London City Airport shuts at 1pm on Saturday and doesn’t reopen until 10.30am on Sunday. That’s 21 and a half hours, every weekend, and it’s the single most useful thing to know about the place. The airport says it itself: “open every day, but not 24/7”.
In UK local time it runs 4.45am to 10pm Monday to Friday, 4.45am to 1pm on Saturday, and 10.30am to 10pm on Sunday. The closing time can shift with the last flight of the day, so 10pm isn’t a promise either. And you can’t wait it out: passengers aren’t allowed to stay at the airport outside those hours, so there’s no sleeping in the terminal the night before an early flight. They point you to the hotels nearby instead.
Don’t turn up early
Most airports want you there two or three hours ahead. LCY asks you to arrive no more than two hours before your flight, and publishes the numbers behind that: about 20 minutes from walking in to reaching the gate, three minutes through security, eight minutes from boarding to take-off, and fifteen minutes from the plane to the train on the way back. If you’re used to Gatwick, it’s a different sport.
Dropping someone off is expensive
It costs £8 for up to five minutes, then £1 a minute, and the maximum stay is ten minutes. Overstay and the enforcement charge is £100, dropping to £60 if you pay within 14 days, and the cameras are watching. There’s no barrier to pay at, which is the trap: the charge is picked up by number plate recognition and you settle it afterwards on the APCOA website, by midnight the day after. Do it from the car park before you drive off, because nothing at the airport will remind you. Don’t leave the car unattended, either; it will be towed. If you’re collecting rather than dropping, use the separate Pick-up area.
Blue Badge holders have a better deal than most people realise. You can register for 10 minutes free in the drop-off area and 60 minutes free in Pick-up, and you can apply even if you don’t drive or own a car, because the exemption attaches to the vehicle that drops you off, whether that’s a taxi or a friend’s car. Registration takes an email address, a password, your name and one upload of the badge, and approval takes a while, so do it before you travel.
Security: leave it all in the bag, but mind the 100ml
This is the rule that confuses people, because it sounds contradictory. LCY’s CT scanners mean you can keep everything in your hand luggage, including liquids, laptops and tablets, with no clear plastic bag and no unpacking. But a Department for Transport directive from 9 June 2024 brought back the 100ml limit, so each bottle or tube still has to be 100ml or less, with the volume readable on the original label. Taking a 200ml bottle because you heard the rules had relaxed will still cost you the bottle.
A few smaller things. Smart watches go in the tray while ordinary watches can stay on your wrist. You’re allowed one lighter each. If you shoot film, declare it to the security officer before the bag goes into the scanner, since CT scanners damage undeveloped film.
On what you can carry, the airport’s tables are useful. E-cigarettes are fine in hand luggage but not in the hold. Power banks and lithium batteries are a “check with your airline” in the cabin and not allowed in the hold at all. Oxygen cylinders can go in hand luggage but not the hold. For medication there’s no limit on tablets or capsules, and liquid medicines over 100ml are allowed with a prescription or a letter from a medical professional on headed paper. Ice packs are fine if you can show the medicine needs keeping cool, and inhalers, syringes, CPAP and TENS machines are all permitted. On some routes you may be asked to switch your devices on, so charge them first.
Getting there
The DLR is the only sensible way. LCY is in fare Zone 3, trains run every four to ten minutes, and you pay with contactless like any other Zone 3 journey, with no airport premium. It links to the Elizabeth line, the Overground and the Underground, the whole network is step-free, and a lift takes you from the DLR platforms up to the terminal.
Three buses also serve the airport: the 129 (Lewisham to Galleons Reach), the 473 (North Woolwich to Stratford) and the 474 (Canning Town to Manor Park), which runs 24 hours and is useful given the airport itself doesn’t. The 473 and 474 connect with the SL2 Superloop at North Woolwich.
If you’re driving, the terminal postcode is E16 2PX, but the terminal car park, which is where Blue Badge parking and the Pick-up area are, is E16 2PB, so a satnav set to the terminal won’t take you there. There’s also a Premium car park closest to the terminal with bays 50 per cent larger than standard. The airport is about five miles from the City of London, which is the whole point of it.
