Ministers have given the go-ahead for a £344m expansion programme at London City Airport, including funding for improved transport links.
Chancellor Philip Hammond, transport secretary Chris Grayling and communities secretary Sajid Javid have announced the Government’s approval for an extended terminal, new aircraft taxiway and parking spaces for planes at the airport.
Ministers said the changes would improve passenger journeys, increase connections within the UK and Europe and support business opportunities and investment.
London City Airport has said the scheme will create 1,600 airport jobs for staff, together with 500 construction jobs, and could potentially contribute £1.5bn to the UK economy by 2025.
Mr Grayling said: ‘This is fantastic news for London and Britain as a whole. I am determined to invest in the infrastructure this country needs, to help people get around more easily, boost investment and create opportunities.
‘London City Airport is an engine for growth in the City, serving the community in which it operates and providing a vital link to our regional airports and the rest of the country.’
The expansion will provide new space for planes to taxi, allowing more planes to use the runway, and new stands for planes to allow larger planes to use the airport.
Ministers said this will mean more flights at peak times, with ‘bigger, newer and, most importantly, quieter planes’.
The airport will also make a number of investments in transport links around the airport, including funding the cost of additional DLR rolling stock (£2.6m), investing in a bus and taxi access scheme and improving walking and cycle routes to the airport.
John Stewart, chair of HACAN East, which opposes the expansion, said: ‘The airport claims that the expansion will create over a thousand jobs. That is in the realm of speculation. What is certain is that residents’ quality of life will get worse.’
The planning decision was formally approved by Mr Grayling and Mr Javid following a public inquiry and a recommendation from the Plannning Inspectorate.
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