London City Airport is finally getting its first lounge

London City Airport has operated since 1987 without a proper departure lounge – and for most of its existence, that has been entirely the point.

Sitting roughly 14km from the heart of London, LCY is perhaps the world's most conveniently located airport.

Forget about arriving hours before your flight. London City is a turn-up-and-go airport where passengers usually stroll in close to the boarding time and head straight to the gate.

The airport's whole character is shaped by the fast-paced financial districts it serves: Canary Wharf is practically in the flight path.

That's about to change, at least for passengers who want it to, with the opening of a new Aspire lounge set for early 2027.

Touted as a dedicated luxury lounge, its design centres on a five-star hotel-style lobby that transitions passengers from security into the lounge space, with interiors that look out across the runway.

The new Aspire Lounge at London City Airport.

A centrepiece cocktail bar and barista station will anchor the room, serving “an evolving food and drinks menu.”

Dedicated workspace with private booths is included – a nod to the fact that nearly half of London City's passengers are travelling for business.

The lounge will be open to all passengers, bookable in advance or on a walk-in basis, with an annual membership option also on the cards.

The new Aspire Lounge at London City Airport.

As with other Aspire lounges around the world, it’s also expected that some airlines will provide access to business class passengers and their highest-tier frequent flyers.

There’s something slightly ironic about adding a lounge to an airport whose defining virtue is that you rarely have time to use one.

But the Aspire partnership may reflect a broader shift at LCY, which is targeting an increase in annual passenger capacity from 6.5 million to 9 million over the next five years, following a significant upgrade to its main departure area in 2024.

The new Aspire Lounge at London City Airport.

A larger airport serving more routes may simply attract passengers who have more time, and higher expectations.

It’s worth remembering the physical constraints that make London City what it is.

The airport has a single 1.5km runway and requires aircraft certified to fly a steep 5.5-degree approach – almost double the standard glide path.

The result is that the dominant jets here are single-aisle aircraft like the Airbus A220 and A320 series, and the Embraer E190, making relatively short hops to UK and European destinations.

One fascinating exception was British Airways’ BA1, which flew from London City to New York in a specially configured all-business-class Airbus A318.

BA's 'all business class' A318 connected London City and New York JFK.

Because the short runway prevented a full fuel load at departure, the flight stopped at Ireland’s Shannon airport to refuel, while passengers cleared US customs and immigration, before continuing to New York as domestic arrivals.

Read more: We review British Airways’ all-business-class flight from London City to New York