On the 4th of February 2015, Newham Council gave the ‘go ahead’ for an extended terminal, a new taxi-way and additional parking stands for larger aircraft at the airport in east London. The £200million expansion of London City airport is said to be a ‘vital boost to London’s aviation capacity’.
The new expansion of City Airport will see the number of increases:
- Take-offs and landings
- Double number of passengers by 2023
- Stands for aircraft increasing from 18 to 25
- Newer and larger planes
- Expanding the airport’s reach from destinations in Western Europe to Russia and North Africa.
The new expansion of City Airport will create 2,000 new jobs, and also strengthen the airport’s position as a preferred choice for business travellers. The building work is expected to start by the end of the year, with the first new aircraft seen on the runway in 2016 but it is subjected to final planning approval being given by Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
With all the new expansion, new ideas for the airport, comes a down side of creating more air and noise pollution. Campaigners are concerned about the local residents living below the flight path. But, the airport and council planners say they do not expect an increase in noise levels as the new fleet of Bombardier C Series aircraft would be quieter.
The new expansion will also have a six-storey four-star hotel, which will have up to 260 bedrooms for traveling passengers. Having the hotel based at a busy airport will create a large amount of waste and recycling on a daily basis. This will mean the airport will have to choose a waste service that can collect all the waste and recycling on top of the normal routine collection.