A £200 million expansion at London City airport has been blocked by Mayor Boris Johnson.
The Mayor of London said granting permission for the £200million scheme, which would mean a 50 per cent increase in take-offs and landings, would lead to an “unacceptable” increase in noise.
Mr Johnson stood by his call for the construction of a so-called Boris Island hub airport to the east of London.
A Mayor of London spokesman said:
“The mayor has long argued that Heathrow Airport cannot be expanded due to the increased noise it would lead to in west London and he is not willing to expose east London to additional noise either.
“The Mayor continues to believe that a new hub airport to the east of London is the only long-term option that will provide enough aviation capacity – without detriment to the health and well-being of hundreds of thousands of people in London and the southeast.”
The proposed plans
LCY had planned an extended terminal, a new taxi-way and seven additional parking stands, meaning an increase in take-offs and landings from 70,000 to 111,000 a year.
These measures would allow a doubling of passengers to six million a year by 2023.
The airport’s chief executive officer Declan Collier said:
“It is ironic that the Mayor of London, whose platform has always been one of advantage for business in London, is denying the capital the business opportunity presented by growth at London City Airport.
“It is doubly ironic that this decision was taken on LCY’s busiest-ever day, when more than 16,500 passengers passed through the terminal. Demand for the connectivity the airport provides is growing, driven by the success of London as a global business centre, and to service this demand, the airport needs to grow.”
LCY will make a decision on its response strategy shortly. The airport could appeal to the Secretary of State for Transport.
Boris Johnson
Mr Johnson has been elected twice as Mayor of London and is extremely popular. He is a Conservative Boris Johnson and is seeking to become MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, in west London, at the general election on 07 May.
He is totally opposed to expansion of Heathrow and prefers a new four runway airport to be built to the east of London.
There is a very good chance that Mr Johnson could become Prime Minister in the next one to five years.
Related links
London City airport (LCY)
