London City Airport redevelopment images released

London City Airport officially opened for business in October 1987, and its 30 ^th anniversary has been marked with the release of a number of artists’ impressions of how it should look once its £400m redevelopment has been completed.

The images, which can be seen in this BBC article, preview the planned appearance of the runway, aircraft stands and entrance, and will doubtless be of interest to any future passengers or people hoping to fill one of the many airport vacancies that will be sure to open up after the work has been finished.

The expansion, which was approved by the government in July 2016, should result in an additional two million people (via 30,000 extra flights) flying in and out of the airport per year from 2025 onwards.

The impending building works are not the only exciting development in the offing at London City Airport, with its remotely-operated digital air traffic control tower – the first of its kind to be used in the UK – set to be completed at some point next year.

Speaking as the speculative images were unveiled, the airport’s chief executive, Declan Collier, noted that it has now become an “intrinsic part of London’s transport system”, adding that “as we celebrate this anniversary, we look to a bright future ahead and the world-class transformation which is soon to commence”.

Reaction to the plans has not been universally positive, however; when permission was granted for the work last year, Caroline Russell – a Green Party member of the London Assembly – described them as “terrible” and raised concerns about the potential environmental impact of the announcement.

There is currently no indication, however, that the development will be put on hold and the schedule is for the construction project to begin in earnest during the first few months of 2018.

Image Credit: 贝莉儿 NG