Call for London City Airport to shut down
London City Airport should close and the site be redeveloped to create jobs, boost local business and build new homes, a think tank has said.
It claimed the airport creates little value, despite taking up 500,000 square metres of prime land in the heart of the city, and contributed only £110 million to the UK economy in 2011, which was less than a fifth of the nearby ExCeL Exhibition centre.
A London City Airport spokeswoman said the airport "facilitates inward investment and economic growth", but the report by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) said it accounted for only 2.4% of London’s flights and its passengers could use Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted instead.
NEF economist Helen Kersley told the BBC: "Given our current dire shortage of homes, as well as the UK’s international commitments to cutting its carbon emissions, we must seriously question the logic of locating an airport on precious inner city land.
"London City Airport places a significant environmental and social burden on neighbouring communities and gives back very little in return."
A London City Airport spokeswoman said: "The only airport in London provides a direct route to the capital’s business, financial and political centres, facilitating inward investment and economic growth."
She added closing the airport would put 2,000 people out of work, prevent the creation of a further 1,500 jobs by 2023 and remove £750m a year from the economy.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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