As a local resident (Royal Victoria Dock) and frequent flier from LCY, here are my thoughts:

1. BA's A318 couldn't take off fully loaded, it had to stop in Shannon on the way to JFK. So I assume any A320 flights would also be weight restricted, given that a fully-loaded A320 requires 2,000m vs. LCY's 1,500m.

2. I would be very interested to know if (and how) any safety margins are being stretched/altered to allow this? I thought the A220/E2-195 were big enough at this airport, and feel somewhat uncomfortable having even bigger aircraft on such a short runway.

3. Even if approved, it all depends on whether airlines actually want to fly bigger planes to LCY. The E2-195 was certified for steep approach over a year ago but no carriers (such as KLM) have chosen to fly this type to LCY yet, and there's no sign of this changing anytime soon. So what rationale does the airport have for thinking even bigger jets such as the A320 would be an option here?

As a side note, I went to a consultation held in the local area for residents a couple of years ago regarding extended operating hours, and they kept pushing the message that "only next-generation aircraft would fly during the extended hours", to which I pointed out that it's ultimately down to the airlines to decide which aircraft they purchase and operate at LCY, and that none of the largest carrier's (BA) aircraft at LCY were next-generation. Of course they had no response! This current proposal feels similar in that there's an assumption airlines would be happy to operate the A320 here.

4. Most of the LCY stands on the west side of the terminal can only handle E190 and nothing bigger, meaning the bigger stands could become congested if carriers did move towards larger aircraft at LCY.

5. LCY risks losing its 'exclusive' feel if more standard aircraft such as the A320 are used. Customers like myself enjoy the 2-2 layout on the Embraers and choose LCY for that experience. Many passengers using LCY for business fly in Economy class when travelling on an Embraer (my flights with KLM often have only 1 or 2 rows of Business).

6. If this is LCY's solution to increasing the pax numbers without flight movements, I would still like to know what the overall impact in terms of noise will be. I assume the A320 will be noisier for those like me living below the flight path due to its larger size?


Overall, I really don't think it's realistic!
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