and reduce local emissions;
Limiting use of private cars: bymanaging demand through pricing
of parking spaces and limiting
staff car parking passes.

•

1
Introduction

London City Airport
Master Plan

1.4
Employment
Creating job
opportunities for
East Londoners

As a London Living Wage employer anda Mayor of London Good Work Standard
certified employer, we pride ourselves on
creating opportunities for local people.
Having a high proportion of staff from thelocal area makes our airport more resilientand helps us reflect the energy, vibrancy anddiversity of our local area when welcoming
people from around the world. We are oneof the biggest private sector employers
in the London Borough of Newham withover 2,200 people employed onsite in 2019,with two thirds living in the local area14. In
2019, almost one third of employees newly
recruited by London City Airport were from
Newham. These figures exclude construction
jobs which peaked at around 1,100 in 2019.
Despite short term restructuring as a resultof the COVID-19 pandemic, we expect
the number of people employed at the
airport to rebound as the aviation industry
as a whole rebounds from the crisis.

Local recruitment statistics 201965% from local area
29% from Newham
New recruits directly employed by the airport
EppingRedbridge
Havering

HackneyeaarhaBarkingand Dagenham

Southwark

Greenwich
Bexleyarea

29 % N ew

Tower
Hamlets

al

m

35% w
ide
r

WalthamForest65%

loc

Lewisham

22

Since being established in 2009, ouraward-winning Take Off Into Work
scheme and other employment schemes15
have placed more than 750 Newham
residents in employment at the airport indepartments such as security, customer
services, ramp services, retail and finance.
Additionally, over the last 5 years over
12,300 young people participated in our
educational and community programmes,
including visits to the airport to learn about
our operations, as well as attending events
to inspire young people about careers inscience, technology engineering and maths(STEM). In so doing, we aim to help address
the rising skills shortage in this area16.

1Introduction

1.5
Our community
Proud to be part of
the fabric of Newham
and East London

London City Airport
Master Plan

We believe in transparent, regular
engagement with our local communities.
We want residents to be engaged andinformed. That’s why we host regular eventsand meetings across the local area, publish
a quarterly community magazine circulated
to almost 10,000 local households as well
as working with our Consultative Committee
on community and environmental issues.

23

We have a longstanding partnership with
Richard House Children’s Hospice for which
the airport’s staff have generated nearly£1 million. Over the past four years our staff
have participated in volunteering activities
across East London focused on wellbeing,equality and biodiversity, investing over
7,300 hours of their time. As part of thecurrent investment programme the airportis spending over £7 million on education,
employment and community investment
initiatives in the local area. A summary of ourmost significant initiatives is included below.

1Introduction

London City Airport
Master Plan

Investing in the people of East London

London City Airport
Master Plan

NewhamRedbridge

Newham’s SMEs participated in our annual‘Royal Docks Meet the Buyer’ event. Over 170
East London businesses participated in 2019,
raising the amount spent with Newham
businesses to £6.5 million.

29%£68,138

2352

Wanstead High School pupils won the ‘Womenin Aviation’ 2019 challenge, joining 300 female
students from 10 different East London schools
to hear more about the opportunities in theaviation industry.

6%

840

WalthamForestWaltham Forest

The airport is encouraging its visitors to discover
East London’s culture hotspots through thecreation of a video series with the Londonist:‘Beyond Zone 1’, featuring Waltham Forest as
the London Borough of Culture 2019.

5%£10,564

128

24

Tower
Hamlets

24

172

152

Barking and Dagenham

Redbridge

Newham

£9,889Sydney Russell School pupils won the airport’s
annual STEM in Aviation Day in 2019, joining 450
East London secondary pupils from 22 different
schools to experience how STEM subjects areused in the aviation industry.

Barking &Dagenham

The airport is a main stage sponsor for the iconic‘Summer of festivals’ organised by the London
Borough of Barking and Dagenham.

7%

Greenwich£27,127474

88

Greenwich

600 secondary students increased theirconfidence and learned skills for future
employment through participation in the‘Runway to Success’ education programme
initiated by the airport in collaboration with theRoyal Borough of Greenwich.

Tower Hamlets

80 residents from Tower Hamlets received
employability training and 50% were offered a
job through the collaboration between the
airport and the council supporting Workpath’s
overall achievement of 5,000 residents into
employment in 2018.

6%£17,785471

METRO, a leading equality and diversity charity
specialising in providing health, community andyouth services, was supported by the airport byhelping to raise their profile through thesponsorship of their float at London Pride.

3%

280

£11,578

190

88

Key:

%

% of new recruits at London
City Airport from each borough(2019)£

Investment in local community*
London Benchmark Group(LGB) data 2016-2019

Students engaged
through education
2016-2019

Volunteering hours
2016-2019*Investment in addition to current planning commmitments and obligation

1
Introduction

London City Airport
Master Plan

25

Community Fund

Case studies
STEM in Aviation events
The aviation industry is seeing a risingdemand for STEM skills. Our ‘STEM in
Aviation’ events aim to tackle this risingskills shortage by inspiring school students.
In 2019, up to 500 East London students
from 23 different schools attended our‘STEM in Aviation Day’. This was supportedby Rajesh Agrawal, Deputy Mayor for
Business, and representatives from theaviation sector including London City
Airport, British Airways, Cranfield University,
Widerøe, Accenture, Bechtel, BAM Nuttall
and the Emirates Aviation Experience.
The students experienced thevariety of ways that STEM can beapplied in the aviation industry andabout the opportunities that exist,
including at London City Airport.

Royal Docks Meetthe Buyer event
Our aim is to be a catalyst of local economic
growth by helping local businesses to thrive.
Our ‘Royal Docks Meet the Buyer’ events
give East London’s small and medium sizedenterprises (SMEs) a unique opportunity tocreate ongoing relationships with buyers
in London’s Royal Docks and beyond. The
inaugural event in 2018 was very successful
and brought together 132 local SMEs
with £1.1 million of business transactions.
Last year’s event built on this successand welcomed 170 businesses from 17
London boroughs. The event reinforces
our record for supporting local businesses
through our supply chain, which equatedto more than £9 million spent with East
London businesses, including £6.5 million
spent in Newham with 21 businesses.

In 2019 we launched our Community
Fund of £75,000 and received more than
200 applications. Funding was awarded
to 30 organisations across 10 London
boroughs. Some of the organisations
that received a grant include: Free your
Mind CIC from Barking & Dagenham;
Samaritans from Redbridge; Lambeth
Libraries; Poplar Partnership and UpRising Leadership from Tower Hamlets;
Magpie Project and Community FoodEnterprise; Young Lewisham Project;
Home-Start Havering; Chats Palace from
Hackney; and Inspire EBP and Blind in
Business working across Waltham Forest.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic,
the airport also provided an additional£50,000 to help nine foodbanks acrossNewham, Greenwich, Tower Hamlets
and Barking & Dagenham, which play a
critical role in getting essential supplies
to vulnerable people and families.

Magpie Project and Community Food Enterprise

Women in Aviation
Programme
To attract the next generation of female
aviation leaders on the airport’s doorstep,the 2019 Women in Aviation Programmebrought together 300 female East London
pupils to encourage them to consider acareer in the industry. The initiative aims tohelp challenge historic gender associations
for certain roles and historical stereotypes.

1Introduction

London City Airport
Master Plan

26

Creating domestic supply
chain opportunities
While we are proud to create supply chain opportunities
to local businesses and SMEs, we also create supply chain
opportunities right across the UK as shown in Figure 1.3.
Recent examples of the wide variety of contracts within theCity Airport Development Programme (CADP) include:
1
Dyer and Butler(part of M Group
Services, Stevenage)
HQ Location: Southampton
Works: Airfield taxiway anddrainage works and theairfield services works

2
BAM Nuttall
HQ Location: Camberley, Surrey
Works: Piling and decking for
new 75,000 m2 concrete
deck extension

3
Careys6
Dynasafe Bactec Ltd

HQ Location: Southampton
Works: Ground clearance
and civil engineering works
to prepare for new passenger
and support facilities

HQ Location: Dartford, Kent
Works: Unexploded ordnancesurvey work4
Buckingham GroupHQ Location: London
Works: Construction of newpassenger and support facilities
in the Western Service Yard

HQ Location: Stowe,BuckinghamshireWorks: Digital Air Traffic
Control Tower

5
Reach Engineering andDiving Services (REDS)
HQ Location: Rugby,
WarwickshireWorks: Dock surveying

7
Kier

5
4

2
1

Figure 1.3: The airport’s UK-wide supply chain

3

7

6

1
Introduction

1.6
Current airport
operations and controls
Managing andreducing the effectsof our operations

London City Airport
Master Plan

Our current operating hours include an eighthour night-time curfew on all flights between
22.30 and 06.30 and a 24-hour weekend
closure between 12.30 on Saturday and 12.30
on Sunday. These were introduced in 1998.
Flight numbers are also limited at weekends
and Bank Holidays as well as in the first andlast half hour of each day’s operations.
In terms of our main noise and operational
controls, we have some of the mostcomprehensive of any airport in the UK. We
are extremely conscious about managing
and reducing impacts on our local
community, those under our flight paths, andon the environment more broadly. Each year
we publish an annual report17 documenting
our performance and progress on meeting
our operational and environmental targets.

27

Noise and operational controls

•
•
•
•

•
•

All aircraft take a steeper
approach with a glide slopeof 5.5 degrees to reduce noise
impacts on local communities
under the arrival flight paths;
Operating within a noise quota
count annual budget, which isbased on the noise performanceof individual aircraft types;
Operating within a noise contour
area limit that is checked annually.
This a relates to the 57 dB LAeq,16h noise
contour18 and has an area limit of 9.1
km2. This is supported by our Incentives
and Penalties Scheme to encourage
airlines to operate aircraft more quietly;
Operating a comprehensive Sound
Insulation Scheme for residential
dwellings and public buildings.
The scheme is tiered so that those
closest to the airport receive a higher
specification of insulation. The trigger
for eligibility for treatment is currently
the joint lowest of any UK airport.
Further details are available in our 20182023 Noise Action Plan on our website19;
Carrying out comprehensive air quality
monitoring onsite, including monitoring
ambient air quality and sharing theresults with the local authority. Near
real time data is available online20 andthe findings are reported annually;
Operating an Air Quality Management
Strategy to help us further improve
performance against the UK air
quality objectives for all pollutantsmonitored - these are currently
all within the relevant limits.

1
Introduction

1.7 Investment
programme
A £500 million
transformation of ourpasenger facilities
and airfield
Figure 1.4.1: Aerial view of recently completed
parallel taxiway and larger aircraft stands

London City Airport
Master Plan

In 2016, the airport secured permission for a£500 million investment programme at the
airport, including growth to 111,000 aircraft
movements and 6.5 million passengers
annually. Once fully built out, the City
Airport Development Programme (CADP)
will transform the airport, providing vitalnew terminal and airfield infrastructure anda much-improved passenger service while
retaining the airport’s modest size andspeedy passenger service. Once complete,
CADP will deliver more jobs at the airport
and in the local area, with ambitious targets
to secure 70% of new jobs for local residents,
40% of which will be for Newham residents.

Figure 1.4.2: Escalator leading todepartures area in new terminal

28

Construction of CADP started in 2017 and todate eight additional Code C aircraft stands
have been delivered on a deck to the east of
the existing apron over King George V Dock.
The new stands will allow more of the cleaner,
quieter, new generation aircraft to use theairport. The new stands are connected tothe existing runway by a new eastern paralleltaxiway to the south of the runway, runningfrom west to east. This will allow for the more
efficient use of the runway particularly during
peak periods and deliver up to 45 movements
per hour from 25 aircraft stands in total.

Pascall + Watson

1
Introduction

Figure 1.4.3: View of CADP terminal
and new passenger forecourt

London City Airport
Master Plan29

1
Introduction

London City Airport
Master Plan

While construction was recently paused
due to the short term impacts of
COVID-19, temporary immigration andbaggage facilities are already in place
to accommodate the CADP build which
includes comprehensive updates andextensions to the existing terminal buildings
and a pier to serve the new aircraft stands
to the east of the terminal. Once built,
the terminal extensions will provide newcheck-in, baggage handling facilities,
commercial areas and a departurelounge. The approved plans also allow theexisting terminal building to be updated
and reconfigured to accommodate a
mixture of improved processing facilities for
departing and arriving passengers, while
the new pier would provide access to newgates and associated seating areas.

Figure 1.4.4: Entrance to new terminal

30

Permission is also in place for areconfiguration of the terminal forecourt
to the east of the terminal to deliver new
accommodation for buses as well as newdrop-off and pick-up for taxis and private
cars (location 4 on Figure 1.5). A new hotel
will also be provided within walking distanceof the terminal for passenger convenience(location 5 on Figure 1.5). If the hotel isbuilt out in future, it is projected that up to
200 additional jobs could be created.
The CADP plans also include a decked
car park (location 7 on Figure 1.5). Thishas been safeguarded to allow future
flexibility to adapt the infrastructure andconsolidate onsite parking into a single
multi-storey structure, with centralised
provision for electric charging to encourage
low emission and zero emissions vehicles.
This is explained further in Section 4.

1
Introduction

London City Airport
Master Plan

Rendezvous point (RVP)

Figure 1.5: Site plan following completion of CADP

31

2
Context

London City Airport
Master Plan

32

2
Context

Footnote Lenim hicipsanimet
qui ad et essi dit et quia
ius am, consequam harcisaerspe dolorios dolorrunt
asit lab ipidelias.

2
Context

This section gives some background andcontext on the previous 2006 master planand presents the emerging population
growth, particularly in East London and thedemand for aviation. It also comments on
the other relevant considerations taken into
account when preparing this master plan
including policy and airspace change.

London City Airport
Master Plan

2.1
2006 master plan
2.2
The growthof London
2.3
Demand foraviation

33

2.4
Aviation
infrastructure
and operations
2.5
Airspace
modernisation
2.6
PolicyFootnote Lenim hicipsanimet
qui ad et essi dit et quia
ius am, consequam harcisaerspe dolorios dolorrunt
asit lab ipidelias.

London City Airport
Master Plan

The airport’s current master plan was
published in November 2006. At thattime, the airport handled 2.5 million
passengers per year, and it was expectedthat growth would occur at 9% perannum up to 2010 and by 6% per annum
beyond that to 2030. The 2006 masterplan has broadly informed development
at the airport since it was published.
Three phases of development were shown toillustrate how the airport would develop toaccommodate 3.5 million passengers by 2015
(Phase 1), 6 million passengers by 2025 (Phase2) and 8 million by 2030 (Phase 3). As shown in
Figure 2.1 the diagrams in the document show
the progressive expansion of the terminaland stands building out over King George
V Dock eastwards in a phased manner.

The accompanying forecasts anticipatedreaching 143,000 scheduled aircraft
movements and 27,600 business aircraft
movements by 2030 (total 170,600 aircraft
movements) carrying 8 million passengers
each year. CADP, once complete, will havebroadly delivered Phase 2 of the 2006 masterplan. It is now appropriate to look beyond
the current timescale covered by the 2006
master plan and to update Phase 3 toreflect changes to legislation, Government
and local policy, future forecast demand
for air travel, and newer aircraft types.

Figure 2.1: Extract of London City Airport
master plan 2006 – Phases 2 and 3

Drawing 3 - Indicative Land Uses 2015-2025

Drawing 4 - Indicative Land Uses 2025-2030

N

2.1
2006 master plan
How London City Airport
has developed

34

N

2
Context

AIRFIELDAPRONSTERMINAL AREA
SURFACE TRANSPORT FACILITIESANCILLARYHANGAR/MAINTENANCE
AIRPORT RELATED USE

2Context

London City Airport
Master Plan

2.2
The growth of London
The world’s best city
is fast-changing
Figure 2.2: Population growth and total projected
employment growth between 2018 to 2035 (%)

Greater
LondonWalthamForest

15.4% 18.6%

Redbridge
Havering

10.4% 16.3%

15.4% 17.6%

Hackney

NewhamBarking andDagenham

9.9%

35.5%
Tower Hamlets

14.4%

31.1%

59.5%
36.5%

9%

47.6%
GreenwichSouthwark

Bexley
19.3%

26%

24%
Lewisham

Key:
Forecast population
growth to 2035
Forecast employment
growth to 2035

11.3% 16%

15.2%
13.4% 14.6%

19.5% 9.8%

Currently, there are over eight million
Londoners and the population is projected
to grow to just under ten million by 2025,
larger than any time in the city’s history. The
Greater London Authority (GLA) projects
an increase to 10.4 million by 2035.
With foundations laid by the successes ofCanary Wharf, the Olympic Park and our own
operations at London City Airport, London’s
gravity is moving eastward. Strong growth isprojected specifically in East London, where
the population in Newham alone, hometo the airport, is expected to grow by 31%,equivalent to over 100,000 people by 2035.
Employment forecasts also paint a pictureof a rapidly expanding East London. As the
GLA’s projected employment estimatesshow in Figure 2.2 below, the boroughs in
the east of London demonstrate strong
projected rates of total employment growth.
When looking at the five boroughs withthe fastest growing total employment in
the Greater London area, four boroughs
are local to the airport: Newham, Tower
Hamlets, Hackney and Southwark21.

