Summary
- London City Airport (LCY) has upgraded and expanded its departure lounge.
- The new departures lounge will include new restaurants and other facilities.
- Recently, the airport was allowed to lift its annual passenger cap to 9 million by 2031.
London City Airport (LCY) has continued to improve its infrastructure, with the airport announcing the completion of a major upgrade to its departure lounge.
Improving passenger experience
According to the airport’s announcement on August 30, SSP, Lagardère Travel Retail, WHSmith, and Boots supported the departure lounge’s upgrade.
Now, passengers traveling through LCY will see the lounge with a new look and feel throughout, with the lounge including two new restaurants, a new local independent cafe and bar, and an expanded duty-free area.
Photo: London City Airport
“The upgrade has also increased seating in the departure lounge by 30%, with more access to charging stations […].”
While upgrading the lounge, the airport worked with local businesses as part of its effort to celebrate and support companies located within the vicinity of LCY. As a result, a number of East London and British brands will now be present at the new departure lounge.
Building on an unrivaled customer experience
Alison FitzGerald, the chief executive officer (CEO) of LCY, stated that the airport was delighted to unveil its upgraded departure lounge, building on its unrivaled customer experience and commitment to providing one of the best passenger experiences in London.
“Over the last couple of years, we have taken the opportunity to redevelop our entire proposition, including the roll out of cutting-edge security scanners and now the offer of new restaurants and shopping experiences that celebrate some of the leading brands in our neighbourhood of east London.”
Photo: London City Airport
Meanwhile, Cathy Granby, the business development director for SSP UK and Ireland, added that Hithes was a new, exciting concept restaurant for the company, which combined city pub dining with a modern London brasserie.
“It joins SSP’s existing Juniper and Soul + Grain outlets, providing more choice and bespoke menus for passengers at this busy airport.”
Closest airport for the majority of Londoners
In the announcement, LCY cited data that showed that the airport was the closest for more than half of Londoners, with passengers being able to access the airport in less than an hour with public transportation.
Furthermore, the airport cited that more than half of its passengers were now traveling for leisure and to visit friends or family.
Photo: Sven Hansche | Shutterstock
Recently, local lawmakers approved the airport’s expansion to welcome up to 9 million passengers per year by 2031. Airlines flying from/to LCY were now allowed to add up to three additional flights during the first 30 minutes of operations of each working day in total and not each.
However, LCY will still have to deal with limited operating hours on Saturdays. While its expansion application included provisions to operate flights until 18:30 on the sixth day of the week, the UK Government kept the closing time on Saturdays at 12:30, which represented “a major win for the stand we’ve taken here at Newham Council […],” according to a statement by the local council.