A Guide to London City Airport (LCY)

London City Airport is the banker’s airport: a single short runway in the Royal Docks, minutes from Canary Wharf, built for people who measure a trip in meeting slots rather than days. It is the only London airport actually inside London, and for anyone working in the financial districts it turns the usual airport-to-desk slog into a short hop.

It is also the most unusual arrival in British aviation, which is worth understanding before you book. This guide covers the approach, the layout, the journey into town, and how a chauffeur pickup works at an airport this compact.

The Steep Approach and the Short Runway

LCY sits on a narrow strip between two former docks, hemmed in by water and the towers of East London. To get in, aircraft fly an unusually steep descent (a glide angle markedly sharper than the standard approach) and stop on a runway around a kilometre and a half long. Only certain aircraft types may serve the airport, and crews must be specifically certified for it.

For the passenger this has two practical consequences. First, the arrival feels different: steeper, firmer, quicker to a stop. It is normal for LCY. Second, the aircraft are small, regional jets and similar, so the route map is European and short-haul, focused on business destinations such as Amsterdam, Zurich, Frankfurt and Edinburgh. If you need long-haul, you need Heathrow.

One more quirk worth knowing: LCY keeps restricted operating hours, including a weekend break, as part of its arrangement with the surrounding neighbourhood. Check your airline’s schedule rather than assuming a late Saturday flight exists.

Small Is the Entire Point

The terminal is one modest building, and that is not a shortcoming; it is the product. Kerb to gate can take minutes rather than the better part of an hour, security queues are short by London standards, and arriving passengers walk from aircraft to street in a fraction of the time the big hubs require.

Frequent flyers on the Amsterdam to London run, a route we know well from the other end at Schiphol, often plan around LCY precisely because the airport itself consumes so little of the day. When the route exists from your origin city, it is usually the right choice for a City or Docklands meeting. When it does not, Gatwick and Heathrow carry the load.

Getting from London City Airport into London

Destination	DLR	Car, typical
Canary Wharf	About 10 to 15 min	About 10 to 15 min
Bank / City of London	About 20 to 25 min	20 to 30 min
West End / Mayfair	35 to 45 min with changes	30 to 45 min or more
Westminster	35 to 45 min with changes	30 to 45 min or more

The DLR station is connected directly to the terminal, and for Canary Wharf and Bank it is genuinely excellent: quick, frequent and cheap. A solo traveller with a cabin bag heading to a desk in the Wharf has little reason to do anything else, and we will say so plainly.

The car case begins where the DLR thins out. Heading west (Mayfair, Westminster, a hotel in Knightsbridge) means changes and escalators with luggage, and East London traffic in the other direction means road times that vary with the hour. A pre-booked car resolves the variance in your favour: door to door, one fixed price agreed at booking, no queue and no surge. That is the standard structure of our airport transfers, and at LCY it comes with an advantage no big hub can offer: the walk from gate to car is measured in metres.

How a Chauffeur Pickup Works at LCY

Send the flight number, the passenger count and the destination. You receive one fixed price and a confirmation. That price does not move for traffic, delay or anything else.

We track the flight free of charge, so the pickup follows the aircraft, not the schedule. Your chauffeur (screened, English-speaking) waits with a name board just beyond arrivals, which at LCY means within sight of the exit. Luggage is handled, and you are in an S-Class or a V-Class minutes after leaving the aircraft. For teams running multi-stop London days, the same booking can hold the car and chauffeur for the whole schedule under our corporate transportation service.

Private Aviation at City Airport London

Alongside the airline terminal, LCY operates a dedicated private jet centre, and its position makes it one of the most useful business-aviation entry points to the capital. The aircraft lands practically inside the city it is visiting.

We work with private aviation clients constantly, including through the Schiphol VIP Centre and the Jet Aviation FBO in Rotterdam, and the pattern at City Airport is the same: the car is coordinated with the operator, positioned for the actual arrival, and waiting when the steps come down. If the itinerary continues beyond London (a meeting in the City, then a drive to the country, then a departure from another airfield), we quote the entire route as one fixed price through our chauffeur service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where exactly is London City Airport?

In the Royal Docks in East London, on a strip of land between two former docks. It is the only London airport actually inside the city. Canary Wharf is roughly 10 to 15 minutes away, the City of London around 20 to 30 minutes by road or DLR, and the West End further: allow 30 to 45 minutes or more by car depending on traffic.

Why do planes descend so steeply into London City Airport?

The approach uses an unusually steep glide angle so aircraft can clear the surrounding buildings and stop on the short runway. Only certain aircraft types and specially certified crews may fly it. For passengers it simply means a noticeably steeper, firmer arrival than usual, normal for LCY, and nothing to worry about.

How do I get from London City Airport into central London?

The DLR station is connected directly to the terminal, with trains toward Canary Wharf and Bank. For the financial districts it is genuinely quick and hard to beat. For the West End, Westminster or a hotel away from the line, a pre-booked car door to door is the more comfortable option, particularly with luggage or colleagues.

How does a chauffeur pickup work at LCY?

Book with your flight number and destination, and the price is fixed at booking. We track the flight free of charge, so the pickup follows your actual landing. Because the terminal is so small, your chauffeur is moments from the exit with a name board, and you can be in the car within minutes of leaving the aircraft.

Does London City Airport handle private jets?

Yes. LCY has a dedicated private jet centre alongside the main terminal, and its position makes it a favoured business-aviation entry point for the capital. We regularly coordinate car-to-aircraft timings with operators and FBOs for private aviation clients, the same way we work with the Jet Aviation FBO in Rotterdam.

Should I fly into LCY or Heathrow for a London business trip?

If your business is in the City, Canary Wharf or Docklands and LCY has a route from your origin, City wins on total journey time. The airport is small and practically next door. Heathrow wins on route network and long-haul options. Many frequent travellers use LCY whenever the route exists and Heathrow when it does not.

Book Your London City Airport Transfer

LCY does its half of the job in minutes; the ground leg should match. Send us the flight number and the destination, and you get back one fixed price, a confirmed car and a chauffeur standing metres from arrivals when you land. Book your LCY transfer, or see our prices for how fixed-fare quoting works.