1. A parallel taxilane to enable aircraft to get on and off the runway quicker, freeing it up to accommodate more take-offs and landings per hour.  This will mean that we can provide more capacity at peak times, when the majority of our passengers want to fly.
2. Seven new aircraft parking stands, so that we can have more planes on the ground at peak times, and to enable us to welcome the next generation of aircraft which are larger and therefore need more space – due in 2016.
3. A new eastern passenger pier and separate arrivals terminal, to ensure we can maintain our high level of service and business-class experience as the number of passengers coming through the airport increases.  

It’s a strange feeling being stuck; knowing you can’t leave and there are so many other things you should or could be doing but there’s nothing you can do about it.  Having no control over the situation is frustrating.

I accompanied a group of our favourite travel writers on a trip to Switzerland last month, so that they could experience flying through London City Airport first hand, to promote the route to Geneva operated by SWISS and to demonstrate the ease of flying from LCY for a skiing break.  You can leave your desk at 4pm on Friday, be on a plane by 5.30pm, in the resort in time for a late dinner and drinks, have two days skiing, fly back first thing Monday morning and go straight back to the office.  That’s the idea anyway.

The outbound leg of the trip worked like clockwork; through security at LCY in minutes and time for a leisurely breakfast before boarding to get acquainted.  A transfer from Geneva by train and bus took us to the Alpine resort of Villars where we enjoyed beautiful scenery, skiing, après-ski, traditional raclette dinner and an all-round magical weekend.  That is until we got back to Geneva airport to return home.  Of course we knew there was snow in the UK but were hoping that we’d be the lucky ones whose flight was unaffected.  Alas no.  The flight was cancelled and it dawned on us why there were so many people sitting around going nowhere.

All remaining direct flights to London airports that day were full so we were booked onto the first flight the following morning.  The next task was to find somewhere to stay for the night, so we paid a visit to the tourism desk at the airport.  The clerk told us that Geneva was full as so many people were stranded so our group of five, who had met for the first time this weekend, would have to share three rooms.  Of course we questioned this but were told in no uncertain terms that every hotel was full so off we went with our reservation to the hotel he had selected for us.

On arrival at the hotel I asked again about additional rooms.  Turns out the hotel wasn’t full at all.  Around an hour and a half later, when the receptionist had finished arguing with the airport tourism office we finally got our original reservation cancelled and rebooked five individual rooms.  Exhausted and irritated we had dinner and got an early night ready for a 5.00am start to make our flight.

Back at Geneva airport we checked in, went through security, arrived at the gate and every information screen said the flight was on time.  Phew.  Time ticked on and 15 minutes after our scheduled take off time, the flight was cancelled.  None of us could quite believe it.  “What if we never leave here and I have to wear these clothes for the rest of my life?” said one of the group.  “If I’d have known this would be the last outfit I ever got to choose I’d have chosen it differently.”  Humour kept us going.  Kept us going back out of security, down to arrivals to reclaim our bags for the second time.  Back to the check in desk to get our third boarding pass in two days; maybe this one would be third time lucky.  To our new in-direct route of Zurich for a five hour layover and then onward to an alternative London airport.  In total a 31 hour delay and a challenging experience, but a great ‘travel chaos’ story to share and a bunch of new friends. 

Of course heavy snow is not a problem we face every day in the UK and it’s rare for it to cause major travel disruption.  Our trip took us to a country where snow is the norm and enabled us to experience life on the piste, and the whole group fell in love with it. 

You can fly direct from LCY to Switzerland, France and Italy, from where a whole host of ski resorts are within easy reach.  Or if you prefer to keep a firm grip on the ground beneath your feet you can choose another of our 44 destinations for a well-deserved break.  We offer some of the quickest times through departures and arrivals of any airport and free wifi for all passengers, so it really is the most efficient way to travel to and from London.  Snow permitting…

Irish Dancing Flashmob Welcomes Passengers on CityJet AF5118 From Dublin

London City Airport, the only London airport actually in London, has seen the total number of flights (arrivals and departures) handled by the airport since it opened in 1987 reach the one million mark. The millionth movement, which arrived at LCY at 0850 on Wednesday July 11 2012, was CityJet flight AF5118 from Dublin.

As the unsuspecting passengers walked through the arrivals doors into the main terminal concourse, they were greeted with a glass of sparkling wine and an impromptu Irish dance performance from professional dancers who had been mingling with the normal Wednesday morning crowds. As soon as the performance was over, the dancers disappeared leaving the passengers to continue with their journey, having been part of something brief, but momentous.

So, what are you doing for the Olympics? That’s the question we’re being asked at LCY all the time. People naturally assume that as we’re an airport and as we’re just three miles from the Olympic site that we’re probably part of the opening ceremony – preferred supplier of fly-pasts to the Games of the 30th Olympiad (or similar).

It’s also assumed that we’ll have the jets of the rich and famous lined up in descending order of size at the western end of the runway, our baggage handlers will be overwhelmed with strange and unusual carrying cases (for the hammers, and discii, and javelins and shot), and the floor of the terminal will be temporarily covered in sand to make the beach volleyballers feel at home.

Well, fans of London City Airport - of our friendly staff, our 20 minute check-in time, our 10 minute arrival and our convenient location – nothing could be further from the truth. With 67 days to go until the opening of the London 2012 Olympic Games, it’s business as usual at the only London airport actually in London.

Business as usual means exactly that – the 250-odd flights handled by LCY every day will continue to arrive and depart.   We do have capacity outside of peak hours, but we don’t do charter flights and – in any case -  it requires a special type of aircraft to fly in and out of LCY (fixed wing, since you ask, certified to fly 5.5 degree angle approaches – is that too much information?).

So, while we do expect some extra flights and some extra passengers, and perhaps some Games Family and athletes, what we will be doing during the Olympic and Paralympic Games is mostly serving the business and leisure travel needs of you, the discerning LCY customer (of whom there are three million every year) and working closely with our airline partners (and LOCOG) to meet any changes to expected demand.

 Yes, we’re three miles away from the Olympic Park – which is very convenient if that’s where you’d like to go. But we’re also three miles away from Canary Wharf, seven miles away from the City of London and 13 miles away from London’s West End – which provides unrivalled access to everything else that’s on offer in London.

So while Heathrow is full to bursting, and they’re dealing with quantities of baggage like they’ve never seen before, while Gatwick is coping with its normal tourist charter flight business and dealing with extra Olympic traffic, while Stansted is star-stuck with the private planes of the rich and the famous – London City Airport will be getting you where you want to go, reasonably quickly and reasonably easily.

Reasonably quickly and reasonably easily? Well, the one thing we can guarantee we’ll all be doing for the London 2012 Olympics is allowing extra time for our journeys. Keep an eye on traffic and transport reports, because it will definitely take longer. Follow us on Twitter @londoncityair for up-to-date airport information or visit our website www.londoncityairport.com - oh, you already have.