35

According to Savills, within 60 minutes travelfrom the airport there will be 4.1 million homes
over the next five years, a 21% population
increase to 10.7 million people by 2039, and6.7 million jobs by 204122. In Newham, officespace is set to increase quicker than any
other borough in the capital. Employment
at Canary Wharf currently provides 120,000
jobs23 and is expected to double in the next
20 years24. Overall, strong growth in officespace and housing is expected, making East
London an increasingly attractive place forbusinesses and individuals to move to. Whilethese projections were published prior to the
COVID-19 pandemic and may be readjusted
in the short term, they still represent thestrong growth envisaged in both the local
population and employment over the longer
term, consistent with the master plan period.
Being uniquely located in the heart of
East London, the airport has significant
potential to serve demand and provide
jobs as well as improving connectivity todomestic, European and global markets.

2
Context

London City Airport
Master Plan

36

Selected regeneration
schemes near the airport
11 12

1 Canada Water 25
2

8

2
6
3

7

10

9
1

Time from the airport:
15 mins (DLR/Jubilee line)

545 Greenwich
Peninsula 29

6 ABP Royal
Albert DocksAn £8.4 billion revamp of 150
acres of former industrial land
and gasworks around the O2,
opposite the financial districtof Canary Wharf, has planning
consent to build 15,720 homes
in seven neighbourhoods, alongwith a new design district, twoschools, health services, shops
and offices. It is the biggest
regeneration project by asingle developer in the UK
and is expected to becompleted by 2032.  

Part of the Royal DocksEnterprise Zone, ABP is creatinga new waterside development
and dynamic commercial
district. It will transform Royal
Albert Dock into London’s third
business and financial district,becoming a hub for businesses
from Asia looking to reachnew markets in Europe and forEuropean companies seeking
to do business with them andexpand into the Far East. The
4.7 million sq. ft development
comprises mainly offices, withresidential, retail provision as
well as improvements to the
public realm.

Time from airport:
15 mins (DLR/Jubilee line)

Plans for a large 53-acre
regeneration of Canada
Water – which include a newhigh street, town centre andleisure centre – has a resolution
to grant planning permission.
The Canada Water masterplan would deliver up to 3,000
homes as well as workspaceand retail, leisure, entertainmentand community space.

Time from the airport:
10 mins (cycle)
5 mins (bus)
19 mins (walk)

2 Canning Town
and Custom House 26
Work is well underway for a £3.7
billion project in Canning Town
and Custom House. By 2018
the programme had delivered
over 2,200 new private andaffordable homes. Developers
are currently on site building
another 1,200 new homes. By
the end of the regeneration
programme, around 12,000 new
homes will have been built.
Time from the airport:
9 mins (DLR)
12 mins (bus)
9 mins (cycle)
29 mins (walk)7 Thameside West

8 Barking Riverside

9 Royal Wharf

10 Thames EstuaryThameside West is a proposed
riverside development on oneof the largest brownfield sites
in London that seeks to playhost to more than 5,000 new
homes, multiple new retailspaces, a new school, a newnursery, spaces for creative
industries as well as a new
London parkland. There arealso plans for a new Thames
Wharf DLR station. The plans
were approved by the Mayorof London in August 2020.

Located along the banks of
the River Thames, covering
443 acres, Barking Riverside
will include 10,800 new homesof mixed size and style. Thereis provision for 65,000 square
metres of commercial floor
space for shopping, restaurants,
cafés, community and leisurefacilities, healthcare andschools. There are also plans
for large open spaces, public
squares and a new rail
station with bus and rivertransport interchange
providing excellent links
to central London.

Royal Wharf will comprise of
3,385 residential sites on a prime
riverside location, incorporating
a communal square, highstreet, 2.4-acre park and ariverside promenade. The
development is served by the
recently opened Royal Wharf
Pier – a new riverboat terminal
in collaboration with MBNA
Thames Clipper, providing riverconnections to central London.   

In 2016, The Thames Estuary
Commission was formed todevelop a 2050 vision for thearea focusing on five productive
places. One of these places,
referenced as ‘City Ribbon’corresponds to the catchment
area of the airport. The vision
aspires to convert this area
into a hub for production withspaces for start-ups and small
and medium sized businesses,
through the creation of creative
enterprise zones and strategictransport infrastructure.
Within the vision, the airport
is recognised as a significant
strategic asset providing
employment and international
connectivity. In March 2019,
the Government’s responseto the Commission gave
commitments to support anddeliver growth in the Estuary.

Time from the airport:
10 mins (DLR and walk)
8 mins (cycle)

Time from the airport:
25-30 mins (DLR/
tube/Overground)
35 mins est. (DLR/river)Time from the airport:
6 mins (DLR and walk)
7 mins (cycle)

3 Silvertown Quays 27

4 North Woolwich 28

The £3.5 billion regenerationof Silvertown (in the WestHam area of Newham) iscurrently being implemented.
The 62-acre site centres
around the restoration of
the 1930s Millennium Mills.
Once completed, the major
development will provide 3,000
homes including affordable
housing, offices, a school, healthcentre, retail facilities and a
new Roundhouse music venue.

A series of proposeddevelopments along the River
Thames at Woolwich willbring a set of historic buildingback into use. Royal Arsenal
Riverside will create 5000 new
homes, a hotel, office space
and a community centre. SprayStreet will include over 650
new homes, restaurants, retailand leisure facilities, and new
public spaces. Other projects
include Thomas Street and the
Woolwich Estates.

Time from the airport:
4 mins (cycle)
7 mins (walk)Time from the airport:
15 mins (DLR)
16 mins (cycle)
30 mins (walk)

11 Stratford,
NewhamAn area of London that has
transformed in the past decade,with new developments,
including Queen Elizabeth
Olympic Park and East Village
and major schemes along thehigh street such as Strand
East (1,200 new homes, 58,000
sqm of workspaces, and a
350 room hotel), the Universityof East London and Birkbeckat University Square (8,600sqm), the redevelopment of
the Carpenters Estate (3,000
new homes and 20,000sqm
of commercial space) and
Stratford Island sites (1,500
new homes).  
Time from the airport:
14 mins (DLR)
36 mins (bus)

12 MSG Sphere
In March 2019, plans were
submitted for a multi-use
entertainment building in
East London that will containrestaurants, shops, a nightclub
and a 21,500-capacity
venue for music, arts andentertainment events. If
consented, the venue will be
the largest concert arena in
the UK, will create 4,300 jobs
during construction, and thengenerate £2.7bn over 20 years,
supporting 3,200 jobs annually.
Time from the airport:
14 mins (DLR)
36 mins (bus)2Context

2.3
Demand for aviation
Sustained demand fordomestic and EU travel

DfT forecasts for London airports

London City Airport
Master Plan

The Government continues to express
confidence in the aviation sector and its
important role in supporting economic
recovery.30 This master plan draws on theapproach used by DfT31 to produce specificforecasts for growth at the airport, taking
into account the latest economic projections,specifically for London and East London.
These forecasts present a reasonable range
of demand scenarios of how the airport is
expected to reach 11 mppa over the masterplan period. The master plan then sets out
the potential development opportunities
that might be necessary to meet thesedifferent potential demand profiles. Although
there is a degree of uncertainty regarding
when and how demand evolves beyond
current permitted levels, we believe therange of development options presented
in this master plan remain appropriate
and realistic to enable the airport toadapt to meet passenger demand of up
to 11 mppa by the mid to late 2030s.

37

As befits a major global city, the economy
of London is very diverse. Estimates from the
Office of National Statistics (ONS) show thatthe professional services, real estate, scientificand technical sectors make up the largest
component of employment in the city32 but
are followed by sectors such as administrativeand support services, information andcommunication, and finance and insurance.
The Mayor’s economic plan points to target
growth sectors as including financial andbusiness services, manufacturing, life
sciences and the technology and digital
sector33. These sectors are among the largest
generators of air travel demand to and from
London and will underpin continued growthin air travel due to their global nature.
Tourism also plays a major role in the
London economy, being one of the mostvisited cities globally. The sector is again
recognised by the Mayor’s economic plan
as a key sector for growth, with the tourism
strategy aimed at increasing visitor numbers
by almost 30% by 2025. However, this will
only be achievable over the long term, if
potential capacity at airports is fully utilised.
Given its position at the heart of London,
growth at London City Airport could
make a significant contribution to
alleviating some of these constraints
and supporting business and tourism
across the Capital and in East London.

2
Context

London City Airport
Master Planpassengers flew on services to the
Channel Islands and Isle of Man in 2019.

Domestic connectivity
London City Airport plays an importantrole in supporting domestic airconnectivity to London and the UK regions,handling more than 1 million domestic
passengers in 2019. This represents
around 20% of all passengers using the
airport, a higher proportion than seenat any other London airport. Of ourdomestic passengers, 97% originate
in or are destined for London, with theproportion making onward connections
currently only 3%. This highlights the role
the airport has in supporting direct routes
between London and the UK regions.
In this respect, the airport plays a crucialrole, offering high quality links to domestic
points where road and rail alternatives
are likely to be significantly slower andimpractical. For business passengers,
services to Edinburgh and Belfast serve thefinancial services sector, while Glasgow
provides a key link for media and creative
industries as well as manufacturing. The
high frequency of services is attractive
to inbound tourists from across the UK to
London, as well as serving the needs of the
population around the airport, providing
easy access to visit friends and relatives.
The airport also provides high quality
links to the Crown Dependencies ofJersey and the Isle of Man, contributing
to the economic vitality of theseislands. Around 100,000 domestic

Over time, domestic passenger numbers
are expected to continue to increase as
the airport grows. We have introduced
new services to Dundee and Teeside
earlier this year and expect to add
more domestic services in future. We
estimate that demand for domestic
air travel could reach around 3 million
passengers per annum (over 25% of allpassengers) over the master plan period.

European connectivity
Our network extends to provide
connectivity to some of the mostimportant business centres across Europe.
High frequencies of service and attractive
flight times make these links critical tosupporting efficient business in London,
increasing the ease and attractiveness of
doing business with companies in the City.
In 2019 the airport continued to provide
good connections across the globe
through major hubs such as Amsterdam,
Dublin and Frankfurt, while new services
were also launched to smaller hub airports
with major EU flag carriers. High service
frequencies to these points minimises
the connection times between flights
and better supports business efficiency
and leisure passenger convenience.

DundeeGlasgow
BelfastEdinburgh
Tees Valley

Isle of Man

ExeterJersey38

Many of the European destinations
also generate high levels of inboundtourism and support the local
population’s demand for leisure travel.
In 2019, over 4 million passengers flew
between London City Airport and Europe,and it is expected that demand will
increase to around 8 million passengers
a year over the master plan period.

2Context

London City Airport
Master Plan

2.4
Aviation infrastructure
and operations
London’s air
travel market

100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Heathrow

Gatwick

Stansted

Luton

London
City

Spare

10%

7%

20%

0%

21%

Used

90%

93%

80%

100%

79%

Figure 2.3: Proportion of Airport Capacity Utilised in 2019

The London air travel market is served by
five main airports: London City Airport;
London Heathrow; London Gatwick; London
Luton and London Stansted. In 2019 before
the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic
here was little spare capacity at peaktimes across these airports. The Airports
National Policy Statement34 indicatedthat the whole London airport system was
expected to be full by the mid-2030s if
additional capacity was not provided.
In common with the other London airports,
London City Airport has been considering
how best to meet demand within its
catchment area and play its part in providing
the airport capacity needed to serve London
as a whole. London Heathrow has plans fora third runway, but this is now unlikely to bedelivered before the mid-2030s, London
Gatwick has published a master plan andhas signalled that it will apply to use its
standby runway to deliver capacity for 74
million passengers per annum by the mid2030s. London Luton has confirmed its intent
to grow to 32 million passengers per annum
by the late 2030s and London Stansted
plans to expand to 43 million passengers
per annum. All of these developments are
subject to the grant of planning permission.

39

Being located in London means London
City Airport is significantly better positioned
to meet the needs of business and leisure
passengers in our unique and growing
local market and with easy access toa safe, efficient and sustainable public
transport network. In 2019, London City
Airport accounted for around 2.8% of
all passengers using London’s airports
but plays a particularly important role inmeeting demand to and from the City of
London and within its local catchment areairrespective of the plans of the other airports
to meet demand in other parts of London.
On this basis, London City Airport expects
its annual passenger limit of 6.5 million to bereached in the short term, with fewer aircraft
movements than expected. This growth is inpart a reflection of the opportunities offeredby new generation aircraft (that are alreadystarting to be used) and the increasing baseof demand in the airport’s local catchment
area and London generally. If we are to
respond to the significant demand fromboth business and leisure passengers, thecurrent limits will need to be changed.
Our master plan takes account of planned
expansion elsewhere and seeks to ensurethat we can continue to meet the needsof passengers, by making best use of ourexisting runway. This will allow us to make amodest but vital contribution to the London
aviation market alongside proposals for otherlarger aviation projects in the South East.

2
Context

London City Airport
Master Plan

2.5
Airspace
modernisation
Government-led
process to improve
UK airspace

Michael Tomas

The UK’s airspace is an essential part of ournational transport infrastructure. However,
it is currently outdated and struggling tokeep pace with growing demand, resulting
in delays, unnecessary carbon emissions
and flight paths that are not optimised tominimise noise. The Government has therefore
made airspace modernisation a priority
with the objective to deliver quicker, quieter
and cleaner journeys with more capacity
for the benefit of both passengers andcommunities. London City Airport is one of
15 airports that are part of the Governmentled airspace modernisation programme.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), thenational supervisory authority for theplanning and regulation of national
airspace, has a responsibility to ensurethat UK airspace is developed to meetdemand and avoid the need for National
Air Traffic Services (NATS) to impose regular
restrictions due to insufficient capacity.
The first step in this process occurred in2016 when London City Airport undertook
an airspace change to introduce modern
navigation technology (RNAV1) along our
flight paths. This upgrade was mandated by
the CAA and was implemented to improve
the operational efficiency and safety of theairspace, minimise future delay and improve
environmental performance. The changes
resulted in 1.2 million people no longer
being regularly overflown below 7,000ft,
arrivals staying over the sea for longer andin a narrower path over land as well as
departures climbing high more quickly.
NATS are now developing airspace change
proposals to modernise the airspacestructure and route network above 7,000ft. All
airports in the South East are key consultees
in this process and are required to review
arrival and departure routes to determine
how best to connect with these high-altitude
network changes. We are committed toworking with NATS and all London airports
to facilitate an integrated approach.

40

During summer 2019 the airport engaged
with stakeholders to develop designprinciples under Stage 1 of the process.
This is in line with the CAA’s guidance onairspace design (CAP1616). This engagement
included local councils, the GLA, relevant
communities, business groups and our
Consultative Committee. Initial feedback
from some community members suggested
that respite routes should be introduced
as part of this programme, and this will
be fully considered as design options aredeveloped. Full details of the engagement todate have been published on our website.
The CAA’s guidance, outlines the next stagesof the process, including the development
and analysis of design options which will
be subject to full public consultation in due
course. Information on the next stages andtimelines will be available on the CAA portal35.
Whilst the programme was put on hold acrossthe UK in summer 2020 due to the COVID-19
pandemic, we continue to work with theAirspace Change Organising Group, NATS
and other airports to coordinate a restart.
Whilst the processes to achieve airspacemodernisation and the future developmentof the airport are not directly related,the environmental impacts and benefitsof such changes are closely interlinked.
The airport will continue to be open andtransparent to keep stakeholders fully
informed, and to ensure we continue tooperate safely, whilst also reducing carbon
emissions and mitigating the impactsof our operations as far as possible.

2
Context

2.6
PolicyMaking best useof the existing runway
and addressing
environmental issues

London City Airport
Master Plan

The master plan has been informedby national, regional and local
planning and policy frameworks.
National
The Government’s 2013 Aviation Policy
Framework includes the following key themes:••

Making Best Use - which requires thebest use of existing airport runways,
thereby lending support to the more
intensive use of existing infrastructure.
Limiting Environmental Impacts –seeking to “limit and, where possible,
reduce the number of people in the UKsignificantly affected by aircraft noise”
with noise envelopes and respite seen as
important means of mitigating noise.

