Construction work has started on the £16m (US$24.5m) Western Pier development project at London City Airport. The project is being carried out as a ‘permitted development’ and is separate from the City Airport Development Programme, which was scrapped by London Mayor Boris Johnson earlier this year. Work on the new pier is scheduled for completion by summer 2016.
The new Western Pier will create a bright, open-plan space with an additional 600 seats, electronic boarding gates, workspaces, quiet areas and charging points. The area will increase in size by around 84% to 19,160ft², with space for new retail and food and beverage outlets. The Western Pier is an integral part of City Airport and is home to 70% of the airport’s departure gates.
Declan Collier, CEO at London City Airport, said, “We are creating more space, more seating, and more comfort for our passengers. A record number of people used London City Airport in 2014 and we are on track for another record this year, with some four million passengers expected to travel through [the airport].
“People choose London City Airport for its unrivalled location so close to central London, the speed of check-in and arrivals, and for the quality of the experience here. Without development, that experience was at risk of being compromised but this multi-million pound investment will make the new Western Pier a cutting-edge extension of the departure lounge, with a business-class feel throughout, that is accessible to all.”
