London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Mayor Sadiq Khan is ‘concerned’ by the Government’s decision to permit London City Airport to transport millions more passengers every year, his office has expressed.
The mayor has united with several other politicians in expressing environmental problems after it was announced that the Government had backed plans to increase the airport’s annual passenger hat from 6.5 million to 9 million per year. Another suggestion to extend the airport’s Saturday cut-off time for flights from 12:30 to 18:30 was denied by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
What are Mayor Sadiq Khan’s concerns regarding the London City Airport expansion?
Mr Khan’s spokesperson stated: “The mayor has a long-standing standing on airport expansion in London related to the negative effect on air quality, noise and London’s capacity to reach net zero by 2030. “The mayor admits that the Government has said it intends to enforce some measures to mitigate noise, including the retention of the curfew period for flights, but he remains concerned about the general impact that expansion will have on the local area.”
How did the airport’s chief executive react to the Government’s decision on expansion and curfew?
Alison FitzGerald, the airport’s chief executive, accommodated raising the passenger cap but said she was “disappointed” the curfew was not altered. She added: “As the Government has identified in its decision, rejecting our request to expand our Saturday afternoon operating hours will slow down airlines bringing cleaner, quieter next-generation aircraft to the airport. “Local citizens would have had the added benefit of these aircraft working at the airport throughout the week, not just in the extended working hours.”
What limitations remain on the number of annual flights despite the increase in passenger capacity?
Under the plans supported by the Government, total annual flights – or ‘aircraft movements’ – will remain limited at 111,000. In 2023, the airport transported only approximately 3.4 million passengers, operating a total of 52,000 aircraft movements. According to Civil Aviation Authority data, this was down from the airport’s record set in 2019, when it hauled 5.1 million passengers and facilitated 84,000 aircraft activities.
How did other politicians at City Hall respond to the Government’s decision on the airport expansion?
Other politicians at City Hall were also disappointed with the Government’s conclusion. Green London Assembly member Zack Polanski expressed it showed that Labour only “pretended to overlook the climate crisis”, while his Liberal Democrat colleague Gareth Roberts expressed it would “benefit those taking private jets at the cost of local communities across east London”.