All flights in and out of London City airport have been cancelled after the discovery of an unexploded second world war bomb. The airport's chief executive, Robert Sinclair, said it would be closed for the whole of Monday, affecting 120 outbound flights and a similar number of incoming flights.
A 214-metre exclusion zone set up by the Metropolitan police remains in place after the device was found at King George V dock in east London on Sunday. Properties within the zone are being evacuated and trains on the Docklands Light Railway between Pontoon Dock and Woolwich Arsenal have been suspended.
Sinclair urged passengers not to come to the airport and to contact their airlines, adding: "The airport is cooperating fully with the Met police and Royal Navy and working hard to safely remove the device and resolve the situation as quickly as possible." The unexploded ordnance was discovered during work at the airport just after 5am on Sunday, with the exclusion zone implemented about 10am after specialist officers confirmed its nature.
The area was heavily bombed during the Blitz, and Newham council described the bomb as a "German 500kg fused device". A council spokesman said residents unable to stay with family or friends were being taken to a rest centre with bedding and refreshments, though some had chosen to remain in their homes. He added: "Work will not start on lifting and removing the device until the initial 214-metre zone is clear. When work starts to remove it, it is expected the exclusion zone will be extended to 250 metres and more properties will need to be evacuated."
A number of road cordons have been established, with motorists urged to take alternative routes, and the operation is expected to continue until Tuesday morning. London City airport is the 14th busiest in the UK, handling 4.5 million passengers last year, according to Civil Aviation Authority data.