The Department for Transport (DfT) is in theprocess of updating its Aviation Strategy.
As part of this process the Government
confirmed that their policy supports all
airports in making best use of their existing
runways, subject to there being a balanceof benefits over environmental costs36. In
December 2018 the department published for
consultation its Green Paper on the Aviation
Strategy, ‘Aviation 2050: the future of UK
aviation’, which stressed the importanceof aviation in these changing times: “As weleave the European Union, the UK’s future
prosperity depends on our ability to reachout to the rest of the world, to forge new
trade links, to connect and compete.”

Aviation 2050: the future of aviation

41

The draft Aviation Strategy predicts
significant growth in the number ofpassengers using UK Airports from 284 million
in 2017 to 444 million by 2050 based on the
expected capacity available. The ability
to meet this level of demand requires all
airports to make best use of their existing
runways, alongside the provision of a third
runway at London Heathrow. Even then,there will still be an element of unmet
demand across the UK. The draft Strategy
expects airports to achieve this by:

•
•
•
•

demonstrating that future growthis compatible with the UK’s climatechange commitments, with arequirement on airports to provide air
quality plans to manage emissions;providing innovative solutions andincentives for journeys to airports
in order to help to reduce carbon,
congestion and improve air quality;
meeting objective noise limits andsetting noise caps on future growthin order to provide certainty andstrike a fair balance between theindustry and communities; andlowering the current noise insulation
policy threshold beyond the current
63dB LAeq 16hr contour to 60dB LAeq 16hr,
seeking consistency in the specification
for noise insulation schemes
across airports and reviewing theeffectiveness of existing schemes.

2Context

London City Airport
Master Plan

“Our airports are national assets
and their expansion is a core partof boosting our global connectivity.
Under our ‘making best use’ policy,
airports [have] ambitious proposals
to invest in their infrastructure.”
Grant Shapps MP, 27 February 2020

42

Other important aspects of the Green
Paper include, enhancing the passenger
experience, making airports more accessible
to all, improving safety, encouraging
innovation and new technology and ensuringthat the aviation industry is subject to
Newham’s Local Plan
challenging targets for tackling emissions.
Figure 6.1 - Policies INF1 and INF2: Transport Map
In June 2019 the Government
London Legacy Developmentlegislated for
Corporation Area
the UK to be zero River
carbonby 205037, amending
Crossing (T13)
Area [INF2]publishing
Sustainable
TravelOpportunity
the 2008 Climate Change Act and
T1
LCY Public Safety Contour (T17b)
the Climate Change
Act 2008 (2050 Target
LCY Public Safety Zone (T17a)
Gateway If
BridgeSafeguarding
Amendment) Order
2019.
any
aviation#* Thames
Silvertown Crossing Safeguarding
specific carbon budgets
or related initiatives
Safeguarded Wharf [J2]are included inTany
future Government=Transport
Proposed Transport Link
policy, these will also
be reviewed by theStrategic Walking Route (T11)
airport and incorporated
PLA Beckton Radarinto
Sightline our own
Zones [SP9, INF2]
carbon management
as relevant.
k Congestionplans

City of
LondonCemetery

=

#
*

#
*

=

T10

T4

=

PLA Radar Stations (T18)

k
T2

=

k

Protection of Mooring Points for Riverbus
Service (T19)=West Ham
Park

#

k

Protection of Public Access Points toRiver Thames (T19)
Bus Depot (T20)Rail Depot (T20)

T10

k

=

East London
Cemetery

nw

T10

ay

T10

T1

The Gre

enway

=

Gr
ee

CentralPark

Newham’s Local Plan

Figure 6.1 - Policies INF1 and INF2: Transport Map=

London Legacy Development
Corporation Area
River Crossing (T13)

T1

City of
LondonCemeterySustainable Travel Opportunity Area [INF2]
LCY Public Safety Contour (T17b)

#
*

#
*

=

BecktonDistrict
Park North

LCY Public Safety Zone (T17a)

=

T6
T10

On 27 February 2020, following the Courtof Appeal’s judgment, the Secretaryof State for Transport reaffirmed that‘making best use’ remains government
policy for airports and that aviation policy
will be taken forward in parallel with theGovernment’s climate change commitments.

Rail Station (T5)

=

Th
e

=

=

Figure 2.4: Newham Local Plan proposals map

Strategic-Scale Boatyard (T20)

T4

In publishing this master plan, we have fully
considered the Government’s net zero carbon
obligations in Section 1(1) of the Climate
Change Act, which enshrines the Paris
Agreement into law. We also acknowledge
that Heathrow Airport’s expansion plans
have been called into question, following the
Court of Appeal ruling on the Government’s
Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS).
This ruling has been appealed by Heathrow
Airport and the outcome is still awaited.
However, the ANPS is specific to growth at
Heathrow Airport and is not directly relevantto the future growth of London City Airport.

T8#* Thames Gateway Bridge Safeguarding
Silvertown Crossing Safeguarding
Safeguarded Wharf [J2]

T =Transport

=

k

T10

=

=

=

=
T7

T2

T14a

=

T10
T14b

Congestion Zones [SP9, INF2]
PLA Radar Stations (T18)

k

=

T6

PLA Beckton Radar Sightline

k

!
(
e

T1

Proposed Transport Link
Strategic Walking Route (T11)

T4

BecktonDistrict
Park South=kProtection of Mooring Points for Riverbus
Service (T19)=West Ham
Park

#

k

BarrierPark

Bus Depot (T20)Rail Depot (T20)

!
(

T4

k

=
© Crown copyright and database rights 2017 Ordnance Survey 100019272.

East London
CemeteryCentral
Park

nw

ay

T10

T10

=

Gr
ee

=

Th
e

Protection of Public Access Points toRiver Thames (T19)=

Strategic-Scale Boatyard (T20)Rail Station (T5)=2Context

LondonThe Mayor of London has the responsibility
for strategic planning in the capital. In
December 2017, the Mayor published his
draft replacement London Plan which istimetabled for adoption at some pointin 2021. Within this document, the Mayor
supports the case for additional aviation
capacity in the south east of England,
providing it meets London’s passenger andfreight needs. The draft plan, and indeed theMayor’s response to the draft master plan
consultation, makes it clear that support for
additional capacity is dependent on settingout how we and the industry can meet ourenvironmental commitments in respect ofnoise, air quality and climate change, while
also contributing to a significant increasein the numbers of new jobs and homes.

London City Airport
Master Plan

London City Airport sits within the RoyalDocks/Beckton Riverside Opportunity
Area. These areas are earmarked as having
significant development capacity toaccommodate new housing, commercial
development and infrastructure of all
types. The Royal Docks/Beckton Riverside
Opportunity Area is identified in the draft
replacement London Plan as potentiallydelivering 30,000 homes and 41,500 jobs andis expected to become a vibrant new London
quarter creating a world class business,
industrial, cultural and residential district.
The future growth of the airport, subject tomeeting its environmental commitments,
will complement this and give Londoners
more choice and improved connectivity.

NewhamAdopted in December 2018, the London
Borough of Newham’s Local Plan statesthat the airport will continue to perform an
important role in the area’s international
business and visitor connectivity and as
the focus to an employment hub, withmeasures implemented to support the
optimisation of existing capacity andfurther mitigation of its environmental
impacts, including improvements topublic and sustainable transport.
The plan (at paragraph 5.37) recognises that
London City Airport is a major employer anda catalyst for investment within the area,
supporting London’s international role.
The airport is identified as an employment
hub with a focus on the visitor economy,business and logistics (policy J1) withadjacent land identified as a Local Industrial
Location. There is support for measuresthat improve investment and regeneration
into Newham and help achieve modal
shift to sustainable transport, such as a
new Crossrail station (Policy INF1) as well
as operational safeguarding and public
safety zone restrictions. Figure 2.4 (Figure
6.1 of the Local Plan) shows the boroughwide transport map including the locationof airport public safety zones and plannedand safeguarded transport improvements.

43

In 2019, in conjunction with many other local
authorities in London and elsewhere, Newham
declared a climate emergency and has
committed to becoming carbon neutral by2030 and net zero carbon by 2050. Buildingon that the Council also published a Climate
Emergency Action Plan this year setting out
its short term targets. The Council is to publish
annual reports on progress in reaching thecarbon neutral target. We support the intent
of the declaration and action plan and will
work with the London Borough of Newham
to help achieve its objectives of reducing
carbon emissions throughout the borough.
The airport has itself achieved accreditation
for carbon neutrality for airport operations
from the international Airports Carbon
Accreditation Scheme in 2019, in recognitionof our work in reducing and offsetting CO2
emissions under our control (excludes airlines).
In November 2019, Newham also publisheda new Air Quality Action Plan (2019-2024).
Section 1 of the Action Plan sets out asummary of current air quality conditions,and includes a section related to London
City Airport (P15). Section 2 of the Action
Plan identifies 10 air quality priorities withinseven broad topic areas. In line with thisLondon City Airport will work to ensure
its future growth and operations are
consistent with the Council’s priorities.

3
TowardsA
new mastera newplanmaster plan

London City Airport
Master Plan

44

3
A new
master plan
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3
TowardsA
new mastera newplanmaster planThis section explains why we are
updating our 2006 master plan andthen sets out our forecasts for bothpassengers and aircraft movements.
It summarises the benefits of using moreof the quieter, cleaner, new generation
aircraft as we grow to meet demandand identifies our priorities for growth.

London City Airport
Master Plan

45

3.1
A new
master plan

3.4
New generation
aircraft

3.2
Demandforecasts

3.5
Innovation andtechnology

3.3
Route
development

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3
A new master plan

3.1
A new master plan
Why we have updated
our master plan

London City Airport
Master Plan

Our 2006 master plan identified how the
airport could respond to forecast growth
up to 2030. It identified plans to meet thisgrowth in demand that are consistent withour current development plans, but it is
now appropriate to update the master plan
given the passage of time, expectationsof demand growth to support economic
recovery and changes in the aviationindustry, Government policy and legislation.
This master plan provides a frameworkfor how we can respond to demand in asustainable and responsible way, taking into
account feedback from our local communityand stakeholders on the draft master plan.
Its purpose is to inform the local communityand stakeholders about potential future
development and inform planning authorities
to help them to prepare local and strategic

46

planning documents. In line with Government
guidance and industry practice, the masterplan does not include the level of detail thatwould generally be included in planningapplications for airport related development,
instead it includes a high level vision forpotential growth and a provisional assessmentof environmental matters and mitigation.
This master plan follows guidancein the Government’s Aviation Policy
Framework, which requires master plansto address the following ‘core’ areas:
Forecasts;
Infrastructure proposals;
Safeguarding and land/property take;
Impact on people and thenatural environment; andProposals to minimise andmitigate impacts.

••
••
•

3
A new master plan

3.2
Demand forecasts
Up to 11 million
passengers annually

London City Airport
Master Plan

The 2006 master plan forecast around 5
million passengers by 2020. This forecast
was broadly accurate as we reached thatlevel of growth just one year earlier, in 2019.
The 2006 master plan also forecast reachingeight million passengers annually by 2030,
accommodated on 171,000 aircraft movements,
including 27,600 business aircraft movements.
Having updated our forecasts as part of thismaster plan, we expect passenger demand
to use London City Airport to increase to 11
million passengers annually, accommodated
by around 151,000 air transport movements,
including 5,000 business aircraft movements.
This long term forecast is likely to be realisedby the mid to late 2030s and could see ourshare of expected passengers across the
London airports increase from around 2.8%
to around 4.3%, dependent on how capacity
develops at these other airports over time.
These projections are based on long term
trends in the aviation industry and in theeconomy and the rate of growth is likely to varythroughout the master plan period, reflecting
economic factors and industry developments.

47

Our updated projections take as their startpoint the Department for Transport’s 2017
UK Aviation Forecasts. These have been
updated and adjusted to reflect changes
in the economic growth projections, taking
into account the anticipated medium tolong term economic effects of the UK leaving
the European Union in January 2020 andfrom the COVID-19 related recession. Ourlatest projections are a central estimate
recognising there is also likely to be variability
in the rate of growth during the master plan
period taking into account economic growth
cycles and other factors. These forecasts will
be kept under review but based on current
knowledge, confirm that 11 mppa is a realistic
attainable throughput at London City Airport
over the period to the mid to late 2030s.

Historic and forecast
passenger demand
Historic passengers (millions)
Future passengers (millions)
12.0

Since the forecasts used to underpin
the CADP infrastructure (currently underconstruction) were produced in 2015, wehave seen more passengers travel on fewer
aircraft movements primarily because airlines
have re-equipped with jet aircraft with moreseats quicker than previously expected,
and are filling a higher proportion of seatson each flight than seen historically. This
has enabled the airport to serve a broader
range of passengers and destinations,
including more leisure flights, as well as
reducing carbon emissions per passenger.

10.0
8.0
6.0
4.0
2.0
0.0
2005(A) 2010(A) 2015(A)2020– 2025– 2030– 2035–
2025(F) 2030(F) 2035(F) 2040(F)Figure 3.1: London City Airport demand forecasts
Source: York Aviation

3
A new master plan

London City Airport
Master Plan

London City Airport share of estimatedtotal of London’s passengers

London City share
Total London
passengers

of l a

of
t

ur

t

Figure 3.2
Source: York Aviation

ke

fu

ar

er

19

rg

20
m

e

ma

rke

t

Based on these updated projections, thechanging nature of the demand at our
airport is expected to see a continuation of
the increased number of leisure passengers
over time, both inbound and outbound. At
11 mppa, we expect business passengers
to represent around 36% of all demand
increasing to almost 4 million annually(compared to around 45% in 2019), still ahigher proportion than seen at any other
London airport, reflecting our ongoing rolein supporting the economic prosperity of
London. Alongside this, over time we expect
to see increased use by tourists visiting
London and Britain, and by other passengers
looking to connect to global destinations via
our daily services to major European hubs.
The expected increase in leisure flying overtime will be an important consideration forairlines as they seek to replace their existing
fleets with new generation aircraft types.
An increased number of leisure passengers
would allow more seats to be filled onthese aircraft in off-peak times, helping
create the business case for investment
in more environmentally efficient aircraft.
The broader mix of passengers will also
support a wider range of destinations andallow airlines to optimise their services,focusing on key business routes at peaktimes of the week and offering leisureconnections to benefit the local populationand inbound tourism in off-peak periods.

48

We also predict that there will be an increasein the proportion of movements undertaken
by jet aircraft and a significant proportion
will be cleaner, quieter, new generation
aircraft which can be accommodated within
our noise contour area limit. Subject to refleeting decisions by airlines, it is projectedthat between 75-80% of the passenger jet
fleet will be newer variants. It is expected thatturboprop aircraft will continue to operate
at the airport throughout the forecast period
albeit their use will likely reduce over time.
It is important to note that, while theforecasts set out in this master plan reflect
our overall expectations as to the trajectoryand speed of passenger growth, they areintended to be read flexibly to allow themaster plan to accommodate potentialchanges in demand, taking into accountdevelopments in the economy, at otherairports and the commercial realities of how
airlines seek to respond to that demand,
particularly in terms of fleet mix. The forecasts
set out in the master plan are indicativeof the expected growth trajectory, but
this will be refined over time should any
detailed proposals be brought forward.

3
A new master plan

London City Airport
Master Plan

3.3
Route development
Growing destinations to
new markets for bothbusiness and leisure49

Our route network has diversified overrecent years and in 2019 the airport
served a total of 45 destinations acrossthe UK and Europe. Many of these
destinations were served throughout theyear and were supplemented by leisureorientated routes on a seasonal basis.

We expect to remain focused on city
destinations which support the business
community, but which also play a vitalrole in offering services for inboundtourism and support the air travel needsof the increasing number of residents
and businesses in East London.

Our route development strategy aims
to ensure that we deliver even better
connectivity both for and to London andEast London. Our role will only become
more important as Heathrow strengthens
its global hub role with an increasing focus
on delivering the Government’s target for
global connectivity to emerging markets
both before and after the opening of its
proposed third runway. Maintaining andenhancing connectivity domestically and toEuropean markets will be just as important.

Better connecting and levelling up the United
Kingdom is a focus of Government. We playa key role in providing quick, efficient andcost-effective access to the capital city forregional businesses. Additionally, the airport
is well placed to improve connectivity forthe growing domestic tourism industry as
well as providing convenient air access forthe expanding business and populationbase in the eastern part of the capital.

Current airlines and alliancesStar Alliance

Lufthansa

Sky TeamSWISS

LOT Polish Airlines

Alitalia

One World

KLM

British Airways

Other

LuxairLoganair

Air Antwerp

3
A new master plan

London City Airport
Master Plan

Our plan also aims to maintain a highfrequency of services on key routes, both
domestically and across the core financial
centres in Europe, such as Frankfurt,
Edinburgh, Milan and Zurich alongside
improved services to growth market cities,
such as Berlin and Munich. We believe
greater connectivity to new domestic
markets such as Dundee and Teessidewill further support regional economic
growth and serve to enhance the airport’s
utility for UK business and leisure traffic.

