There is a further requirement for them to be fitted with what has become known as a "steep approach kit". I believe that the Embraer 135 that operated the Cork route for a while for jet magic was so fitted but now that this aircraft has passed to BMI it is no longer fitted so could not be used currently into LCY.
In addition to commercial airliners there are now upwards of 10 rotations a day, sometimes many more, of business jets through LCY, of which the Falcon 900 is the largest regular user. Shell Oil used to base two there (sem to have moved on recently) and there's the home-based G-LCYA as well.
Shell Aviation used the Falcon 50, the smaller brother of the 900.
Does the Do328JET have clearance for LCY ops? I know the Do328 prop version does.
I think plans for the EMB170 into LCY have been shelved at the moment. I think that when Swiss were looking at the type, one of the points they wanted is that the aircraft could fly in & out of London City. This would involve fitting a large airbrake into the rear of the fuselage & would cost Embraer/Swiss quite alot of money as it would only be a modification carried out on a few airframes. Given Swiss' current financial position, don't think they can afford to give much to the project at the mo!!
Next Jet to aquire LCY ops certification should be the Raytheon/Beech 390 Premier 1 light bizjet.
How about the approach / take off angle and noise emmissions?
Surely an A319 would change the whole nature of the airport? Their whole USP is small aircraft for business passengers, offering rapid loading / unloading.
Haven't Airbus reprogrammed the A318 software to allow steep approaches like at City? I believe they demonstrated it at Farnborough. Came down like a pancake if I remember correctly.....quite something to watch.
Nothing about this on the LCY website yet. Time was when their PR was right up to the moment. Now, as noted on the associated LCY/Euromanx thread, they are well behind the curve. Change of PR person probably.
Another issue with the A319 is the stands. There are only 10 of them (I think) and they are tiny self-manouver ones.
Not sure how agile the A319 is on the ground but even the D8 400 can't get itself on stand there without causing a lot of commotion (one of the many reasons flybe binned that idea).
Seems to me building a parallel taxyway would be easy compared to trying to expand the ramp area!
Once the current works are completed to the west of the terminal (which are small scale) the next area for expansion will be to the east of the terminal building. This will require partial infilling of the KGV dock (the water area right behind the terminal's baggage delivery doors, which wayward bags have been known to drop into from the carts on occasion !), and there will be space there for bigger stands nice and close to the terminal.
A parallel taxiway would require a lot more infilling of this dock.
Given that the current stands were sized for Dash-7s it's quite some skill that gets aircraft like 146s onto them.
