London City Airport

About London City Airport

London City Airport (LCY) is the closest airport to central London, sitting about 11 km east in the Royal Docks beside Canary Wharf. It handles around 3.5 million passengers a year through a single compact terminal designed for short turnarounds, with most flights from gate to taxiway in well under 15 minutes. The runway and approach are short, so City is served mostly by smaller narrow-body and regional aircraft. British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM and Loganair operate the bulk of services to European business destinations such as Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Zurich, Edinburgh and Dublin. The DLR connects to Bank, but for door-to-door luggage and the City a pre-booked car is usually faster.

Getting from London City Airport to London

A private transfer from City Airport covers short distances by London standards, but traffic still matters. Canary Wharf is around 5 km away and typically takes 10 to 20 minutes. The City of London sits 8 km west, with drives of 20 to 35 minutes via the A13 and Limehouse Link. Reaching the West End at 11 to 13 km usually takes 30 to 45 minutes depending on time of day. Fixed prices and flight tracking remove the worry of meter-driven surges if the M11 or Blackwall Tunnel back up, and there are no airport surcharges added at pickup.

Terminals and pickup points

London City has one terminal, with all departures and arrivals under the same roof. After baggage reclaim and customs you exit into the small arrivals area on the ground floor. Your driver meets you there with a name sign, near the main exit. The terminal is small enough that locating the meeting point takes well under a minute. Short-stay parking is directly outside, and the DLR station sits above the terminal. Your booking confirmation lists the exact meeting point and a support number for any same-day questions.

Common transfer routes from London City Airport

• City Airport to Canary Wharf: 5 km, 10 to 20 minutes
• City Airport to the City of London: 8 km, 20 to 35 minutes
• City Airport to West End (Mayfair, Soho): 13 km, 30 to 45 minutes
• City Airport to Kensington: 18 km, 35 to 55 minutes
• City Airport to King’s Cross or St Pancras: 11 km, 25 to 40 minutes
• City Airport to Heathrow: 40 km, 60 to 100 minutes
• City Airport to Gatwick: 55 km, 60 to 100 minutes
• City Airport to ExCeL: 1 km, 5 to 10 minutes

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Booking your London City Airport transfer

Enter LCY, add your London address and your flight number. You will see a fixed price for a licensed, insured local operator, with flight tracking, a meet-and-greet name sign in arrivals, 60 minutes of free wait time and free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup. Pay with Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Alipay or iDEAL or Wero. Confirmation arrives by email with the driver’s details before the day of travel.