While the airport has, in the past, seen
increases in the leisure network during
the summer months, the current fleet ofaircraft limit opportunities available tomeet the needs of local passengers in thewinter. More efficient aircraft will have therange to overcome this and could provide
new services to winter destinations suchas Cyprus and the Canary Islands. This
will provide a more balanced network
to serve the local market and ensure
residents can use their local airport.

An increased number of new generation
aircraft types with associated infrastructure
will allow us to serve a range of further
afield destinations in Europe more efficiently.
This is expected to lead to the return ofdestinations such as Stockholm and Madrid,as well as providing the opportunity toserve new points, such as Helsinki andparts of central and southern Europe.

More recently there has been an increased
focus by European carriers to serve their hubs
and this has widened the scope of possible
destinations available from the airport.
This is largely driven by the local demandaround the airport. With continued growthin the local population we will be seeking
to build on these hub connections and thefrequency of services to those locations.

Toronto50

Reykjavik

BergenGlasgow
Derry
BelfastIsle of Man
DublinAberdeen
DundeeEdinburgh
Tees Valley
Manchester

Billund

Copenhagen

Porto

Mahon

MadridIbiza
Faro

GranadaMalagaRiga

Moscow
VilniusAmsterdam
BerlinRotterdam
Düsseldorf
Antwerp
PragueFrankfurt
JerseyLuxembourg
Paris
MunichQuimper
ViennaZurichRennesGenevaVeniceChambery Milan
Bergerac
Split
Nice
Florence

LisbonTallinn

Stockholm

Inverness

Boston
New York

Helsinki

Oslo

Palma

Warsaw

Budapest

Bucharest
Sofia
Istanbul

Rome
Athens

SkiathosMykonos
Santorini
CyprusDubai
Abu Dhabi
Bahrain
Doha

Canary Islands

Figure 3.3: London City Airport destinations● Existing routes● Potential future routes

3
A new master plan

London City Airport
Master Plan

3.4
New generation aircraft
Quieter, cleaner andmore fuel efficient

In recent years there has been an emergenceof new generation aircraft, which offer
improved operational performance andreduced impacts. These aircraft, such as
the Embraer E2 Jets and Airbus A220100 (previously Bombardier CS100), arehighly efficient in terms of engine power
plant performance and fuel consumption.
Importantly, they are quieter than theirpredecessors, offer improved passenger
experience and open up new destinations byflying a longer range. The first new generation
aircraft (A220-100) started operations at
the airport with Swiss Air Lines in 2017, andthe expectation is that Embraer E190-E2
and/or E195-E2 aircraft could be certified tooperate at the airport in the coming years.
In European Union Aviation Safety Agency(EASA) certification testing to date, theFigure 3.4: Departure noise contour comparison
for Embraer E190 versus E190-E2

REVISIONSREVISIONS

51

E190-E2 had the lowest noise levels among
all new generation single aisle aircraft andoffers a significant improvement comparedto the current Embraer E-jets and otheraircraft types. These new generation
aircraft are up to 17% more fuel efficientthan current models and, coupled with moreseats, this means carbon emissions perpassenger mile flown are lower than withexisting and previous generation aircraft.
Figure 3.4 shows an indicative noise contour38
for a departure by a current E190 aircraft
shown in blue and a new generation
E190-E239 shown in orange. The noise contours
for the new generation Embraer E190-E2 areless than a third of the area of those for the
Embraer E190, showing the large expected
improvement in departure noise levels.

3
A new master plan

London City Airport
Master Plan

52

Industry progress in new technologies
Today

2020–2025

2025–2030

2030–2035

2035–2040

Electric air taxi enter service
for urban mobility
No. of passengers: 2
Range: 150 nautical miles (nm)Market entry for small
hybrid-electric aircraft forbusiness or commercial use
No. of passengers: 10-15
Range: 700nm

Airlines offering regionalscheduled flights basedon hybrid-driven aircrafts
No. of passengers: 50-100
Range: 850nm

Market entry forbattery-powered aircrafton short haul flights
No. of passengers: up to 150
Range: 290nm>200,000 test flights
completed, including British
Airways, Virgin & KLM

BA and Velocys are working on
a project in Humberside to turnlandfill waste to jet fuel, aiming
to produce SAF in the UK

Completing first viable SAF
production plant in UK.
Development of commercial,
at-scale SAF production

Up to 14 UK plants by 2035,
supporting up to 5,200 UK jobs
and generating up to £742m
GVA annually

If UK production grows inline with global production,
UK-produced SAF could
provide between 3.3% and7.8% of the UK’s aviation fueldemand in 2035; working
towards meeting 32% in 2050

Airbus A220-100
In operation since August 2017

Embraer 190-E2*

Embraer 195-E2†
Airbus A220-300‡
A320neo¶Developmentof hybrid andelectric aircraft
Electric air taxi
first manned flight

Developmentof Sustainable
Aviation Fuels (SAF)

New generationcommercial aircraft at
London City Airport

Industry trends
in customer
experience* Existing carriers are evaluating
the use of the E190-E2 following
test flight in July 2018
• Digital air traffic control• Augmented reality
to improve customer
experience• Artificial intelligencefor operations andcustomer experience• Sensors andtracking technology• Advanced predictive
analytics for airport
management• Common self-service
bag drop• Biometric verificationand facial recognitionat the border• Computed tomography (CT)
3D scanners at Security• Self service end-to-end
passenger experience• Increased journey
personalisation• Walking pace processing
through terminal• Remote check in andbaggage drop

• Blockchain technology forpassenger identification• Autonomous vehicles toand from the airport• Potential for introductionof autonomous vehicles† No certification work
undertaken to date, but the
manufacturer is confident it isviable for London City Airport‡ No certification work
undertaken to date
¶ No certification work
undertaken to date. A320neo
may be feasible for London City
Sources: IATA; Sustainable,
Aviation, UK Aviation Strategy
2050, London City Airport data

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A new master plan

London City Airport
Master Plan

53

Fuselage Length

While the future is unpredictable, the aviationindustry has set out ambitious researchand development programmes that will
enable the industry to meet its objectives onsustainable growth, while meeting passenger
needs. We anticipate that passengers willcontinue to want more flexibility, convenienceand connectivity in their travel choices in
the future, supported by personalised realtime information, surface transport options
and faster passage through airports.
By embracing technology, a significant
contribution to emissions reduction can beachieved. The share of aircraft equipped withthe most modern fuel-efficient technologies
is constantly growing and there is notable
progress in the development of commerciallyavailable sustainable aviation fuels. Eachnew generation of aircraft yields a typical

17% fuel efficiency improvement. Innovationin aircraft will go hand in hand with London
City Airport’s future growth, benefittingin the short-term from the Airbus A220100 and Embraer E190-E2. The rate ofprogress in this sector means that feasibly
the airport could be operating batterypowered aircraft towards the mid-century.
However, there are some challenges
for our infrastructure to accommodate
these new aircraft, as their wingspantends to be wider than the aircraft they
replace as demonstrated in Figure 3.5.

WingspanPassenger
Capacity

Wingspan

Fuselage
LengthAvro RJ-100

97—11226.2m

30.99mAirbus A220-100

116—135

35.1m

34.9m

Embraer 190

96—11428.72m36.24mEmbraer 190-E2

96—11433.72m36.33mAircraft

Figure 3.5: Aircraft size comparison between old and new generation aircraft3
A new master plan

London City Airport
Master Plan

Several of our airlines are expected to phaseout the older generation aircraft such as
the Avro RJ and Embraer E1 E-jets in the
coming years and replace them with new
generation aircraft. In order to achieve theperformance and efficiency enhancements
these aircraft have been designed withwider wingspans and some have higher
seating capacities too. This presents anopportunity to increase the number ofpassengers that our airport can serve withthe same number of aircraft movements.
However, the introduction of more aircraftwith wider wingspans may require
further modifications to our airfieldbeyond delivery of CADP and we haveshown how these may be delivered in
Section 4 to realise the operational andenvironmental benefits of these aircraft.

54

In addition to the increased numbers of new
generation aircraft, the aviation industry iscommitted to becoming more sustainable
and reducing carbon emissions bycontinuing to innovate. Sustainable aviation
fuels (SAF) have the potential to make asignificant contribution to mitigating thecurrent and expected future environmental
impacts of aviation. Government has anopportunity to accelerate the benefitsof SAF through increasing research anddevelopment support and a scaling up ofcommercial SAF production. Sustainable
fuels are now being successfully used onflights using blends of bio-based aviation
fuels. A number of airlines have committed
to developing their own SAF supply,
including British Airways, who submitted
plans to develop the UK and Europe’s firstcommercial waste to jet fuel plant in 2019.
Elsewhere, technology is emerging and it isanticipated that hybrid and electric aircraft
will have the capability to fly up to 1,000 miles
within the next 10 - 15 years and potentiallybecome compatible with our domestic
and short haul European network in thelonger term. We will continue to work with
manufacturers and airlines on supporting thisimportant development over the durationof the master plan and beyond as we strive
to become net zero carbon by 2050.

3
A new master plan

3.5
Innovation andtechnology
Cutting edge
solutionsLondon City Airport
Master Plan

To maximise our potential and deliver
an outstanding passenger experience,
throughout our history, we have sought
to embrace innovation and technology.
For example, working with companies like
CrowdVision has enabled us to directly
measure how quickly passengers are moving
through the airport, helping us to deliverour 20-minute train to plane proposition.
Looking to the future, our airport will embracechange in order to continue to operatewith the highest safety standards, to meet
passenger expectations and to ensure
we continue to offer a unique service.

55

Embracing innovation

•
•
•
•
•

New digital air traffic control tower•

Passportless travel: working withairlines, UK Border Force (UKBF) andsecurity agencies, our ambition is todeploy the latest biometric technology;
UK border: work with partners, including
UKBF to deliver a frictionless border
upon arrival at London City Airport;
Security: deploy the latest range of
CT scanners that will further improvescreening as well as make theexperience quicker and slicker;
Digital air traffic control tower:
maximise the potential of all latest
technologies so that it can further
enhance perimeter and airspace
security and avoid operational
disruption;
Train to plane: investigate direct links
from the DLR direct to airport security
for passengers travelling without
luggage to check-in to improve
passenger experience and speed –encouraging modal shift to use public
and other sustainable transport modes
to and from the airport; andSustainability: working with industry
partners to embrace the emerging
biofuels, hybrid and electric agendas.

40
SectionVisionforTitle
growthLondon City Airport
Master Plan

56

4
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40SectionVisionforTitle
growthThis section describes the key
operational and infrastructure changes
to accommodate future demand.
The significant employment and economic
benefits of providing capacity for 11 million
passengers are also presented alongside
the potential future improvements in how
people get to and from the airport.

London City Airport
Master Plan

4.1
Growth andmodernisation
4.2
Adapting our
infrastructure
4.3
Adjusting current
operations
4.4
Creating newjobs andopportunities

57

4.5
Contributing
to widereconomic
growth4.6
Improvingsustainabletransport toand from
the airport
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4
Vision for growth

London City Airport
Master Plan

4.1
Growth andmodernisation
Responding toaviation demand
Annual passengers

7m

8m

We forecast that passenger demand will
increase to around 11 million annually.
Depending on the speed of uptake
in new generation aircraft, this could
generate between 137,000 and 151,000
aircraft movements annually (including
5,000 business jet movements).
An uplift in the currently permitted passenger
limits would enable London City Airport tomeet the significant forecast demand fromboth business and leisure passengers, which
would be a welcome boost to the wider
London economy at a time when other
London airports will also be constrained.
The more modern and larger aircraft now
being operated as well as the forecast
increase in new generation aircraft make itlikely that we will reach our 6.5 million annual

Annual aircraft movements

9m

10m

8,600,000(2025-2030)

110,000124,500(2025-2030)

9,800,000(2030-2035)

124,500137,000(2030-2035)

11,000,000(2035-2040)

137,000151,000(2035-2040)

11m

Figure 4.1: Indicative demand forecasts at 5 yearly ranges
Source: York Aviation

110k

120k

130k

140k

150k

58

passenger limit before our 111,000 annual
ATM limit. However, the aviation industry is
dynamic and ever changing and this masterplan recognises that growth is likely to comeforward incrementally over time, requiringchanges to current planning controls and/or the provision of new infrastructure andpassenger facilities. Figure 4.1 shows how
this growth might materialise over time.

4
Vision for growth

4.2
Adapting our
infrastructure
Making best use of
our existing runway

London City Airport
Master Plan

Our plans have been developed to ensurethat an operationally efficient and flexible
airport layout is delivered. They also seek
to meet future demand and maximise
benefits while minimising the extent of
new infrastructure and environmental
impacts. To achieve this, we will seek tomake best use of our existing runway andland within the existing airport boundary
and undertake future development in abalanced manner to reduce where possible
the extent of development outside ofour current land ownership. Some limited
future development may be required overKing George V (KGV) Dock dependingon airlines’ fleet plans in the future.

59

The ultimate infrastructure requirements andpotential airport layout to meet demandof 11 million passengers per year is outlined
below, as well as a brief description of
how the airport infrastructure could be
adapted to accommodate future growth.
As explained, growth is expected to takeplace incrementally over time in response
to demand. Potential phasing plans todeliver incremental growth over the masterplan period are included at Appendix A.2.

4
Vision for growth

London City Airport
Master Plan

RunwayIt is not proposed to build a new runway or
to extend the length of our existing runway.
Our aim is to maximise the potential of theexisting runway infrastructure, consistent
with Government aviation policy.
Taxiways
The new CADP parallel taxiway to theeast of the existing apron will reduce thetime needed for aircraft to occupy the
runway and remove the need for aircraft
to taxi along or ‘back-track’ along the
runway, therefore improving safety andefficiency. This new infrastructure allows
up to 45 air transport movements perhour to use the runway at peak times.

To respond to the demand of up to 151,000
air transport movements each year andaccommodate more new generation aircraft,
we may need to make some additional
airfield upgrades in addition to CADP in due
course. These may include upgrades to thewestern taxiway and apron, including new
aircraft hold points on the west for a morebalanced airfield layout and more efficientuse of the runway (location 2 on Figure 4.2).

60

Some or all of the following changes
could be delivered, depending on
demand, phasing and the extent
of re-fleeting by airlines:•

These upgrades would allow us to respondto the likely peak demand of up to 52 airtransport movements per hour to caterfor growth in aircraft movements
Apron and Stands
Additional aircraft stands and/or
modifications to some existing aircraft stands
may be needed to meet the forecast changes
in peak hour demand and provide space for
new aircraft. Our approach will be to respondto demand, taking into account airline’s plans
to introduce more of the cleaner, quieter,
new generation aircraft into their fleet.
To serve upgraded and additional aircraft
parking stands, changes to the Jet Centre
and pier buildings which accommodate
passenger gate lounges may also be needed.
All potential changes to the aprons andstands can be accommodated within theexisting airport site, apart from the stands
over KGV Dock which would only requirea modest development over the dock.

••

Reconfiguration of three aircraft stands
12-14 on the western apron to create
two new larger Code C stands, capableof serving new generation aircraft suchas the Airbus A220-100 and Embraer
E190-E2 and/or E195-E2 (location 2
on Figure 4.2). This may require therelocation of the existing Fuel Farmand other support facilities to theeastern end of the airport as explained
below (location 8 on Figure 4.2);
Upgrade of some or all aircraft
stands located on the existingWest Pier and/or Jet Centre apron
to serve new generation aircraft.
Some reconfiguration may berequired depending on the number
and type of stands required(location 8 on Figure 4.2); andUp to three new Code C aircraft stands,
capable of serving new generation
aircraft such as the Airbus A220-100
and Embraer E190-E2 and/or E195-E2,
could be added at the eastern end of
the apron. These stands would need tobe constructed over KGV dock as anextension of the new stands currently
being delivered as part of CADP
(location 7 on Figure 4.2). Some of these
additional stands could be served by anextended pier (location 7 on Figure 4.2).

4Vision for growth

Figure 4.2: Master plan potential site land use

London City Airport
Master Plan

61

4
Vision for growthTerminal
A new terminal will not be required to deliver
the growth forecast in this master plan. The
planned transformation and expansion of
the terminal building as part of CADP will
deliver efficiencies through internal re-design
but may need to be further reconfigured
and optimised to provide enough capacity
to handle the forecast increased demand.
We expect that innovation and technologicaladvancements in passenger and baggage
processing over time will help reduce theoverall need for space in certain areas of
the terminal and provide opportunities
for the provision of other facilities within
the existing building footprint. Similarly,
some ‘back of house’ operational facilities
could be relocated elsewhere on the
airport site to provide additional space
if required, optimising our land use as
efficiently and sustainably as possible.

