London City Airport Sustainable Transport

Helping passengers, staff and airport users travel sustainably

Sustainable transport plays a key part in making London City Airport accessible to our passengers, and helps our staff get to work each day. Travellers love the unique door-to-door experience LCY offers, due to our speedy passenger processing times and convenient location. The airport has its own Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station, as well as three bus routes which stop at the London City Airport bus stop. The airport also has excellent links to pedestrian paths and the bicycle superhighway network through the Royal Docks.

Surface Access Strategy 2026-2031

The London City Airport Surface Access Strategy 2026-2031 (ASAS) is LCY’s vision for the future of surface access at our airport, showing how we intend to continued to improve the options that staff and passengers have to travel sustainably.

The ASAS has been prepared in conjunction with the Airport Transport Forum (ATF), as per criteria set out in the Government’s Aviation Policy Framework 2013. We have also worked closely with the London Borough of Newham, Transport for London and the Royal Docks Management Authority (RoDMA), as well as local partners including Canary Wharf Group and ExCel.

The ASAS has been drafted in conjunction with the London City Airport Travel Plan 2026-28, which is required under our planning consent and demonstrates the specific measures which the airport will undertake over the coming three years to promote sustainable transport options.

Documents

Key documents are available to view at the following links:

Surface Access Strategy 2017 - 2025 London City Airport Surface Access Strategy 2026-2031 London City Airport Travel Plan 2026-2028

Priorities

The ASAS sets out five key priorities for the delivery of sustainable transport to the airport, which can be summarised as:

Building and maintainang of habits – Building travel habits which are sustainable in nature for both staff and passengers.
Providing sustainable journey options – Providing and enabling sustainable journey options to London City Airport.
Effective communications –Ensuring that we are are able to reach staff and passengers, and that people are aware of sustainable journey options which are available.
Working with Parntners – Working with our partner organisations to ensures that improved transport options are provided to London City Airport, including earlier public transport services.
World class journey experience – Ensuring that sustainable journeys are safe, easy to navigate and accessible.

Each of the directions in our ASAS, as well as the actions in our travel plan are linked to one of these five key priorities.

Targets

The airport has set targets for 2028 and 2031, in relation to the travel of staff and passengers to the airport, which are set out below.

By 2028, London City Airport will undertake reasonable endeavours to achieve:

70% of passengers arriving at the airport by public and sustainable means excluding black taxis / 80% including black taxis; and
44% of staff or fewer arriving to the airport by driving alone to work.

By 2031, London City Airport will undertake reasonable endeavours to achieve:

75% of passengers arriving at the airport by public and sustainable means excluding black taxis; and
35% of staff or fewer arriving to the airport by driving alone to work.

The 2031 targets are visionary in nature, and we will not be able to achieve these unless earlier DLR services are provided to the airport which will facilitate staff arriving at the airport for 4:00am / 5:00am start times, as well as passengers arriving to the airport for first flights.

The Role of the Airport Transport Forum

The ATF provides a collaborative environment for key stakeholders to maintain a longer-term approach to transport planning by providing direction and guidance to the airport’s ASAS. The ATF meets twice per year in accordance with the requirements of the Section 106 agreement applicable to the Airport, typically in June and November.

Future Programme of Dates

The following comprises a rolling programme of dates for the LCY ATF:

2 June 2026
3 November 2026
1 June 2027
2 November 2027
6 June 2028
7 November 2028
5 June 2029
6 November 2029

Air Transport Forum Agendas and Minutes

Copies of the minutes of the ATF can be found below.

Sustainable Transport