Crossrail go-ahead puts City Airport's future in doubt

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The airport, in Docklands, hopes to expand from almost three million passengers a year to eight million by 2030 by doubling the number of annual flights to 143,000.

But the London Development Agency is set to refuse to sell the airport a parcel of land it controls at Albert Island that has been earmarked for extra staff facilities. LDA chief executive Manny Lewis said work had begun on drawing up a vision of a new community in the Royal Docks if the airport shuts. "They can't expand without the LDA land," he said.

Crossrail, due to open in 2017, would cut travel times between Canary Wharf and Heathrow to 43 minutes and between the City and Heathrow to about 25 minutes.

Mr Lewis said: "It raises questions about City airport's long-term viability. We also have this issue about our own housing agenda - we don't want development in the Royal Docks stymied by the rapid growth of the airport, with the noise and environmental impacts."

A City Airport spokeswoman declined to comment.