London City Airport
Master Plan

Our Jet Centre at the western end of the
airfield (location 1 on Figure 4.2) could
continue to operate as long as there are
runway slots available and commercial
drivers to do so, though there is an
expectation that as the number of scheduled
passenger air transport movements
increases the Jet Centre movements may
gradually reduce, particularly at peaktimes. This could create an opportunity topark more new generation aircraft on the
Jet Centre apron and make better use of
our existing airfield infrastructure. Reduced
movements at the Jet Centre could also
reduce the area of the airports Public
Safety Zone over time (see Section 6).

Support facilities
Changes to the airfield, apron and stands at
the western end of the airport (location 2 on
Figure 4.2), in order to accommodate more
new generation aircraft and the forecast
demand, could require the relocation ofexisting support facilities, currently locatedto the west of the terminal, including theFuel Farm. Relocating these facilities to theeast of the terminal (location 8 on Figure 4.2)
would make more efficient use of the land to
the south of KGV Dock and provide space
for these facilities to be more easily adapted
over time in line with demand comparedto the current constrained locations.
The opportunity to relocate the Fuel Farm
could be created by adapting the CADP
single deck car park which has beensafeguarded in design for multi-storey
use. This could also accommodate thecurrent surface car parking, car rental
and other car related facilities and free
up more land for more direct airport
related development, including airport
maintenance and support facilities (location
8 on Figure 4.2) such as increased flightcargo particularly in the short term.

62Land is also safeguarded by the airport tothe south of KGV Dock for new commercial or
employment creating opportunities beyond
those directly created by typical airport
operations. We would welcome partneringwith our airlines or education partners
to develop an onsite Aviation Centre of
Excellence on the dockside lands, subject
to consolidating the onsite parking into a
multi-storey car park to create the spacerequired. Specific details of this facility have
not yet been finalised, but our aspirations
include airline offices, training rooms andaircraft simulators (location 8 on Figure 4.2).
The terminal forecourt is expected to havecapacity to accommodate the growth with
only minor modifications required (location
4 on Figure 4.2). Further details on thepotential improvements in getting to andfrom the airport are provided in Section 4.6.

4Vision for growth

4.3
Adjusting current
operations
Accelerating
investment in new
generation aircraft

London City Airport
Master Plan

Despite the forecast growth in air transport
movements, we will not exceed our agreed
noise contour area limit, which in linewith our current planning commitments
we will work to reduce over the masterplan period. Our future growth will also
maintain the current eight-hour nighttime curfew on flights, something we heard
consistently through our consultation was
the importance of this to our local residents
and those living under our flight paths.
To make better use of our runway andother infrastructure, we consulted on
potential changes to our operations
including when aircraft fly, these
considerations included more flexibility:•••

In the first half hour of permitted
operations when there is demandfor business travel including thepotential to connect into early morning
European hub traffic. This first halfhour between 0630hrs – 0700hrs iscurrently limited to six movements;
In the last half hour of permitted
operations for delayed take-offs or
arrivals. Movements in the last halfhour between 2200hrs – 2230hrs are
currently limited to 400 per year, orjust more than one per day; andAt weekends to allow us to respond to
airline and customer demand for more
flexible flight times. There is currently a
24-hour closure at weekends from 1230hrs
on Saturday to 1230hrs on Sunday. Thiswas introduced in 1998. There are also
limits on the total number of movementsthat can operate at weekends.

63

In addition to making the best use of
our runway, we believe that these areasof flexibility would further accelerate
airlines’ plans to invest in more newgeneration aircraft, which bringenvironmental and noise benefits.
Recognising the concerns raised by many
who responded to the consultation, we will
maintain the eight-hour night time flightcurfew. We also have no immediate plansto seek to extend the operating hours,
either during the week or at weekends,
however, we will keep this under review
as the airport recovers from the impactof the COVID-19 pandemic. Should any
future adjustments be proposed, thesewould be considered and consulted uponthrough the planning process before adecision is taken by the relevant authority.

4
Vision for growth

4.4
Creating new jobs
and opportunities
Investing in local
opportunity

London City Airport
Master Plan

The airport is a large employer and two
thirds of the people who work onsite arefrom the local area. In 2019, more than 2,200
people were employed at the airport acrossall of the companies operating there.
Looking to the future, with the airport
potentially serving 11 million passengers
per annum (mppa), we will need more local
people working directly on site, further
generating additional economic activity
and employment through our supply chain
and beyond. As we grow to accommodate
11 mppa, we estimate that in the order of
5,300 FTE jobs will be supported locally,
with up to 4,300 people employed at
the airport (3,800 FTE jobs). This would
result in an additional 2,700 FTE jobs40.

Investing in local opportunity•••

Up to 2,000 new FTE jobs at the airport;
An additional 700 new indirect andinduced FTE jobs in the local area; and£210 million in annual economic output
measured as Gross Value Added(GVA) through direct, indirect andinduced employment opportunities.

64

This would deliver growth in direct onsite
employment of over 85%, expanding
employment across all sectors and requiringa wide variety of skills. Most of the jobs
created directly at the airport will relate tooperational activities such as aircraft handling,
maintenance and engineering, freight or
fuel handling. Other new job opportunities
will come from retail, and from the airlines
operating our flights (pilots, flight attendants,
customer service, etc.) with the remainder
created in contractor and concession activities.
Some of this increase in jobs is linked topassenger growth, and some to the increasein air transport movements. However, we
expect the number of people working on
the site to increase in increments over timerather than smoothly in line with passenger
numbers, as some of the demand forresources will be met by existing workers
doing more hours, for example, rather than
recruiting new staff. Over the lifetime of
the master plan, efficiencies will occur andsome areas will have unexpected growth.
The benefits will reflect these organic
changes, which local people and businesses
will be able to take advantage of.

4Vision for growth

London City Airport
Master Plan

2019

Forecast at 11 mppa

2200

4300

4500
4000
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
Total on-site
employees

Figure 4.3: Indicative sector breakdown of
total on-site employees at the airport

Other office functions
Other concession (car rental andcurrency exchange agencies)
Administration (internal LCY
administration and on-site
consultancies)
RetailAirlineOperations (air traffic control,
logistics, facilities management,
fuel handling etc.)

65

,800
irect
jobs

4
Vision for growth

London City Airport
Master Plan

£140m in GVA(indirect &We also haveaspiration for a future onsite
induced)1,500 indirect& induced jobs

2,700

additional local
FTE jobs

1,800
directjobs

3,800
direct
jobs

£140m
GVA
(direct)£70m in GVA(indirect & induced)

800 indirect& induced jobs

£140m in GVA(indirect &induced)1,500 indirect& induced jobs

£210m

additional GVA

3,800
direct
jobs

£140m
GVA
(direct)£270m
GVA(direct)£70m in GVA(indirect & induced)

Figure 4.4: FTE and GVA impact
at 11 mppa vs. 2019
(GVA figures rounded to nearest 10m)

2019 direct FTE jobs
2019 indirect and induced FTE jobs
Forecast 11 mppa direct FTE jobs
Forecast 11 mppa indirect and induced FTE jobs

Aviation Centre of Excellence to create
more highly skilled, good quality jobs andcreate additional pathways into employment
at the airport, with our partners and East
London boroughs. This would improve skilled
opportunities across the local community£270m
and further improve economic benefits
GVA(direct)
over the master plan period and beyond.
The operation of an international airport likeours relies on state-of-the-art engineeringand management skills, knowledge andcompetencies. We are committed to ensuringthat the benefits of growth maximise
opportunities in the local area, especially inproviding new employment. We will continue
to work towards the ambitious onsite targets
for local employment, currently set at 70%
of new recruits from the local area and 40%of new recruits from the London Borough of
Newham41. We will also continue our workwith Newham, other local boroughs andEast London agencies to provide residents
with work and training opportunities.

66

In addition to maximising employment
opportunities in our local area, our future
growth will also benefit businesses acrossthe UK. Further airport development will
provide additional employment opportunities
in sectors such as energy and utilities,
advertising, manufacturing and construction.
Our increased offer of flights to leisuredestinations will lead to an increase
in international and domestic tourism,supporting more London and local jobs. The
projected increase in the number of leisuretravellers to 7 million annual passengers, aswell as the 70% increase in annual businesspassengers to 4 million, will boost the tourism
sector in London and across the UK throughincreased spending in food, accommodation,transport, retail and other leisure industries.
As we grow, the airport will remaincommitted to not only employing local
people, but ensuring our business, at alllevels, represents the areas around us.

4Vision for growth

London City Airport
Master Plan

4.5
Contributing to wider
economic growth£2 billion for the
UK economy annually

Our role in supporting economic prosperity
is a key component of our plans. Oureasily accessible location in the east of
London provides a range of benefits tothe economy, such as improving accessfor businesses to international markets.
Currently, we estimate that the airport
contributes £760 million per annum to theUK42. It is expected that on completion of
the CADP development this could increaseto £1.5 billion. With demand expected
to grow to up to 11 million passengers
annually over the master plan period, theairport’s contribution is expected to further
increase to in excess of £2 billion per year.
The additional economic benefits of growth
to 11 million passengers per year comparedto the benefits delivered by CADP are
estimated to be in excess of £500 million.
This is made up of the contribution thatthe airport makes to productivity andeconomic growth more generally, trade
benefits, increased tax receipts from moreproductive jobs, user benefits, as well as the
GVA generated from the airport site andother local employment. The wider economic
impacts on GVA are explained below.

67

Productivity and increased economic
output due to reduced travel costs
and improved competition
With the full growth shown in this master
plan, we have the potential to contributeup to an additional £190 million per annum
as a result of increasing productivity
and economic output. By being locatedclose to key business districts including
the City of London, Canary Wharf andthose expanding in the Royal Docks andStratford, the development of the airport
will benefit many enterprises in high valueadding industries, leading to productivity
benefits. Productivity benefits will also arise
from attracting an increased number ofbusinesses to these districts, leading to agreater concentration of economic activity.
Growth in demand served beyond
the current limits would also support
businesses to increase economic output
as a result of reduced travel costs
and increased competitiveness andcollaboration. Our forecasts indicate thatdemand from business passengers will
increase by 70% compared to 2019.

4
Vision for growth

Trade impacts and inward investment
The strength of London’s economy stems inpart from the high levels of productivity andoutput generated by sectors that are highly
dependent on international connectivity.
Improved access to international markets
will increase interdependencies, which
can help lead to higher levels of trading
and inward investment. This will beespecially important to London from aninternational competitiveness perspectivein the next decade and beyond.

London City Airport
Master Plan

Our impact on trade, including productivity
impacts, is estimated to be up to £73
million per annum when the airport grows
to accommodate 11 million passengers. The
expected increase in trade in the form ofexports and imports will enhance competitionand provide a greater choice of goods andservices. In turn, this will help to raise baseline
productivity in trade-related sectors. Thisis especially valuable for London as it is an
overall net exporter of goods and services.

More productive jobs
Higher paid and more productive jobs will
also have a positive impact on tax revenue
to government. We estimate that this could
amount to £95 million per annum when the
airport reaches 11 million passengers.

68

Benefits to passengers
We will be able to offer more flights tomore destinations for our passengers.
This will contribute to more efficientand convenient journeys for our existing
passengers as well as allowing new trips
to happen that otherwise would not havebeen made. In total, we estimate thatuser, particularly reductions in travel time,
benefits will amount to around £68 million
per annum with 11 million passengers.

4
Vision for growth

4.6
Improving sustainabletransport to andfrom the airport
New targets for travel by
public and sustainabletransport modes

London City Airport
Master Plan

Our forecasts predict that once CADP
and other planned transport upgrades(DLR and Crossrail) are completed, there
will be sufficient capacity on the local
transport network to accommodate
up to 11 million passengers per year.
Building on the Government’s recent
announcement to end the sale of diesel andpetrol cars by 2030 and our own targets toachieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050,
we will aim to further improve our position
as the UKs best performing airport forsustainable transport use by our passengers,
reducing CO2 emissions. Some of theadditional targets that the airport will workto achieve as it grows to accommodate more
staff and passengers are set out below.

69•

Achieving more sustainable travel
We will target 80% of journeys toand from the airport to be made bypublic and sustainable transportmodes by the time the airport
reaches 11 mppa and acknowledging
the Mayor of London’s ambitious
targets, increasing to 90% by 2041;
Provide more opportunities for cyclists andpedestrians, along Hartmann Road andConnaught Road (A112), connecting the
airport to the Newham cycle network;
More than double cycle parking provision,reflecting our future position as part of
the wider Royal Docks cycling network;
Install more electric charging
points in existing car parks, with
provision for electric charging for low
emission or zero emission vehicles
on all new parking provision;
Consider charging schemes based on
vehicle emissions and/or occupancy
to discourage unsustainabletransport modes of access;
Review opportunities to build on our
existing staff Lift-share scheme androll out new staff travel initiatives.

•
•
•
•
•

4
Vision for growth•

How we will do thisContinue to engage with TfL and otherstakeholders to encourage and facilitate
investment in the DLR infrastructure andoperations, which will be necessary torealise our targets for travel by public
and sustainable transport modes;
Continue to engage with TfL and otherstakeholders to assist in the delivery of
new public transport, walking and cycling
opportunities and to capture these in theirplanned and future upgrade programmes(including additional connectivity around
North Woolwich and the Royal Docks,
either by introducing shuttle bus services
or improving the existing bus routes);Continue to promote sustainable
travel and behavioural change
through use of technology;
Continue to explore the potential benefitsof better integrating the terminal and DLR
station, and minimising level changes toboth reduce congestion and to improve
the speed and service for passengers;

London City Airport
Master Plan

•
•

•
•
•

•

Promote river boat journeys via therecently completed Royal Wharf Pier;
Make better use of the airport site bymodifying the CADP single decked carpark for multi-storey use. This would
facilitate the provision for electric charging
for low emission or zero emission vehicles
in one area as well as make better useof airport land. Our current plans include
up to 300 electric charging points on the
airport campus but this will be kept underreview over the master plan period;
Despite a projected increase in passenger
demand to 11 million, and a doublingof staff compared to today, we will
review the feasibility of limiting any
future parking increase to a maximumof 20% provided the necessary public
transport improvements are made. This
will help deliver our ambitious targets
to shift passengers and staff onto
more sustainable forms of travel;

70

Figure 4.5: Transport mode share targets

Transfer 1%
Car 26%2019

Public Transport(DLR, Bus andBlack Taxi)

73%

Source: ACI Airport Service Quality(ASQ) survey and CAA data

Transfer 1%
Car 24%2025

Public & Sustainable
Transport(DLR, bus, walk,cycling and othersustainable modes)

75%
Based on London City Airport targets

Transfer and car 10%

2041

Public & Sustainable
Transport(DLR, bus, walk,cycling and othersustainable modes)

90%
Based on London City Airport targets

4
Vision for growth

London City Airport
Master Plan

Crossrail and London City Airport
The Elizabeth line will provide a stepchange in rail connectivity across thecapital. It will run from Reading in the west
through central London to Shenfield andAbbey Wood in the east, with train services
operating with a five-minute frequency
through the eastern sections. One of
the benefits of the Elizabeth line will be
relieving future congestion on the DLR (inparticular between Woolwich Arsenal and
London at peak times) and vastly improving
connectivity between Heathrow and London
City Airport as well as across the city.

The airport will work to improve
links with the Elizabeth line by:•••

Promoting the link to Custom House stationand the rerouting of the 474-bus service toconnect the airport and Custom House;
Working with TfL to promote theStratford station interchange to enablepassengers to have a convenient,
covered and secure interchange between
the Elizabeth line and DLR; andEngaging with TfL on their redevelopmentof Poplar DLR Depot to provide a
better passenger interchange between
the DLR and the Elizabeth line

71

The London Borough of Newham hasrecognised the potential benefits of a new
Crossrail station close to the airport and has
identified the benefits of a new dedicatedstation in its Local Plan and Infrastructure
Delivery Plan. A new station could be partof any future changes to the Elizabethline, such as the Abbey Wood to Ebbsfleet
extension, and the airport is working withthe promoters of the scheme, Crossrail toEbbsfleet Partnership, to include it within
the next stages of the feasibility anddesign development process. The airport
will also seek to engage with TfL as the
proposals are developed in more detail.

While our growth is not dependent upon a
new Crossrail station at Silvertown adjacentto the airport, this would provide a significant
opportunity to create an outstanding
interchange. The new station would improveconnectivity from East London to theEstuary, which would benefit residents andbusinesses, as well as unlocking significant
strategic regional benefits, including
additional housing across the region43.

