London City airport is now approved for half of all the current business jet types in the fleets of European operators, following the certification of the Raytheon Hawker 400XP light business jet. The airport is also in the final stages of approving the Airbus A318 Elite corporate variant, which will be the first airliner-class business jet to land at the airport.
London City, close to Canary Wharf and the capital’s financial district, has attracted a large proportion of London’s intra-European business jet movements to its Jet Centre fixed-base operation because access for corporate aviation at London Heathrow and Gatwick airports has been restricted, says managing director Richard Gooding.
Fractional operator NetJets Europe now accounts for about half of the airport’s 15,000 annual corporate movements, he adds. Much of this growth has been due to an effort to certificate business jets for the airport’s combined 5.5° steep approach and short 1,320m (4,950ft) runway.
“Our focus has been to get additional aircraft approved to land here and gradually we’ve seen the family widen as manufacturers and operators get their heads around the software and operational requirements,” says Gooding.
The latest aircraft type to receive approval from the airport authorities is the Hawker 400XP, and follows the larger Hawker 800XP, which was cleared earlier this year. NetJets Europe (NJE) applied for the approval and has taken delivery of eight 400XPs as part of a $160 million order for 25 aircraft. Its 17 Cessna Citation Bravos, 18 Excels and 19 800XPs also operate from London City.
While Cessna, Dassault Falcon and Raytheon have several approved types, Gooding admits there are many holes in the certification map, such as Gulfstream. The Learjet 45 is the only Bombardier type currently approved to land and Gooding says attracting an operator to apply for Global Express or Challenger approval is a priority.
He adds that while the A318 has European Aviation Safety Agency certification for the steep approach, its height of 12.56m could be a problem at the small airport. “We are looking at various parking options to satisfy the [UK] Civil Aviation Authority,” he says.
Source: Flight International
