Airport guide
London City Airport (EGLC) sits in the Royal Docks, 6 miles east of the City of London and 9 miles east of Westminster — the closest airport to central London by a wide margin. The field is built on a former dockyard and operates a short, steep-approach runway designed specifically for STOL operations and city-center compatibility; that single feature defines the operational character.
The single runway 09/27 is 4,948 feet, with a unique 5.5° approach angle (compared to the standard 3°) that requires specific aircraft and pilot authorization. The authorized list is narrow — Embraer 170/190, BAe 146, Bombardier Q400, and a handful of light and midsize business jets (Citation Mustang, Phenom 100/300, HondaJet, certain Learjets, Cessna Citation CJ4, Embraer Phenom 300E). Heavy and ultra-long-range jets cannot use EGLC; operators flying clients into London from intercontinental origins typically tech-stop at EGGW or EGSS and use light-jet shuttle into EGLC. London City Aviation is the FBO. The strict noise framework limits operations to a single jet runway in use 22 hours a day, weekday-skewed. Field elevation is 19 feet, no density-altitude concerns. Ground time to the City and Canary Wharf is 5–15 minutes via DLR; Westminster is 25–35 by car or 15 by DLR + Jubilee line.