Figure 4.6: Potential location
for new Elizabeth line station

Crossrail to Ebbsfleet proposed scheme

Custom HouseWhitechapel
Canary
Wharf

ExCeL

CustomHouse

Silvertown
O2
Belvedere
Woolwich

Abbey
Wood

Erith
Slade
Green

Stone
Crossing

Swanscombe
Greenhithe

Dartford

C2e Station
Opportunity Area

EbbsfleetInternational

Woolwich50Section Title and environmental strategy
Sustainability

London City Airport
Master Plan

5
Sustainability
and environmental
strategy72

50Section Title and environmental strategy
Sustainability

This section summarises the key environmental
considerations of the potential changes tomeet demand for up to 11 million passengers.
It also sets out a summary of measuresthat would be assessed and put in place aspart of any proposals for growth over the
master plan period to manage and control
effects on the local community and theenvironment. The topics considered include
noise, air quality, carbon and climate change,
dock water quality and biodiversity, waste
disposal, heritage and archaeology. In linewith Government guidance and industry
practice, the master plan does not include
detailed environmental assessments thatwould typically inform a planning application
for airport related development. Given
the master plan is a non-statutory highlevel vision to inform Local Plans, it includes
a provisional high-level assessment ofenvironmental matters and mitigation
measures related to the potential growthover the master plan period only. However,more detailed assessment of these issues
would be provided as part of the formal
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
supporting any future planning application.

London City Airport
Master Plan

5.1
Noise
5.2
Air quality
5.3
Carbonand climatechange

73

5.4
Other
environmental
matters
5.5
Heritageandarchaeology

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5
Sustainability and environmental strategy

London City Airport
Master Plan

Air noise

Some of the key
priorities and future
measures that will
be put in place

•
•
•
•

Accommodate all future growth within our permitted
9.1 km2 air noise contour area limit which, in accordancewith existing planning controls, we will also seek toreduce the size of the contour over time and therefore
the number of people that would otherwise fall within it;”
Maintain our commitment to an eighthour night time curfew on flights;
Ensure that no noisier aircraft than are currently
allowed to operate will do so in the future; andAdd to the current comprehensive suite of noise controls
to ensure that we mitigate noise effects associatedwith growth to 151,000 annual air transport movements.
This could include further improvements to our Sound
Insulation Scheme, which already has the current
joint lowest daytime threshold in the UK at 57dB.

Air quality

•
•
•
•
•

Target 80% of journeys to and from the airport by public
and sustainable transport modes by the time the airport
reaches 11 mppa and working towards 90% by 2041;
All vehicles owned by the airport will be London Ultra
Low Emissions Zone compliant as soon as practicable;
All airside vehicles with a permanent vehicle
pass will be electric (or zero emissions)or use renewable fuels by 2030;
Increasing the number of electric charging points
to 300 by the time we reach 11 mppa, as well as
provision for electric charging for low emission or
zero emission vehicles on all new spaces; andAll future stands will be equipped with fixed orbattery powered mobile electrical ground power.

74

Carbon and climate change
We are committed to decarbonising as quickly as
possible and we achieved carbon neutrality for the
airport’s own operations in December 2019. We havefurther committed to achieving net zero carbon by 2050,
alongside partners in the airline and aerospace sectors,
and we support wider industry efforts to deliver sustainablegrowth of the sector. Our commitments include:

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Build upon our carbon neutral status from the airport’s
own operations by achieving Level 4+ status andcontinuing to reduce our business emissions, offsetting
through local, national and internationally accredited
schemes where they can’t currently be eliminated;
Achieve net zero carbon emissions for the
airport’s operations by 2050, consistent
with the UK’s carbon target;
Work with airlines to deliver more new generation
aircraft which are more fuel efficient and will emit
fewer carbon emissions per passenger per mile;
Invest in more low carbon technology andmore energy efficient buildings;
Promote increased sustainable transport
usage by staff and passengers;
Accommodate, where appropriate, any aviationspecific carbon budgets or related initiatives thatare included in future Government policy;
Work with airlines and manufacturers on the
hybrid and electric aircraft agenda; andWork with NATS to deliver their predicted annual savingsin fuel burn and CO2 emissions through delivery of
the Government’s airspace modernisation process.

5
Sustainability and environmental strategy

5.1
Noise
Growing within, andreducing over time,
our existing noise
contour limit

London City Airport
Master Plan

Air noise
The term ‘air noise’ refers to noise fromaircraft that are either airborne or are landingor taking off on the airport’s runway. The
total air noise to which local communities
are exposed over a given period depends
on the noise emitted by individual aircraft
and the total number of aircraft movements(arrivals and departures) in that period. An
overall measure of air noise exposure canbe depicted on a noise map which showsnoise contours44. In the UK, noise contours are
generally produced for the 92-day summer
period (16th June to 15th September), as thisis normally the busiest period at airports andtherefore represents a worst-case scenario.
Measures currently in place
Managing the effects of air noise is anabsolute priority of ours - both for our
local community and those living under
our flight paths. As described in Section
1.6 we already have a comprehensive
suite of controls in place. These include:••

operating within a fixed noise contour
envelope area limit that is checked
annually. This envelope relates to the
57 dB LAeq,16h noise contour andhas an area limit within existingplanning controls of 9.1 km2;
operating a comprehensive Sound
Insulation Scheme for residential dwellingsand public buildings, which alreadyhas the current joint lowest daytime
threshold in the UK at 57dB LAeq,16h. The
scheme has recently been improved toinclude treatment at 63 dB LAeq,16h andadditional treatment at 66 dB LAeq,16h.
The tiered scheme ensures that those

75

closest to the airport and most affectedby noise receive a 100% grant for a highlevel of sound insulation treatment;••

all landing aircraft take a steep glide
slope approach. This ensures that aircraft
are kept higher for longer, reducing
the noise impact on local communities
under the arrival flight paths; andoperating an Incentives and Penalties
Scheme to manage how aircraft fly dayto-day and encourage airlines to operate
aircraft more quietly, by awarding credits
to aircraft that are operated quietly andpenalties to those that exceed the upper
noise thresholds. The money from any
penalties (£600 per dB exceedance) is
added to the Community Fund which
we have set at a minimum of £75,000
per year to fund local projects. The noise
thresholds are more stringent than any
other UK scheme for daytime operations.
Good performance is rewarded bypublishing a league table each year.

These measures are supplemented by acomprehensive noise monitoring system
which includes seven fixed monitors as well
as mobile monitors which can be placed in
the community as required. Noise levels areavailable through our aircraft noise tracking
system called Travis on our website45.

5
Sustainability and environmental strategy

London City Airport
Master Plan

Effectiveness of controls
As an illustration of the effectiveness of ourexisting noise controls, which are among
the tightest of any European airport, lastyear we received just five complaints per
1,000 aircraft movements. The table below
compares our volume of complaints withthose at other London airports in 2018
and shows that we received significantly
fewer complaints per 1,000 flights thanany other major London airport49.

Figure 5.1: Comparison of annual noise
complaints received by London airports 2018

Noise Contours
The forecast demand will require an
increase in annual aircraft movements
beyond our current limit of 111,000 air
transport movements. Annual movements
are forecast to increase over time reaching
up to 151,000 air transport movements.
Air noise contours have been produced
based on our projected future fleet mix
and our understanding of airlines’ ability
to deliver more new generation aircraft,provided that the necessary infrastructure

Other London Airports
London City Airport

Complaints per 1,000 Aircraft Movements

160

120

80

40

0
5.0

60.7

72.2

86.1

144.4

Annual Aircraft
Movements

80,668136,270

201,614283,926

477,604

Number ofComplaints

405

8,275

14,56624,447

68,945

AirportLondon City
Airport

Luton

Stansted

Gatwick

Heathrowand incentives are in place. Importantly,
all contours collectively fit within thecurrent 57 dB contour area limit of 9.1 km2,
which shows that future demand can beaccommodated within our existing noise
contour limit as currently permitted.
The number of flights at the airport in 2020
has been greatly reduced due to the effectsof the COVID 19 pandemic. However, as
passenger demand for air travel returns, weare confident that the airport will return to
growth in line with the previous forecasts,
although exactly when this will be achieved
is currently uncertain. The potential futurenoise impacts associated with growth
have been assessed against a 5.8 million
annual passenger baseline scenario, which
was our estimate of the likely throughput
in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
This scenario would comply with all of the
airport`s existing planning controls andrequires no infrastructure in addition to that
already permitted and provides a reasonablebaseline against which to consider the future
evolution of the airport`s noise profile.
Air noise is forecast to reach the current
contour area limit as demand recovers in thenear term and then reduce as the number of
new generation aircraft increases to accountfor between 75-80% of the passenger jet
feet (subject to airline re-fleeting decisions).
Our forecasts suggest that at 11 mppa with
151,000 annual air transport movements,
around 75% of the passenger jet fleet will be
new generation aircraft. Figure 5.2 compares
the indicative 57 dB contours based on 5.8,
8.6, 9.8 and 11 million passengers per year. For
the 9.8 and 11 million passenger scenarios, two
contours are presented showing the range of76

expected re-fleeting. If the higher levels of
re-fleeting can be achieved, they will provide
an opportunity to reduce the contour area
and therefore the relative number of people
that would otherwise fall within the contour.
The areas of all air noise contours andestimates of the number of people withinthem are given in Figures 5.3 and 5.4.
Figure 5.2 shows a comparison of the
57 dB contours. The small changes incontour shape are due to slight variationsin potential aircraft mixes over time.
Based on existing population data, thenumber of people within the contours (those
exposed to 54 dB and above) is forecast to
reduce overall. The number of people within
the 57 dB contour and above will depend on
the degree of re-fleeting and when that isachieved. If higher levels of re-fleeting areachieved, the number of people within thesecontours is forecast to generally decreaseover time. Any local increases in noise will
generally be of a very small magnitude andwould be assessed as part of any futuredetailed proposals, taking into accountany future development by others within
the noise contours. Most people within thenoise contours will experience a negligible
change in aircraft noise and more people
will experience a decrease in aircraft noise
than an increase. A small number of people
located to the north and south of the airport
are forecast to experience a minor increasein noise of less than 3 dB. No one is forecast
to experience a significant increase in noise.
Overall, the forecast increase to 11 million
passengers and up to 151,000 annual airtransport movements is not expected to havea significant impact on the local community

5
Sustainability and environmental strategy

London City Airport
Master Plan

77

Figure 5.2: Comparison of 57 dB LAeq,16h noise contours

REVISIONS

5
Sustainability and environmental strategy

London City Airport
Master Plan

due to the increase in the proportion of
movements by new generation aircraft.
These quieter aircraft will allow us to remain
within our current contour area limit, whichshows that our noise footprint will be noworse overall than currently permitted
and over time we will seek to reduce ourcontour area, sharing the benefits of the
new generation of quieter aircraft.

Ground noise
The main sources of ground noise include
aircraft taxiing and manoeuvring between
the runway and aircraft stands, use of
aircraft auxiliary power units (APUs) andtesting (ground running) of aircraft engines.

We are committed to maintaining the eighthour night time closure. Although there are
currently no criteria for the assessment of
respite, we recognise that any potentialchanges to existing operational hours wouldchange how local residents experience
noise. Should any changes be proposedto the existing operations, these would befully assessed and consulted upon before
the relevant authority considers whether
to allow them; appropriate mitigation orcompensatory measures would be provided.

•

Future measures to mitigate air noise
Future measures to further mitigate
air noise could include enhancements
to our Sound Insulation Scheme. We
will also seek to ensure that our noise
control and abatement procedures
take on board any recommendations
from future government guidance.
We will deliver future growth within ourpermitted 9.1 km2 air noise contour limit and,consistent with current planning controls,
review whether this can be reduced as
more modern aircraft are introduced.

We currently have a comprehensive
suite of controls in place to manage andmitigate ground noise. These include:

•
•
•
•
•

Phased delivery of battery powered
mobile or fixed electrical ground power(FEGP) on existing aircraft stands, toreduce the use of diesel-powered
mobile ground power units (MGPUs);
Limiting the use of auxiliary power units
to 10 minutes before departure from thestand and 10 minutes after arrival, except
under exceptional circumstances;
Restricting engine testing to designatedareas except in emergencies;
Engine test and maintenance activities are
restricted to those associated with engine
rectification, rather than routine testing;Operating within an engine testing noise
limit of 60 dB LAeq,12h which is based on
the average daily noise level during
the noisiest month of the year; andMaintaining and developing theexisting airport buildings and barriers,
which are specifically designed toact as a continuous noise barrier
to protect properties south of the
airport from ground noise.

Due to the forecast increase in aircraft
movements, ground noise is forecast
to increase slightly. In most areas theabsolute levels of ground noise are
currently relatively low and are forecast78

to remain so in the future. Air noise, roadtraffic noise and/or industrial noise are
generally greater sources of noise in theenvironment, even close to the airport.
Ground noise tends to be highest close
to the airport, within the eligible zone of
our Sound Insulation Scheme. This meansthat dwellings in this area have been orare eligible for sound insulation treatment
to mitigate the effects of aircraft noise.
In the case of newer dwellings they will
have been designed to mitigate noisefrom the airport when they were built.
In the event that any new stands areproposed in the future, appropriate noisebarriers will be constructed to ensurethat satisfactory mitigation is in placeprior to operating any new stands.
Best practicable means will be used tominimise the noise impact of any future
construction works at the airport anddetailed construction noise predictions
will be made for any future proposals thatinvolve construction works to identify any
properties likely to be significantly affected.
The airport also operates a Construction
Sound Insulation Scheme, in association
with CADP, which provides enhanced
sound insulation to dwellings predicted to
be exposed to construction noise abovecertain thresholds. Properties forecasted
to be significantly affected by any future
construction works will be eligible for similar
treatment prior to the start of any work.

Figure 5.3: Forecast noise contour areas
Noise Contour Area, km2
Noise
Contour,dB L aeq, 16h 5.8
8.6
9.8
mppa
mppa
mppa
8% re- 50% re- 65% refleeting fleeting fleeting

9.8
mppa
70% refleeting11
mppa
75% refleeting11
mppa
80% refleeting

54

16.0

16.1

15.8

15.2

15.8

15.0

57

9.0

9.1

9.1

8.7

9.1

8.7

60

4.8

4.9

4.9

4.7

5.0

4.7

63

2.4

2.5

2.5

2.4

2.5

2.4

66

1.3

1.3

1.3

1.3

1.4

1.3

69

0.7

0.7

0.8

0.7

0.8

0.8

Figure 5.4: Forecast number of people exposed to noise
Population 46
Noise
Contour,dB L aeq, 16h 5.8
8.6
mppa
mppa
8% re- 50% refleeting fleeting

9.8
mppa
65% refleeting

9.8
mppa
70% refleeting11
mppa
75% refleeting11
mppa
80% refleeting54

107,100

104,600 102,400 96,000

101,000 94,400

57

45,70045,90045,40042,90045,90042,70060

16,50018,10018,60017,30019,10018,000

63

4,500

4,700

4,900

4,200

4,700

4,200

66

1,200

1,300

1,300

1,200

1,600

1,400

69

0

0

0

0

0

0

5
Sustainability and environmental strategy

London City Airport
Master Plan

79

5.2
Air quality
Managing air quality
around the airport

Air quality at London City Airport
The airport already operates acomprehensive air quality monitoring
network, with no recorded breaches
since monitoring began in 2006. The
network comprises two onsite automatic
monitoring stations and 17 local passive
monitoring stations. The pollutants
measured include nitrogen oxides (NOx),nitrogen dioxide (NO2), fine particulatematter (PM10) and, since the end of 2018,very fine particulate matter (PM2.5).

We are committed to monitoring ambient air
quality and sharing the results with the local
authority. As mentioned in Section 1, nearreal time data are available online47 and thefindings are reported annually. Our monitoringdata shows that concentrations are under the
UK air quality objectives for all the pollutantsmonitored. Figure 5.5 shows the recent annual
mean NO2 concentrations from the two
automatic onsite monitors and four of thelocal sites too. It shows that monitored levels
have been consistently well below the UK air
quality objective over the past four years.

