London City Airport is an international airport located in the Royal Docks in the London Borough of Newham. It lies approximately 11 km (7 miles) east of the City of London, and just to the east of Canary Wharf. Together, the City of London and Canary Wharf form the twin centres of London’s financial industry, which is a major user of the airport.

Detailed planning permission for the airport was granted early in 1986. Construction began shortly afterwards and the first commercial services started operating in October 1987.

London City has a single, 1,500 metre long runway and its licence only allows passenger transport and related training flights. Only multi-engine, fixed-wing aircraft are permitted, and the aircraft and aircrew must be certified to fly the steep 5.5 degree approach path required to operate into the airport. The largest aircraft currently certified to use the airport are the Bombardier CS100 and the Airbus A318.

London City Airport served over 4.3 million passengers in 2015. This was an 18% increase over the previous year and a record total for the airport. It is the fifth busiest airport serving the London area, after Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton.

BA CityFlyer is the largest user and there are currently fifteen other airlines operating into to airport, albeit that several of them provide a service on behalf of other carriers.

The airport is closed between midday on Saturday and midday on Sunday, so this is not the place to visit on a sunny Saturday afternoon!

Written by Clive Grant, Patrick Weis and Shon Fridman (Spot 1). Last Change: April 2023 (Spot 3 updated).

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
09/27	1,500m (4,900ft)
Terminals	The airport has a single two storey passenger terminal serving all traffic.
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not needed at any of the locations.
Car/Public Transport	Not necessary. In fact, at £23 for between thirty minutes and four hours, the long stay car park is very expensive indeed. It’s better to use the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) which serves several stations in the area, including London City Airport and King George V stations near Spot #1, as well as Cyprus station near Spot #4 and Royal Albert station near Spots #5 & 6. The 474 bus route also serves the airport and passes Spots #2, 3 & 4. If you do need to drive, it’s better to park free at Spot #3 or Spot #5 and use public transport to get to where you want to be.
Restrooms	In the airport terminal for Spot #1. As this is a largely residential area, there are some cafés, pubs and restaurants near most of the other spotting locations.
Drinks/Food	In the airport terminal for Spot #1. There are cafés, pubs and restaurants near most of the other spotting locations.
Hotels	As well as the very reasonably priced Metro London City Airport near the terminal, there are other hotels at the the western end of the airport and several more to the north and west of Spot #5.
Season	As it caters mainly for business related traffic, London City Airport traffic levels remain fairly constant throughout the year, although summer does see some extra traffic to typical holiday destinations, and the winter schedule provides an increase in the number of flights to skiing destinations such as Geneva, Zurich and Milan. However, these extra flights are generally laid on by the same airlines who operate regularly here, i.e. British Airways, Swiss and CityJet. Therefore, the longer days and hopefully better weather during the summer months may be the deciding factor in terms of when to visit.
Runway Usage
General Info	There is no preference for either easterly or westerly operations so the runway end in use will depend entirely on the wind direction. However, as the prevailing winds are westerly, 27 is likely to be in operation approximately two-thirds of the time.

	Spot #1 – Long Stay Car Park – All arriving and departing traffic
WHERE	Along N Woolwich Road, make a left onto Charles St, and park accordingly. There is a 4 hour limit for parking here so be sure not to go over the limits. By public transport: take the DLR to Pontoon Dock station, and walk 300m to Charles S
WHAT	Arrivals on rwy 09.
TIME	All day during the winter. In the summer the light’s OK from about 9am until about 4pm.
MISC.	Convenience store is a short walk away, along with a small coffee shop with restrooms.
FOCAL LENGTH	100-200mm should cover everything.

