London City aims to double passengers
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London City Airport hopes to near double the number of flights it can handle by 2023 in new GBP200 million expansion plans.
The East London airport has asked Newham Council for permission to build new parking stands for aircraft and a taxilane next to its runway to accommodate up to 120,000 flights a year. It has not asked for a second runway or extension in its proposals.
The airport had already received clearance to handle as many flights in 2009 and hopes to double its passenger numbers to six million during the next 10 years.
Its reasoning behind the expansion is to accommodate larger aircraft and to free up capacity on its runway during the morning and evening peaks when its business travel passengers prefer to travel.
London City’s chief executive officer Declan Collier said the investment was important for business travel and the local area.
“Increasingly, this area (the Royal Docks) is a focus for foreign investment – the recent announcement by ABP of its intention to build a multi-billion pound business park on Royal Albert Dock is one such example – and the connectivity to business centres across Europe, Eastern Europe and the Middle East that the airport provides, or will provide in the future, is central to this continuing,” he explained.
“In terms of the wider UK economy, the airport already contributes GBP750m every year – through business and leisure tourist spend; the operation of businesses on site; productivity savings and Air Passenger Duty, and when this project is completed, we can expect to double that amount.”
The airport has also sent its proposals to the Davies Commission with comments on optimising current infrastructure and how developments like its own can relieve other airports like Heathrow.
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