NO2 annual mean concentrations (μg/m3)

50

UK air quality objective
40

30
On-site:City Aviation House (automatic monitor)
Newham Dockside (automatic monitor)

20

10
2014

Off-site:
Straight Road
Gallions Way
Brixham Street
Eastern end of the University of East London

2015

2016
Year

Figure 5.5: Annual mean NO2 concentrations (2014 - 2018)

2017

2018

2019

5
Sustainability and environmental strategy

Measures we are currently
taking to reduce effects
The main potential impact on air quality
arises from aircraft on the ground, aircraftin the air, ground-based activity such as
vehicles, machinery and mobile power plant,
stationary energy plant and road traffic.
Emissions from aircraft above 1,500ft (equal
to 457m) generally have a negligible impact
on ambient concentrations at ground level.
Similarly, the impact of near-ground andaircraft emissions and other airport activity
on ambient concentrations is limited towithin a few hundred metres of the point ofemission. At greater distances, the main air
quality issues are those due to passenger
and staff travel to and from the airport.
Our Air Quality Management Strategy (AQMS)
lists the measures we are currently taking
to reduce the effects of pollution on air
quality. A full report is included in our Annual
Performance Report which is available on our
website48. Some of the key measures include:

•
•
•
•

As part of CADP, use of gas fired
Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
systems to suit the airport’s baseload profiles and photovoltaic panelson the terminal building roof;
Provision of ultra-low NOx boilers
and CHP systems that include 95%
catalytic reduction of emissions;
Installation of fixed electrical groundpower (FEGP) or electrical mobile
power units to all CADP stands;
An airport wide strategy for expanding theuse of low emission and electric vehicles;

London City Airport
Master Plan••

Requiring all vehicles issued with a new
Airside Vehicle Permit to comply with thelatest vehicle emissions standards forroad vehicles (Euro Standards); andControlling Auxiliary Power Units (APU)
ground running and engine testing
and undertaking routine emissions
testing for airside vehicles.

Additional measures
An air quality assessment was carried out
to quantify the effects of the master plan
proposals. Sources explicitly included in themodel included all aircraft operations during
taxiing, take-off, climb-out and approach, up
to a ceiling height of 3,000 feet (consistent
with the landing and take-off cycle); allground support equipment; energy sources;
and traffic associated with surface access.
Sources not explicitly included in the model
were accounted for within the backgroundconcentration maps published by Defra.
As we reach 151,000 annual air transport
movements and 11 mppa, the maximum
concentrations are predicted to decrease,
compared with the current situation, in thevicinity of the airport. The highest predicted
annual mean NO2 concentration is 21.6µg/
m3 and the highest predicted annual mean
PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were 16.8µg/
m3 and 10.4µg/m3 respectively, all of which
are below the relevant air quality objectives.
Although emissions from aircraft are set toincrease due to the greater number of aircraft
movements, there is a limited impact on
ground level concentrations as much of theemissions occur at altitude. Emissions fromroad transport have a much greater impact
on ground level pollutant concentrations dueto the short distance between source andreceptor. The decrease in concentrations at
ground level principally relates to the use of
more sustainable transport and, in particular,
the introduction of cleaner road vehicles,in the timeframe that we expect to reach 11mppa, as a result of more stringent emissions
standards. The airport can therefore meetdemand and grow without causing any
exceedance of air quality objectives.
To mitigate our impact on air quality we will:••

work with airlines to encourage
improvements in aircraft performanceand so reduce emissions;provide electrical power solutions forground operations on all future stands;

80

•
•
•

ensure all vehicles owned by the
airport will be ULEZ compliant
as soon as practicable;
ensure all airside vehicles with apermanent vehicle pass will be electric (orzero emissions) or use renewable fuels; andensure that many more parking spaces
are equipped with electric charging
points, with provision for electriccharging for low emission or zero
emission vehicles on all other spaces.

5
Sustainability and environmental strategy

5.3
Carbon andclimate change
Reducing emissions
to net zero by 2050

London City Airport
Master Plan

The airport is committed to playing its
part in reducing the impact of aviation
on climate change to build a sustainable
future for the aviation sector. We havemade progress in cutting carbon emissions
from every part of our business, achievingcarbon neutral accreditation for the
airport’s own operations in 2019, targeting
Level 4+, and bettering our 2020 target
to achieve a 20% reduction in carbon
emissions per passenger compared to 2013.
We will play our part in contributing to
the London Borough of Newham’s recent
declaration of a ‘climate emergency’ andwill work with the council to help achieve
its objectives of reducing carbon emissions
throughout the borough. We also support
the objectives of the GLA to decarbonise
London’s energy and transport systems.
Alongside industry partners and consistent
with the aims of the Government, we willachieve net zero carbon emissions by
2050 for airport operations, as agreed at
the ACI Europe Congress in June 2019. To
achieve this, we will embrace innovationand change operational practices to reduce
emissions even further and meet international
industry standards. As a member of the UK
Sustainable Aviation coalition, London City
Airport has also joined the wider aviationindustry in getting behind a commitment
to achieve net zero carbon emissions by
2050, based on a thorough review of theopportunities to cut aviation emissions. This
commitment forms a central pillar of the
Decarbonisation Road-Map: A Path to Net
Zero49, published by Sustainable Aviation
on 4 February 2020, which sets out where
reductions can come from, including through81

smarter flight operations, new aircraft andengine technology, modernising UK airspace,
the use of sustainable aviation fuels, andhigh-quality market-based policy measures.
The airport can exert significant influence
over activities which contribute to climatechange, such as: emissions from aircraft on
the ground and in the landing and takeoff cycle; emissions from airport buildings
and energy plant; ground operations
including airside vehicles and groundpower units; surface access transport;
construction and refurbishment works; andthe sustainable consumption of water,energy and natural resources by its own
activities and those of our suppliers andtenant companies based at the airport.
Acknowledging the importance attachedto this matter for communities, UK
Government, the GLA and Newham, theairport wants to work with all of theseand industry partners to lead the way
in creating a net zero carbon future.
Department for Transport’s Beyond the
Horizon (2018) policy statement and theAviation 2050: the future of UK Aviation49
green paper, indicated that Government
analysis showed the UK can keep within its
legally binding carbon budget while also
allowing airports to make best use of their
existing runway capacity. Meeting thesetargets, and stricter zero carbon objectives
legislated for by the Government in June
2019, needs to be tackled at an international
level because air travel transcends national
borders. The Committee on Climate Change(CCC), in its letter to the Secretary of State forTransport in September 201950, recommended

5
Sustainability and environmental strategy

that the “primary approach to reducing
IAS (International Aviation and Shipping)emissions should be at the international level,
given the global nature of these sectors andthe risk of carbon leakage from a unilateral
UK approach”. The Government’s response to
the CCC recommendations will be publishedand inform its aviation strategy. In his written
statement on 27 February 2020, following
the Court of Appeal judgment relating to
the Government’s consideration of the Paris
Climate Accord in designating the Airports
National Policy Statement, the Secretaryof State for Transport stressed that making
best use of airports across the UK remains
very much part of Government policy51 andwill be taken forward in parallel with theGovernment’s climate change commitments.
Through partnership with Government
and industry, we will aim to ensure
our vision is consistent with, and willtake account of, Government policies
and guidance as appropriate.

London City Airport
Master Plan•
Measurescontributing to
the achievementof net zerocarbon emissions
by 2050••

Increase opportunities to further reduce
emissions by accommodating more fuelefficient new generation aircraft. These
new generation aircraft are up to 17%
more fuel efficient than current models
and they can accommodate more seats,meaning carbon emissions per passenger
mile flown are lower than with existingand previous generation aircraft. The
more efficient airfield layout achieved
through CADP will also play its part in
reducing taxiing time, thus reducing
emissions from aircraft on the ground;Continue our programme of upgrading
existing buildings, plant and equipment
to make them more energy efficientand to extend the life of our assets.
Measures include installing FEGP orelectrical mobile power units to all stands,
investing in low energy and low carbon
technology, such as low energy lighting
and fuel-efficient ground vehicles;
Play our part in reducing air emissions
inflight progressively over time bysupporting the decarbonisation of
the aviation sector where possible,
including use of sustainable aviation
fuels. That’s why we support, in principle,
the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction
Scheme for International Aviation(CORSIA), the first global carbon pricing
instrument covering an entire sector.
Co-ordinated global action of this kind
will result in a greater CO2 mitigation ininternational aviation than any domestic
policy for aviation can achieve;

82

•
•
•

Participate in the Government’s
airspace modernisation programme,
which seeks to deliver annual savingsof CO2 by adopting more efficient
operating procedures and allowing
aircraft to fly more direct routes;
We are targeting an increasein the proportion of journeys by
public and sustainable transportmodes to 90% by 2041 in order toreduce carbon emissions; andReduce overall demand for energy
in buildings current and future
through the adoption of energy
efficiency measures and controls,
including use of photovoltaics.

5
Sustainability and environmental strategy

5.4
Other environmental
matters
Managing water
quality, biodiversity
and waste disposal

London City Airport
Master Plan

Dock water quality and biodiversity
Our current Sustainability andBiodiversity Strategy contains a numberof specific objectives and targets,
progress against which is reported in
our Annual Performance Report.
The Royal Docks support an unusual
mix of both sea and freshwater fish
species, arising as a result of the docks’
location being transitional between
saline seawater and freshwater.
In 2017, we installed an artificial fish habitat(submerged wire mesh panel) into the KGVDock to compensate for the loss of sections of
the dock wall during the CADP construction
programme. These structures provide analternative substrate for algae growth andmarine invertebrates to colonise naturally
which, in turn, provides a food source forfish and offers a space for the fish fry andinvertebrates to shelter in. We will investigate
how we can go further and will look atdeveloping a dock water aeration system
and additional artificial habitat systems tofurther enhance the biodiversity and maintaina flourishing marine community at the airport.

83

Runoff from the airport, which discharges to
the River Thames via Thames Water Utilities, isalso regularly monitored to ensure compliancewith our discharge consent. We have been
exploring opportunities to manage thepotential impacts from de-icer, pesticide andherbicide use more carefully. We have alreadytrialled and put into use more environmentallyfriendly ground de-icers, which affect water
quality less than traditional glycol-basedalternatives. The utilisation of the airport’s
certified Environmental Management
System will ensure that effects on water
quality and ecology are considerably
reduced and effectively monitored.
Previous and current construction methods
to build stands over KGV Dock havebeen selected to avoid pollution of theunderlying groundwater and to minimise
the disturbance of dock sediment and bed
material as far as reasonably practicable,
thus reducing the risk of adverse effects
on water quality. These tried and tested
techniques have been effective and arelikely to be re-used in the construction of
any future stands over the dock if required.

5
Sustainability and environmental strategy

Waste disposal
We were one of the first UK airports toremove plastic straws from all our foodand drink outlets. We have also helped
to reduce the application of single use
plastic by providing free drinking water
refills and are looking to reduce plastic use
throughout the airport, wherever possible.

84

We will continue to manage our waste
according to the principles of the wastehierarchy (reduce, re-use, recycle, recover,dispose) and continue to work with ourbusiness partners to minimise the productionof waste, promoting the re-use andrecycling of waste materials in order toretain our status as a ‘zero waste to landfill’
company. This will also include providing
convenient collection facilities, incentivising
recycling and waste reduction with ourbusiness partners, and working with airlines
and organisations such as Sustainable
Aviation to help explore options to recover
more recyclables from cabin waste.
Our target is that at least 70% of waste
will be recycled or composted. Where thisis not feasible, waste will continue to besent for energy recovery to ensure that as
an alternative we continue to eliminate all
waste going to landfill. We will also look to
implement a waste reduction strategy.

Land & Water

Throughout 2018 and 2019 clean excavatedmaterial from the ongoing piling anddeck construction works in KGV Dock wastransported by barge for re-use at the
Rainham Marshes Lagoon Restoration Project
which is managed as a nature reserve. Itis estimated that this initiative, and thetransport by barge of over excavatedmaterials for reuse, has removed 1,583
HGV movements from the local highways
network. This equates to a reduction incarbon emissions of 96.4 tonnes of CO2.

London City Airport
Master Plan

5
Sustainability and environmental strategy

London City Airport
Master Plan

5.5
Heritage andarchaeology
Recognising thehistory of theRoyal Docks
While not a formally listed heritage feature,
King George V Dock and its surviving
pontoons, dock wall and adjoining docksidefeatures, such as sections of old railway
tracks, do have heritage value. Therefore,
we have invested considerable time andresources surveying and recording thesefeatures and, where possible, will retain themin-situ within our development plans. As
part of CADP we also plan to open up thedockside to public access for the first timewith heritage boards and other signage andwe have provided coping stones from thedock wall for reuse in local park projects.

As part of any future development we would
again evaluate the potential for ‘townscapeand visual impacts’ on the surrounding
community and how best to adapt the
airport infrastructure to minimise impact.

85

6
0
SectionSafety
PublicTitle Zone and other safeguarding

London City Airport
Master Plan

86

6
Public Safety
Zone and othersafeguarding
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60SectionSafety
PublicTitle Zone and other safeguarding

This section presents any potentialchanges to the Public Safety Zone
due to growth in annual air transport
movements to 151,000 and summarises
the aerodrome safeguarding processadopted by the airport and which isunchanged by the forecast growth.

London City Airport
Master Plan87

6.1
Public Safety
Zone and othersafeguarding

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6
Public Safety Zone and other safeguarding

6.1
Public Safety Zone
and other safeguarding
Enhancing the safety
and security of the site

London City Airport
Master Plan

Safety and security
Airport safety and security requirements are
subject to a range of statutory regulations,for example covering access controls,
passenger and baggage search, safety on
the airfield and in the area surrounding the
airport. We are committed to the highest
standards in safety and security to meetor exceed regulatory requirements. As
the airport continues to develop, we will
enhance safety and security through thedesign and operation of new facilities,
technologies and infrastructure.
Aerodrome safeguarding
We make every effort to engage andwork with developers and other third
parties at an early stage to ensure that
aerodrome safety is not compromised while
facilitating the ambitious development
targets across East London.

88

Local planning authorities consult the airport
on any planning applications that may havean impact on the safety of our operation. This
process is known as aerodrome safeguarding
and is intended principally to ensure thatno obstacles are built which would conflictwith the safe operation of aircraft.
The statutory provisions are contained in ‘The
Town and Country Planning (Safeguarded
Aerodromes, Technical Sites and Military
Explosives Storage Areas) Direction 2002
and DfT/ODPM Circular 01/2003.
We do not expect any changes proposedin this master plan to affect the current
aerodrome safeguarding around the airport
which has long been established. Because
safeguarding is a function of existing
physical obstacles, the runway configuration(which will remain unchanged) and aircraft
operating procedures, which are prescribedby London City Airport’s Operating Licence(which is not expected to be affected byany changes shown in this master plan),
the Obstacle Limitation Surface and otheroperational restrictions would be unaffected.

6
Public Safety Zone and other safeguarding

Public Safety Zones
The risk of air accidents occurring asaircraft arrive at or depart from theairport, while extremely low, is such thatthe use of land at the ends of the runway
is restricted. These designated areas are
known as Public Safety Zones (PSZs). The
Government’s aim (as set out in Department
for Transport (DfT) Circular 01/2010 ‘Controlof Development in Airport Public Safety
Zones’) is to ensure, through planning policy,
that there is no increase in the number ofpeople living, working or congregatingin PSZs and that, over time, the number
should be reduced as circumstances allow.

London City Airport
Master Plan

The airport’s current PSZ was published in2010 before the approval of CADP in 2016.
It was published by the DfT in 2010 andis shown on Figure 2.4. In determining the
CADP planning application it was accepted
by Government that the PSZ would beslightly larger. Because of an ongoingnational review of the PSZ policy and risk
calculation model, the Government has yet
to formally request a refresh of, or publish,
an update to the airport’s current 2010 PSZ.

Nonetheless, due to the nature of growthin demand that we anticipate (through ahigher proportion of scheduled air transport
movements and more modern aircraft
which have a lower risk profile than, forinstance, corporate and private aircraft)the forecast changes in the PSZ comparedto the CADP PSZ are limited. Despite aforecast increase to 151,000 air transport
movements by, the statistical risk of anincident affecting public safety would likely
remain the same in overall terms (albeit inall scenarios the risks remain very low).

Figure 6.1: Public Safety Zone (PSZ) comparison
for CADP v 2035 Master Plan
PSZ Contours (1 in 100,000)
CADP forecast PSZ 2025
Master plan forecast with Jet Centre
Master plan forecast without Jet Centre

West

Risk Contours (1 in 10,000)
CADP forecast PSZ 2025
Master plan forecast with Jet Centre
Master plan forecast without Jet Centre

East

89

The airport commissioned the National
Air Traffic Services (NATS) to undertake athird-party risk assessment to understandthe implications of forecast growth. Figure
6.1 shows that the future predicted PSZ isbroadly consistent with those previously
predicted for the currently permitted 111,000
air transport movements per year (passenger
and business flights). While the increase in thenumber of flights could marginally increase
the extent of the PSZ when compared to the
CADP PSZ, in practice we consider that it ismore likely that the PSZ zones will be similar insize because over time the airport has
the flexibility to phase out the operationof its Jet Centre which is largely used forcorporate or private aircraft and prioritise
its use by new generation aircraft.