London City Airport
- Address
- Terminal building E16 2PX, terminal car park E16 2PB. GPS 51.502982, 0.053069
- Nearest
- Docklands Light Railway, fare Zone 3, trains every 4 to 10 minutes, with a lift from the DLR platforms to the terminal. Buses 129, 473 and 474, the 474 running 24 hours. Connects to the Elizabeth line, Overground and Underground
- Hours
- Monday to Friday 4:45 to 22:00, Saturday 4:45 to 13:00, Sunday 10:30 to 22:00. Closing times can change with the last flight of the day, and passengers may not remain at the airport outside these hours
- Booking
- Parking should be pre-booked. Drop-off is paid afterwards online via APCOA, by midnight the day after
- Price
- Drop-off 8 pounds for up to 5 minutes then 1 pound a minute, maximum stay 10 minutes, with a 100 pound enforcement charge for overstaying, reduced to 60 within 14 days. Blue Badge holders can register for 10 minutes free in Drop-off and 60 minutes free in Pick-up
- Standing
- London’s most central airport, five miles from the City of London in the Royal Docks, publishing 20 minutes from entry to gate and 3 minutes through security
How to get in
The airport shuts from 13:00 on Saturday until 10:30 on Sunday, a 21 and a half hour closure every weekend, and passengers may not stay on site outside opening hours. The airport asks travellers to arrive no more than two hours before a flight. CT scanners mean liquids and large electronics stay inside hand luggage, but the 100ml container limit still applies and the volume must be visible on the original label. Smart watches go in the tray while other watches stay on the wrist, only one lighter is allowed per person, and camera film must be declared before the scanner. The drop-off charge is paid online after the visit, by midnight the following day, with no barrier to pay at.
Where to go next
What the tube costs covers the Zone 3 fare, and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is the nearest day out on the DLR.
The best hotels in London covers where to stay, and Uber Boat by Thames Clippers is the other eastern transport worth knowing.
Questions we get asked
What time does London City Airport close?
Monday to Friday it runs 4:45 to 22:00, Saturday 4:45 to 13:00, and Sunday 10:30 to 22:00. That means it is closed from one o'clock on Saturday afternoon until half past ten on Sunday morning, a gap of 21 and a half hours every weekend. Closing times can also shift with the last flight of the day, and passengers are not permitted to remain at the airport outside opening hours.
Can you sleep at London City Airport?
No. The airport states that passengers may not stay outside its published opening hours, so there is no overnight waiting and no arriving the night before an early flight. It points travellers to the hotels close by instead. Since the airport is shut from 1pm Saturday to 10:30am Sunday, this matters most at weekends.
How early should you arrive at London City Airport?
No more than two hours before your flight, which is the airport's own request rather than a minimum. It publishes 20 minutes from entry to gate and 3 minutes through security, and 8 minutes from boarding to take off, so the usual airport arithmetic does not apply here.
How much is drop-off at London City Airport?
£8 for up to 5 minutes, then £1 per minute, with a maximum stay of 10 minutes. Overstaying triggers a £100 enforcement charge, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days, enforced by CCTV. There is no barrier: charges are tracked by number plate recognition and paid afterwards on the APCOA website, and you must settle by midnight the day after to avoid extra fees. Vehicles left unattended are towed.
Do you still need to take liquids out at London City Airport?
No, but the 100ml limit still applies. LCY's CT scanners mean you keep everything, including liquids and large electronics, inside your hand luggage, and no plastic bag is needed. However, following a Department for Transport directive from 9 June 2024, each liquid or gel container must still be 100ml or less, with the volume clearly visible on the original product label. So you do not unpack, but you cannot bring larger bottles.
Can Blue Badge holders park free at London City Airport?
Yes, with registration in advance. Blue Badge holders get 10 minutes free in the Drop-off area and 60 minutes free in the Pick-up area. Importantly, you can apply even if you do not drive or own a vehicle: the exemption is applied to the vehicle that drops you off, which can be a taxi or a friend's car. Registration requires an email address, your name and one upload of the badge, and approval takes time.
How do you get to London City Airport?
The DLR, which serves the airport directly in fare Zone 3 with trains every 4 to 10 minutes and contactless pay as you go, connecting to the Elizabeth line, Overground and Underground. The network is step-free and a lift links the DLR platforms to the terminal. Three bus routes also serve it: the 129, 473 and 474, with the 474 running 24 hours. The terminal postcode is E16 2PX and the car park E16 2PB.
Can you take camera film through London City Airport security?
Yes, but declare it to the security officer before the bag enters the CT scanner, as the airport specifically instructs. CT scanners damage undeveloped film, so a hand inspection is necessary rather than optional. Smart watches also need to go in the tray, while other watches can stay on your wrist, and only one cigarette lighter is permitted per person.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 395 in the guide.
Last checked 6 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
