The busiest route at London City Airport is set to make comeback as KLM revealed they are to resume flying from the gateway to Amsterdam/Schiphol from July 13.
Linking Central London to the capital city of the Netherlands, the route will begin as a single daily service, with frequency increases expected as demand for travel returns.
According to the facility, the connection is popular with both business and leisure travellers. Operated through the carrier’s regional subsidiary KLM Cityhopper, the route will be serviced using an Embraer E190 aircraft carrying 100 passengers.
Benedicte Duval, general manager for UK and Ireland, said: “After this challenging period, we are delighted to be able to resume operations from Central London. Our partnership with London City Airport has been a huge success since we first launched the route in February 2016. Pre-COVID, we were operating up to nine flights a day, so we look forward to increasing capacity in line with demand over the coming months.”
Last year, Amsterdam was the most popular route at the East London gateway. More than 660,000 passengers flew between the two European cities, an increase of 6.9% from the previous year.
Richard Hill, London City Airport’s chief commercial officer: “KLM’s return to London City Airport is another positive sign of recovery as we resume passenger flights. We have been working hard with our airline partners to re-establish routes and this is an important milestone, restoring a very popular connection between two of Europe’s most important cities.”
In response to the Coronavirus, the airport suspended commercial and private flights between March 25 and June 21. During this period, the facility worked behind the scenes to create a safe environment for passengers and staff.
Measures include contact-free temperature checking technology, crowd monitoring software, an enhanced cleaning regime using anti-microbial surface treatment and social distancing procedures such as one-way systems and plastic screens.