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London City to reopen for commercial flights by end of June

Commercial flights will return to London City Airport by the end of June.

The airport announced that domestic routes will be the first to resume.

International flights will restart early next month but the timing “may depend on the proposed quarantine of passengers arriving into the UK”, according to a statement.

London City’s runway has been closed to commercial and private flights since March 25 due to travel restrictions and the collapse in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

It is normally the UK’s 12th busiest airport, handling 5.1 million passengers last year.

Its location close to the capital’s financial district makes it particularly popular with business travellers.

The airport said in a statement it will introduce a series of measures to “provide reassurance” to passengers once it reopens.

These include temperature checking technology for arriving and departing passengers, providing staff with face masks and visors, and “rigorous” cleaning.

The airport will survey travellers on its database to get their thoughts on the future flying experience.

London City chief executive Robert Sinclair said: “When our doors reopen again shortly, our ambition is to provide the best airport experience in the UK to our passengers by ensuring we follow industry guidance to the letter and by maintaining our reputation as the quickest London airport to get to and through.

“While there are many challenges ahead for the UK aviation industry, it is our hope that by outlining the steps we are taking to make the airport safe, and by incorporating the views of our regular travellers into our plans, we will give people the confidence to fly from our airport to destinations across the UK and Europe.”