London City Airport unveils a major investment in refurbishing its departure area to enhance the customer experience for its passengers and celebrate London businesses and brands. The airport is embarking on £12m (approx. USD13.6m) upgrade along with SSP, Lagardère Travel Retail and WHSmith, which will see more seating, two new stylish dining experiences, duty free expansion, new retail space, more washrooms and a brand-new look and feel throughout the departure lounge.

London City Airport chief executive officer, Robert Sinclair, said: “Whilst Covid has postponed our plans to build an entirely new terminal building, it has not diminished our ambition to invest in providing a London centric experience we know passengers want and have been waiting for.

“Our recovery in 2022 has been strong, and we and our partners, want to be ready to deliver an even better service in 2023 for even more passengers. The refurbishment, which is set to be completed by Summer 2023, will be carried out in phases with new food & beverage and retail units opening before old ones close, to create a seamless transition for passengers using the airport.

Lagardère Travel Retail will launch a tailored Aelia Duty Free Store including an ‘It’s London’ boutique celebrating the best of local producers and distilleries with a seasonally rotating offer. Exciting premium brands such as Creed and Aesop will be welcomed and passengers will be able to enjoy a wide range of refreshments from locally crafted beers to an expanded range of champagne, which will sit in a stylish ‘Champagne Cave’.

The upgrade will increase seating by 30% (950 in total), with the creation of a new area in front of a brand new 200mtr² flagship WHSmith store in Autumn 2022, which will also boast an expanded and distinctively London product range, and one-stop-shop solution with books, magazines, health & beauty products, souvenirs, digital accessories, plus food and drink options.

The airport is also upgrading existing washroom facilities, including creating a new facility in its west pier, revamping those in international arrivals and doubling the size of facilities immediately after security. As part of London City Airport’s commitment to sustainability, the refurbishment will also see 98% of waste produced by construction be diverted from landfill and recycled. Partners will also support the airport’s ambitions to eliminate all single use plastics, to become a zero-waste airport and to be a London Living Wage Zone.