London City Airport, which served around five million passengers last year, has reported that 2019 was its busiest year to date.
According to figures released by the airport, 5,100,025 passengers travelled through London City Airport last year, representing an increase of 6.3% year-on-year (YoY).
The airport attributed the increase in passenger numbers to the addition of new routes and flights with larger aircraft and more seats.
Amsterdam remained the most popular destination, with 664,621 passengers travelling between the Dutch capital and London City Airport, a rise of 6.9% compared to last year.
With 511,116 passengers, Edinburgh was the second most popular destination, followed by Dublin with 460,132 passengers.
Passenger numbers also increased for domestic routes, with a 14.7% increase to Belfast, 10.2% increase to Glasgow, and 3.3% increase to Edinburgh.
The airport noted that it will add a new route to Dundee this year. The introduction of new market routes and seasonal leisure-oriented routes were major factors for the increase in passenger numbers.
According to the data from Civil Aviation Authority, leisure passengers accounted for 55% of passengers who accessed the airport.
The introduction of Budapest, Vilnius and Warsaw routes by LOT Polish Airline accounted for 194,000 passengers.
BA CityFlyer remained the airport’s biggest airline partner, bringing in 195,000 travellers due to more aircraft and improved load factors, as well as the launch of a route to Munich and the increased frequency of flights to Rome, Zurich and Edinburgh.
London City Airport COO Richard Hill stated: “2019 was a very successful year for London City Airport, with increased demand from passengers and airlines, the launch of new routes and expansion of others, and continued high scores for passenger satisfaction.
“It demonstrates that the combination of speed, convenience, excellent customer service and connectivity to and from the heart of London continues to be a recipe for success.
“That is why we are investing half-a-billion pounds in the transformative City Airport Development Programme to increase capacity and improve our facilities for passengers and airlines. This will ensure we can play a greater role in supporting London as an international destination for business and leisure, while also creating more opportunities for people in East London.”
