London City Airport’s plan for larger jets meets resistance over noise

London City Airport’s ambition to bring bigger, next-generation jets into the heart of the capital’s business district has hit resistance, with the London Assembly’s environment committee calling for the plans to be paused until independent noise assessments have been carried out.

The east London hub, already cleared by the government in 2024 to lift its annual passenger ceiling from 6.5 million to 9 million, wants approval to lower the angle at which aircraft approach the runway. The change would allow it to handle larger aircraft such as the Airbus A320neo, an updated version of the workhorse A320 that typically seats around 180 passengers.

Airport bosses argue the move is good news for the bottom line and for residents alike. Bigger aircraft, they say, would let the airport carry more passengers on fewer flights than its current fleet of smaller jets, while the new-generation planes are quieter than the aircraft they would replace.

To operate the A320neo, however, the airport needs a shallower final approach. That would see aircraft passing over parts of east London around 90ft (27m) lower than they do today, and it is this detail that has alarmed the cross-party committee.

In a letter to chief executive Andy Cliffe, the committee said it was “particularly concerned about the potential noise impacts” of the change. Signed by deputy chair Léonie Cooper, it argued that the airport’s projected data was “not sufficient to fully understand the noise impact, and the health and quality of life of residents living and working nearby”.

“The committee therefore opposes any changes until robust, independent real-world assessments have been undertaken to understand how these changes could affect local communities in practice,” the letter said.

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The group, whose work spans aviation noise and air quality across the capital through the London Assembly’s environment committee, also raised a commercial concern familiar to frequent flyers: that a lower approach could be used to open new routes and, in turn, push up the overall number of flights.

London City Airport rejects that framing. It said the proposal would “unlock more destinations and support London’s connectivity and economic growth”, a pitch aimed squarely at the corporate travellers who prize its proximity to Canary Wharf and the City.

“Larger capacity, new-generation aircraft will mean fewer flights and less noise disturbance for local communities when compared to not making this change over the coming years,” a spokesperson said. “Our priority is to grow our airport and continue to maintain a central role in the regeneration of east London.”

For business travellers, the stakes are about reach rather than runway angles. The A320neo’s range and seat count would, in theory, put more mainland European destinations within direct reach of a terminal already prized for its short security queues and quick turnarounds — though the airport’s premium positioning has lately come with rising costs, including a newly introduced drop-off charge for kerbside arrivals.

The debate also lands amid a wider push by UK airports to expand their networks, from London City’s capacity uplift to Birmingham’s £300m bid for direct US flights. For the growing pool of executives basing themselves in the area, a market served by hotels such as the Westin London City, better short-haul connectivity from the doorstep is a clear draw.

The decision now rests with the regulator. The Civil Aviation Authority is expected to rule on the lower approach by this autumn, following a public consultation on the airspace change. Until then, the airport’s pitch, fewer, quieter, fuller flights, will continue to be weighed against residents’ fears that bigger jets flying lower could mean more noise, not less.