Appendix
0
Section Title

London City Airport
Master Plan

90

Appendix

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Appendix
0
Section Title

London City Airport
Master Plan

91

A.1
Glossaryof terms
A.2
Master plan
phasing
A.3
References

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Appendix

London City Airport
Master Plan 2020-2035

A.1
Glossary of terms,
abbreviations
and acronyms

Biodiversity
The different plants or animal life in an area or habitat

DecibelA measure of the intensity of sound levels

BREEAM
Building research establishment
environmental assessment
Method of assessing, rating, and certifying thesustainability of buildings

Demand forecast
The predicted level of passengers and aircraft thatwill use the airport in the future
DFT
Department for Transport

CAA
Civil Aviation Authority
The national supervisory authority for the planningand regulation of national airspace

DLR
Docklands Light Railway

CADP
City Airport Development Programme
Delivering phase two of the 2006 master planfor development of the airport’s infrastructure
to 6.5 million passengers.
Carbon neutral
Carbon neutrality under the Airport Carbon
Accreditation programme, Level 3+. The term ‘carbon
neutrality’ includes the use of carbon offsetting whereemissions cannot currently be eliminated

ABP scheme
Advanced business parks (ABP)£1 billion scheme between Chinese company (ABP)and the Mayor of London to create a trade hub for
Asian businesses to invest in the UK  
ACA
Airport carbon accreditation scheme
Independent institutionally endorsed, carbon
management certification standard for airports
Aircraft stands
Aircraft parking positions

Airport operating hours
The hours between which the aircraft cantake off and land  
Airfield
The operational area including the runway and taxiways
APU
Auxiliary power units
ASAS
Airport surface access strategy

Aircraft holding points
Locations where aircraft can be held before entering
the runway in order to facilitate efficient surface
movement of aircraft  

ASQ
Airport service quality awards
The world’s leading benchmarking survey with over
380 airports participating across 90 countries
from Airports Council International

Apron
The aircraft manoeuvring area including andadjacent to the aircraft stands

ATM
Air transport movements
Aircraft take-offs and landings at an airport

Airport related use
Land within the airport’s ownership available
for airport related uses

AQMS
Air quality management strategy
BA
British Airways

92

EASA
European Aviation Safety Agency
Agency of the European Union with responsibility
for civil aviation safety
East London
London boroughs - Barking and Dagenham, Bexley,
Greenwich, Hackney, Havering, Lewisham, Newham,
Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest, as wellas Epping Forest District Council
EIA
Environmental impact assessment

CAV
Connected autonomous vehicle

EV
Electric vehicle

CHP
Combined heat and power

FEGP
Fixed electrical ground power

CFE
Community Food EnterpriseSocial enterprise food business and a registeredcharity based in East London working to
improve food security

FTE
Full-time equivalent (jobs)

Code C aircraft
New generation aircraft like Airbus A220-100
and Embraer E190E2

GDP
Gross domestic product
Used to determine economic performance

Community Fund
£75,000 annual fund from London City Airport used tosupport organisations and create positive change
for communities in the local area

GLA
Greater London Authority

Community sponsorship fund30th year anniversary community sponsorship fundfrom which 15 recipients located in East London
received £30,000 in grants ranging from £300 - £3,000
CRC
Carbon reduction commitment
CSIS
Construction sound insulation scheme

Fuel Farm
Storage and distribution facility for aviation fuelGood growth
Growth that provides benefits for the local
community, London and the UK, while also mitigating
for negative impacts
GPU
Ground power unit
GSE
Ground service equipment

Appendix

London City Airport
Master Plan 2020-2035

GVA
Gross value added

MSCP
Multi-storey car park

Jet Centre
Corporate aviation facility

MTS
Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy, 2018

KGV
King George V

NATS
National Air Traffic Services
National provider of air traffic control andair-space management

LAeq,16h
Where noise levels vary with time, it is necessary to
express the results of a measurement over a period oftime in statistical terms. The most widely applicable
unit is the equivalent continuous A-weighted soundpressure level (LAeq, T). It is an energy average andis defined as the level of a notional sound which(over a defined period of time T, in this case 16 hours(06:30-22:30) would deliver the same A-weighted
sound energy as the actual fluctuating sound.
LAMP
London airspace management programme
Proposal to modernise airspace arrangements
in south-east England
LBN
London Borough of Newham
LCY
London City Airport
LHR NWR
London Heathrow Airport north west runway scheme
Local area
East London boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets,
Greenwich, Bexley, Lewisham, Southwark, Barking &Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge, Waltham Forest andHackney, as well as Epping Forest District Council
MaaS
Mobility-as-a-service
Master plan
The airport’s plan to safeguard space forpotential future development
MGPU
Mobile ground power units
Mode share
The percentage of travellers using a particular type oftransportation or number of trips using said type
MPPA
Million passengers per annum

New generation aircraft
New modern aircraft that are quieter and more
fuel efficient than previous aircraft types
Net zero
Achieving an overall balance between emissions
produced and emissions taken out of the atmospherewithout the need to rely on the use of offsets to achieve
zero emissions.
Noise contour
Noise levels can be computed at individual locations ofinterest, but to show how noise can vary over extended
areas, noise metric results like LAeq,16h are often
drawn on maps in terms of lines connecting pointsof the same noise level, these lines are called noise
contours. Similar to topographical maps showing theelevation of terrain in an area, noise contours are usefulfor comparing aircraft noise exposure throughout an
airport community.
NPPF
National Planning Policy Framework, 2019
NPS
National policy statement
OLS
Obstacle limitation surface
ONS
Office for National Statistics
Phasing
The different stages and time periods ofdevelopment at the airport  
PSZ
Public safety zone
Areas of land at the end of runways established at
the busiest airports in the UK, within which certain
planning restrictions apply. These aim to control thenumber of people on the ground at risk in the unlikely
event of an aircraft accident on take-off or landing
Ramp
See Apron

Royal Docks Enterprise Zone
Designated area in the Royal Docks that provides
tax breaks and government support to enable local
economic growth
RunwayDefined rectangular area at an airport prepared
for the landing and take-off of aircraft
Section 106
Planning agreement which controls the operationof the airport and secures mitigation measures
SI scheme
Sound insulation scheme
SME
Small or medium sized enterprise
Defined by the European Commission as abusiness or company:• that has fewer than 250 employees; and• has either (a) annual turnover not exceeding		 €50 million (approximately £40 million) or (b) an
		 annual balance sheet total not exceeding		 €43 million (approximately £34 million); and• of whose capital or voting rights, 25 per cent or		 more is not owned by one enterprise, or jointly
		 by several enterprises, that fall outside this		 definition of an SME
Sound insulation scheme
London City Airport scheme providing eligible
properties associated treatments for sound insulation
funded by the airport
Statutory public consultation
A consultation which allows local residents to provide
their thoughts on the airport’s plans
STEM
Science, technology, engineering and maths
STOL
Short take-off and landing
SuDS
Sustainable urban drainage systems
Support facilities
Additional facilities required to help with theoperation and safety of the airport
Surface access
A collective term for the different modes of transport
used to travel to and from the airport

93

Sustainable transport
Sustainable transport includes public transport,
walking, cycling, low and ultra-low emission vehicles
and car sharing, as defined by the National Planning
Policy Framework (2019)
SWDS
Surface water drainage strategy
Taxilane/Taxiway
Defined path at an airport established for the taxiingof aircraft and intended to provide a link between one
part of the airport and another including stands, apron
areas and the runway
TFL
Transport for London
Local government body responsible for thetransport system in Greater London
TORA
Take off run available
Travel Plan
A document setting out the objectives andactions to promote safe, healthy and sustainabletransport options.
ULEZ
Ultra low emission zone
Designated zone in Central London where adaily charge is applied to vehicles in the zone
to help reduce exhaust NOx and PM emissions

Appendix

A.2
Master plan phasing
Potential phasingof development tomeet demand

Figure A.2.1: Existing Plan

London City Airport
Master Plan 2020-2035

94

The forecasts show a progressive growth inpassenger numbers and aircraft movements
over time and this master plan has beendeveloped so that the infrastructure
proposals can be incrementally provided toreflect this. As evidenced by the changes
to the predicted forecasts in the 2006
master plan (Section 2.1), forecast growth
can change as a result of a number ofvariable factors, such as, changes toGovernment and local policies, economic
considerations, rate of re-fleeting by airlines
and the demand for air travel. Maintaining
an ability to phase development over thelong term allows these variables to be taken
into account if they change in the future.

Phase 2: The proposed layout for this phase is
the same as Phase 1 as the growth in demand
we believe could be accommodated by theterminal and apron infrastructure alreadyprovided, subject to some adjustments.

The following plans illustrate an indicative
three-phased approach showing how the
airport could potentially develop over timefrom the existing layout to the CADP planand then through the master plan period.

The ongoing transformation and expansionof the terminal building and associatedforecourt as part of CADP should, together
with further technological advancements,
provide enough capacity to handle much of
the anticipated growth in passenger demand
to 11 mppa. However, some modifications
to the interior of the terminal buildings may
be required to ensure that the building canadequately process the passenger andbaggage demand forecast at peak times.

Phase 1: The key airfield changes from the
CADP layout are the potential developmentof two new generation aircraft stands andadditional runway hold points to the west of
the Fire Station, within the airport boundary.
To facilitate these infrastructure changes
the fuel farm and some operational support
facilities could be relocated to the dockside
east of the terminal, also within the airport’s
ownership. A multi-storey car park could bebuilt to free up space on the dockside forthe support facilities and other future airport
land uses. Additionally, and depending on
airline re-fleeting plans, there is also thepotential to adapt the infrastructure on the
Jet Centre apron in order to accommodate
one or two new generation aircraft stands,
if required in this phase or in a later phase.

Phase 3: The key changes from the Phase
1 / Phase 2 layouts are the addition of
up to three stands at the eastern endof the apron, which would need to beconstructed over the dock as an extensionof the stands currently being delivered aspart of CADP. There may need to be someadjustments to the west apron stands andWest Pier to accommodate more of thecleaner, quieter new generation aircraft.

The Rendezvous Point (RVP) and second
Vehicle Control Point (VCP) provided as partof CADP near the potential Aviation Centreof Excellence (location 8 on Figure A.2.5)
would need to be relocated further to theeast in this phase of the master plan due tothe extension of the east pier and apron.

Appendix

London City Airport
Master Plan 2020-2035

Figure A.2.2: CADP Plan

Figure A.2.3: Master Plan Phase 1

Figure A.2.4: Master Plan Phase 2

Figure A.2.5: Master Plan Phase 3

95

Appendix

London City Airport
Master Plan 2020-2035

96

A.3
References

1
2
3

4

5
6
7

8
9
10

11

Full Time Equivalent (FTE)
Increase of around 2,700 FTEs compared to number
of FTEs supported by the airport in 2019)
In 2019 the airport achieved carbon neutrality under the Airport
Carbon Accreditation programme, Level 3+. The term ‘carbon
neutrality’ includes the use of carbon offsetting where emissions
cannot currently be eliminated. The term ‘net zero carbon’does not rely on the use of offsets to achieve zero emissions
Sustainable transport includes public transport, walking, cycling,
low and ultra-low emission vehicles and car sharing, as definedby the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), February 2019
Air Quality Action Plan 2019 – 2024, 18 November 2019
Figure equates to around 1,800 Full Time Equivalent jobs
Local area refers to 11 London boroughs of Newham, Tower
Hamlets, Greenwich, Bexley, Lewisham, Southwark, Barking& Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge, Waltham Forest andHackney, as well as Epping Forest District Council
Oxford Economics 2016, The role of London City
Airport in facilitating business travel and trade
Full Time Equivalent jobs
At Level 4+ ‘Transformation’ of Airport Carbon Accreditation,
airports are required to align their carbon management ambition
with the global climate goals and define a long-term carbon
management strategy oriented towards absolute emissions
reductions. Stakeholder engagement is also strengthened
and airports are required to demonstrate evidence of actively
driving third parties towards delivering emissions reductions
The consortium’s portfolio of airports in the UK andEurope includes Birmingham Airport, Bristol Airport,
Copenhagen Airport and Brussels Airport. Other UK
investments include Thames Water, BBC Television Centre
Development, Scotia Gas and Associated British Ports

12

Public transport usage in 2019 included 64% DLR and 1% bus.
8% of passengers used Black Taxis which were traditionallyclassed as public transport by the airport but in line with
the Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy the classificationof Black Taxis is currently being reviewed by the airport witha view to re-classifying Black Taxis, and other private hirevehicles as sustainable transport if low or ultra-low emissions
13 Figure based on most recently available travel data for 201914 Local area includes 11 London boroughs: Newham, Tower
Hamlets, Greenwich, Bexley, Lewisham, Southwark, Barking& Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge, Waltham Forest andHackney, as well as Epping Forest District Council
15 The Take off Into Work scheme, established in 2009, is apartnership between the airport and Newham Workplace, theLondon Borough of Newham’s recruitment agency. The scheme
provides Newham residents over the age of 18 with a variety of
training, work experience and access to onsite jobs at the airport
16 CBI & Pearson 2018 – Educating for the Modern World
17 The airport’s Annual Performance Report is published annuallyon the Consultative Committee website: www.lcacc.org
18 Noise contours show areas affected by the air noise aroundairports. Similar to height contours on a map which showchanges in ground levels over an area, the noise contours
show areas where the noise is above a certain noise level.
The contours depict average air noise levels over a 16-hour
day, specifically determined from aircraft movements overthe 3-month period from 16th June to 15th September  
19 See: https://www.londoncityairport.com/corporate/
noise-and-track-keeping-system/noise-action-plan
20 See: monitoring.aqconsultants.co.uk/index.php/LCY
21 GLA 2017, Central Trend (population) London
22 Savills, 2018, London City Airport – Growthand Prospects in east London

23 https://group.canarywharf.com/media/pressreleases/canary-wharf-catalyst-for-30-yearsof-growth-in-tower-hamlets-080218
24 Canary Wharf Group PLC, n.d.
25 Canada Water Masterplan, 2018
26 Newham Council, 201827 Lend Lease, 2018
28 Royal Borough of Greenwich, 201929 Homes & Property UK, 201730 https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/beyondthe-crisis-speech-to-the-aviation-industry
31 UK Aviation Forecasts, October 2017,
Department for Transport, Central Case
32 Summary of Employee Jobs by Broad Industry Sector in
London, 2009 to 2017, Office for National Statistics
33 The Mayor’s Economic Development Strategy for
London, December 2018, Mayor of London
34 Airports National Policy Statement: new runway capacity
and infrastructure at airports in the South East of
England, June 2018, Department for Transport
35 See: https://airspacechange.caa.co.uk
36 Department for Transport, Beyond the Horizon, The Future of
Aviation, Making Best Use of Existing Runways, June 2018
37 The legislation imposes a duty on the Secretary of State as
to the level of the “net UK carbon account” (the amount of
net UK emissions of targeted greenhouse gases for a period
adjusted by the amount of carbon units credited or debitedto the account) for the year 2050. The duty is to ensure thatthe net UK carbon account is lower than the “1990 baseline”(the baseline of net UK emissions of targeted greenhousegases against which the percentage amount in subsection
1(1) is applied) by a minimum percentage amount. The
amendment has the effect that the minimum percentage bywhich the net UK carbon account for the year 2050 must be
lower than the 1990 baseline is increased from 80% to 100%

38
39
40
41
42
43
44

45
46

47
48

49

50
51

Single event 80 and 90 dB(A) SEL
Based on EASA certification noise levels
FTE growth compared to 2019
London City Airport has even more ambitious targetsof 50% of new recruits being from Newham
Arup Analysis (2019). Note that these benefits include both local
and national impacts which may not be fully mutually exclusive
https://www.c2ecampaign.com
Noise contours connect points that have the same averagenoise exposure. The contours are generated using computermodels, based on the known characteristics of aircraft noise
generation and attenuation, and calibrated using noise
measurements from the airport’s noise monitoring terminals
https://travislcy.topsonic.aero
monitoring.aqconsultants.co.uk/index.php/LCY
The populations have been determined using data supplied
by CACI Ltd. This data is based on census information
factored up to 2018 and consists of population by postcode.
The forecast population within the 69 dB noise contour
has been informed by a detailed modelling exercise thathas been undertaken allowing for local screening fromthe airport’s noise barriers and terminal buildings.
https://www.londoncityairport.com/corporate/ActionPlans-and-Reports/Annual-Performance-reporthttps://www.sustainableaviation.co.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2020/02/SustainableAviation_
CarbonReport_20200203.pdf
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/
uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/698247/
next-steps-towards-an-aviation-strategy.pdf
https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/letterinternational-aviation-and-shipping
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/
aviation-update-27-february-2020

Michael Tomas