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	Spot #2 – Bascule Bridge – 27 arrivals and departures
WHERE	It’s not possible to walk or drive east along Hartmann Road from Spot #1, so you’ll need to head south to join the A112 Albert Road and follow this road to the east to get to Spot #2.  Parking is possible at Spot #3 (read description below) By public transport: Take bus route 474 fron London City Airport or Cyprus DLR Station and exit at the Bascule Bridge (Stop J from London City or Stop K from Cyprus DLR)
WHAT	All arrivals and departures on Runway 27.
TIME	All day during the winter. In the summer the light’s OK from about 9am until about 4pm.
MISC.	There are no facilities at this spot, but the airport terminal is a short bus ride away.
FOCAL LENGTH	100-300mm should cover most things, though smaller bizjets on departure might require up to 400mm from here.

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	Spot #3 – Tereza Joanne Car Park – 27 departures
WHERE	Head north on the Bascule Bridge from Spot #2 and take the next turning on the right. Follow the signs for the Tereza Joanne floating restaurant, turning left at the next junction and following the road back under the bridge to the Tereza Joanne car park. By public transport: Take bus route 474 at London City Airport or Cyprus DLR Station and exit at the Bascule Bridge (Stop J from London City or Stop K from Cyprus DLR). +++ Update June  2024: unfortunately cannot be accessed anymore. There is a building site now, with security manning the start of the access road (with private property signs). This can take a couple of years, maybe for ever.+++
WHAT	Departing traffic coming out of the loop to line up on Runway 27. It is possible to walk the 200m pier along the parking to choose angles you prefer and to avoid the ILS (see BA A318). Although it’s possible to walk to the end of the car park to take landing shots, the angle is not good from here as the traffic stays high until very late.
TIME	Mornings only.
MISC.	There are no facilities here, so bring what you need. Possible that airport security will check you but they have absolutley no problem with planespotters (just carry your ID).
FOCAL LENGTH	100-200mm should cover most things.

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	Spot #4 – University of East London – 27 arrivals and departures
WHERE	It’s not possible to access the university grounds by car, but it is possible to access the dockside walkway to the south of the university campus. From Spot #2, head north over Sir Steve Redgrave Bridge and turn left to the east of the university, routeing back towards the dockside. By public transport: Take the DLR and exit at  Cyprus Station and walk south for a few minutes to the dock.
WHAT	All 27 arriving and departing traffic.
TIME	Early morning and late evening, only in the summer.
MISC.	As it’s probably not possible to access the university campus facilities, it’s best to bring what you need.
FOCAL LENGTH	150-300mm should be OK for most things. Departing small bizjets may need up to 400mm.

	Spot #5 – Yi-Ban Chinese Restaurant – 09 arrivals and departures
WHERE	From the terminal, take the A112, turning right at the roundabout to cross over the Connaught Bridge and then right again at the Connaught Roundabout.  Turn right at the next roundabout, (the Royal Albert Roundabout), and then right onto Dockside Road in front of Newham Council’s offices.  Turn left into the car park opposite the Travelodge Hotel and park here for free. From Spot #2, head north over Sir Steve Redgrave Bridge and take the second turning at the roundabout onto the A1020, Royal Albert Way. Turn left at Royal Albert Roundabout and then right onto Dockside Road in front of the Newham Council’s offices.  Turn left into the car park opposite the Travelodge Hotel and park here for free. From the car park, walk past the Yi-Ban Chinese restaurant towards the dockside path. By public transport: Take the DLR and exit at  Royal Albert Station and walk south to the dock.
WHAT	All 09 arriving and departing traffic.
TIME	Early morning and late evening, only in the summer.
MISC.	You can choose your spot anywhere along the dockside to Spot #6.  Next door to the Yi-Ban restaurant there is a small café for refreshments. The restaurant has an outside terrace but unfortunately this is closed until further notice.
FOCAL LENGTH	150-300mm

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	Spot #6 – Newham Council Offices – All arriving and departing traffic
WHERE	Walk east along the dockside from Spot #5. For parking and public transport see Spot 5.
WHAT	All arriving and departing traffic on the runway.
TIME	Early morning and late evening, only in the summer.
MISC.	Facilities are available at Spot #5.
FOCAL LENGTH	70-300mm

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