- 4,526,059 passengers used London City Airport in 2016
- Figure represents 5pc year-on-year growth compared to 2015
- July was busiest ever month, with 421,518 passengers departing or arriving
- Over half of passengers travelling on business trips
High-profile protests which hit operations in 2016 didn’t dent London City Airport, as expanding routes and investment in facilities led to a record-breaking year.
With 67 flights from Dublin to London per week, Dublin is the third most popular route, behind Edinburgh and Amsterdam.
London City Airport CEO Declan Collier said: “Our offer of a speedy and efficient passenger experience, just six miles from the City of London, means less time in transit and more time for the purpose of your trip.
“With 52pc of all passengers travelling for business, the 5pc year-on-year growth demonstrates that the appetite for business travel to and from London remains strong despite the unpredictable political climate, as we prepare to expand the airport in 2017 to meet increasing demand.”
The airport added six routes: Bergerac, Alicante, Berlin, Bremen, Cardiff, Paris Charles De Gaulle and Rennes, while the British government approved planning permission for the £344 million City Airport Development Programme (CADP), construction for which begins this year.
The development will enable 6.5 million passengers to travel through the airport’s doors by 2025 and add 29,000 additional flights per year. The privately funded investment includes plans for seven new aircraft stands, a parallel taxiway to maximise runway capacity, and a terminal extension to accommodate increasing passenger numbers.
Last February the airport came under the new ownership of a consortium of international infrastructure investors: Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo), OMERS, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) and Wren House Infrastructure Management Limited, the infrastructure investing arm of the Kuwait Investment Authority.
- Watch here interview with Declan Collier
