London City Airport has opened a public consultation on adding a new, shallower 4.49° approach path, down from its current 5.5° steep glideslope, to widen the range of aircraft that can operate into the Docklands Airport, notably including the Airbus A320neo.
The change would be delivered through RNP-AR (Required Navigation Performance – Authorisation Required) instrument procedures, designed to keep arrival tracks close to today’s paths while maintaining safe obstacle clearance in London City’s dense urban environment. The airport says the existing steep approach would remain in place for most traffic, with PAPI lights still set to 5.5°, while only authorised operators/aircraft would be permitted to use the new procedure.
According to the consultation material, the airport is still finalising some technical elements, including the RNP values (outlined as potentially starting at 1.0 and tightening to 0.3 on final, with the possibility of going to 0.1 if operationally beneficial). If approved, the additional approach would take effect from 21 January 2027, and the consultation runs until 17 May 2026.
London City argues that the move supports “sustainable” growth: fewer flights overall over 2027–2038 than in the baseline forecast, while carrying more passengers, alongside reduced noise exposure for local communities.
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