London City Airport Is Closed Because of a World War II Bomb
London City Airport (LCY) remains closed on Monday, with all flights canceled, following the discovery of a World War II bomb nearby the airport in the River Thames. Airport officials have confirmed that the airport will remain closed all day while the unexploded bomb is removed.
The closure is expected to affect up to 16,000 passengers on a total of 261 arrival and departures that were scheduled to operate through LCY on Monday. Passengers are being advised not to come to the airport on Monday, but instead to contact their airline for further information.
The bomb was discovered at George V Dock on Sunday during planned work at the airport. After locating the bomb, the airport was officially shut at 10:00pm local time on Sunday. As reported by BBC, the Met Police said that it was working with the Royal Navy to remove the bomb. About a 700-foot exclusion zone has been established by where the bomb was found, which will likely be expanded as the removal process begins.
The airport closure has caused issues for both to-be departed flights, as well as those that were already en route. For example, British Airways' all-business-class A318, which departed from New York (JFK) bound for LCY, was diverted to London Gatwick (LGW).
Other airlines are taking to rebooking passengers on other London-bound or departing flights from airports other than LCY. For example, Alitalia tweeted that four of its flights (AZ212, AZ211, AZ216 and AZ215) will now depart from London's Stansted Airport (STN). The carrier is still recommending that passengers check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.
Other airlines that fly to LCY include British Airways, Flybe, KLM, Lufthansa, Swiss and TAP Portugal, among some smaller regional airlines. British Airways, Flybe and Swiss are all advising passengers to contact their respective airline for alternate travel plans.
Although not the largest of London's airports, LCY transported 4.5 million passengers last year.