UK Government Approves London City Airport Expansion Plans Excluding Saturday Flight Extension

The UK government has approved plans to expand London City Airport's capacity to 9 million passengers annually by 2031, up from the current 6.5 million. However, plans to extend operating hours on Saturday afternoons were rejected. The decision overrides local objections on environmental grounds.

The UK government has greenlit plans to boost London City Airport's capacity by an additional 2.5 million passengers, overturning parts of a previous local decision but keeping a ban on Saturday afternoon flights.

The airport, which aimed to increase its annual capacity to 9 million passengers by 2031, had also sought to extend Saturday operating hours from 12:30pm to 6:30pm. A document published on the government website confirmed, "The Secretaries of State agree with the Inspectors' conclusions, and agree with their recommendation. They have decided to grant planning permission, subject to revised conditions that maintain the existing Saturday curfew period." This marks one of the first major infrastructure decisions by the new Labour government elected in July, which has pledged to streamline planning processes despite some project cancellations due to financial constraints.

While London City Airport welcomed the increased passenger cap, it expressed disappointment over the refusal to extend Saturday hours, arguing it will delay the introduction of cleaner and quieter aircraft. The initial plan was rejected in July 2023 by Newham Council due to concerns over climate impact, air quality, and noise. An appeal led to Monday's decision by central government, but Newham Council has yet to comment.

(With inputs from agencies.)