London-City Airport is ready to 'welcome' a new aircraft: the Airbus A320neo. What will change
When one thinks of London, London-Heathrow Airport, one of the busiest airports in Europe and the [...]
LCY
United Kingdom
When you think of London, immediately comes to mind theLondon-Heathrow Airport, one of the airports busiest in Europe and the world. The city, to be fair, has. 5 other airports: Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, Southend e London-City.
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Among them all, LCY is the stopover closer to the city center But it is also the one that has the most limitations, both in terms of hours of operation (being in a residential area, in fact, takeoffs and landings begin around 5 a.m. and do not extend beyond 10 p.m.), and in terms of the aircraft that can operate. Why this limitation? Because 'City' has a very short track and only some aircraft - such as, for example, Airbus A220s and Embraer E190s - are authorized for takeoff and landing.
Picture by: Stuart Bailey
Well, in that sense, things - perhaps - are about to change. The airport, in fact, has asked the CAA (the United Kingdom's civil aviation authority) that the Airbus A320neo get The authorization to operate at this airport. Specifically, LCY called for the introduction of the new flight procedure RNP AR (Required Navigation Performance Authorization Required), thanks to which aircraft such as the A320neo could perform a 'Steeper' approach Toward the runway.
"The potential introduction of the A320neo aircraft at London City Airport is incredibly exciting. This innovation will expand destinations, reduce environmental impact and drive economic growth without increasing flights. It is a key step towards LCY's sustainable future," commented Alison FitzGerald, CEO of London City Airport.
The request has been made; we will see if it is accepted. What is certain, however, is that last year the British government approved the 'City's' plan to increase the annual passenger limit from 6.5 million to 9 million by 2031: we are talking about a 40% increase. The problem lies in the fact that this approval did not include an increase in the number of annual flights allowed. Hence the London city airport's request to also certify the A320neo, with the goal of increasing traffic.
It should be specified, in fact, that the 320neo-if they were authorized by the CAA-would become the largest aircraft to operate at LCY. If the Embraer E190 and Airbus A220 can carry a maximum of 114 and 145 passengers, respectively, the 320neo have a maximum capacity (depending on the configurations, let me be clear) of 194 places.
