A UK airport is planning to increase its passenger capacity by 2.5 million, but a major glitch is preventing the rollout of such a plan. London City Airport is hoping to increase its passenger count but may struggle to do so due to a pending approval for larger aircraft.
Plan to Fly Larger Aircraft Stalls
A pitch to fly larger aircraft from London City Airport is yet to be approved. While an increased passenger limit has been approved, the east London airport bosses believe new aircraft will be needed to meet demand. They argue that bigger planes would allow them to increase passenger numbers with fewer flights than with their current, smaller aircraft. Additionally, they claim the new planes will be less noisy.
Despite these assertions, approval for the new aircraft has not been granted. The reason for the snag at present concerns how much lower planes would have to fly, as reported by BBC News.
Flight Path Concerns
The Airbus A320neo, an updated version of the A320, requires a shallow flight approach, according to the airport. This would mean planes flying over parts of east London 90 feet (27 meters) lower than they currently do, the committee said. The London Assembly's environment committee is calling for any plans to be halted until independent and real-world assessments can be conducted. The impact of increasing the passenger limit has been called into question, while residents have expressed concern over further flights and more passengers.
The committee wrote a letter in response to airport chief executive Andy Cliffe. The letter, co-signed by London Assembly's deputy chair Léonie Cooper, claims that current data is not sufficient to fully understand the noise impact and the health and quality of life of residents living and working nearby. It adds that the committee opposes any changes until robust, independent real-world assessments have been undertaken to understand how these changes could affect local communities in practice.
Airport's Position
London City Airport has been criticized for noise pollution in the past. However, the airport said the proposal would unlock more destinations and support London's connectivity and economic growth. A spokesperson stated: "Larger capacity, new-generation aircraft will mean fewer flights and less noise disturbance for local communities when compared to not making this change over the coming years. Our priority is to grow our airport and continue to maintain a central role in the regeneration of east London."
The Civil Aviation Authority is due to make a decision on lowering the flight approach into the airport by this autumn.
