London City invests £12m in departure lounge revamp

London City Airport has started a £12 million revamp of its departure lounge to create more seating, dining and shopping options for passengers.

The upgrade will see 30% more seating – up to 950 in total – plus two new dining outlets and expanded duty free and retail space, along with new and expanded toilets.

The work will be carried out in phases to avoid disruption and is set for completion by summer 2023.

The airport has seen 2.17 million passengers so far in 2022 and is on course to reach three million for the full year.

Lagardère Travel Retail will launch a tailored Aelia Duty Free Store including an ‘It’s London’ boutique featuring local producers and distilleries.

A new WHSmith store will open in the autumn with an expanded range of London products.

The City Bar & Grill will be replaced by the new Juniper restaurant next spring 2023, and the Cabin Bar will be replaced by a new restaurant brand.

The refurbishment will see 98% of waste produced by construction be diverted from landfill and recycled.

Robert Sinclair, airport chief executive, said: “Whilst Covid has postponed our plans to build an entirely new terminal building, it has not diminished our ambition to invest in providing a London centric experience we know passengers want and have been waiting for.

“Our recovery in 2022 has been strong, and we and our partners, want to be ready to deliver an even better service in 2023 for even more passengers.”