London City passenger numbers hit record high despite cut in flights
A record 4.8 million passengers used London City Airport last year, up 6% on the previous year.
The increase was achieved despite a small drop in the number of flights to and from the Docklands airport in 2018.
London City said the increase in passengers had been achieved through the use of larger aircraft and higher load factors.
The busiest month was July 2018 when London City handled 471,519 passengers, which reflects an increase in leisure routes from the airport.
London City said leisure passengers now make up half of its overall traffic. The most popular holiday destinations in 2018 were Florence, Ibiza, Malaga and Majorca with city breaks to Berlin and Lisbon also in the top 10.
The most popular route overall was Amsterdam, which was well ahead of Edinburgh in second place and Dublin in third.
London City said it had seen ‘notable’ increases in passenger numbers on flights to Belfast City, operated by Flybe, and Milan Linate, operated by British Airways and Alitalia.
BA’s subsidiary BA CityFlyer, the airport’s biggest airline, was a key driver of growth, adding 10% more flights during the year, including a new service to to Rome Fumicino.
In 2018 TAP Air Portugal added a new service to Porto, Aer Lingus also began operating on the popular Dublin route, feeding passengers on to its US flights from Ireland. Combined with the frequent daily flights to the major hub airports of Amsterdam with KLM and Frankfurt with Lufthansa, London City said it is becoming a convenient choice for passengers travelling to or from long-haul destinations around the world.
London City CEO Robert Sinclair said: "In what was a remarkable year for London City Airport, we have seen demand reach a new peak, our airlines invest in new services, and passenger satisfaction increase. It’s proof that the fundamentals of London City – speed, convenience, connectivity and excellent customer service from the heart of London – remain very strong.
"As we take forward a transformative £500 million development programme, which will be complete in 2022, London City Airport can play a much bigger role supporting this thriving international city, connecting London with established and emerging markets and serving a broader range of both leisure and business passengers."
Two new services began yesterday, with Eastern Airways operating a Newcastle service for Flybe, and LOT Polish Airlines starting operations at London City for the first time with a Warsaw route. This will be joined by a Budapest service on February 19 and a Vilnius service on May 1.
British Airways will also add four additional Embraer 190 aircraft this year as part of a wider investment by BA CityFlyer in its London City base. These aircraft will add nearly 20% more seats from London City Airport in 2019 and enable the launch of new destinations, including Munich from February 16 and Split in Croatia from June 21.
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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