Plan for 50% more flights at City is ready to take off

City Airport could see a 50 per cent increase in the number of flights using its runway with a decision on a crucial planning application this week.

Newham council, which meets on Wednesday to discuss the proposal, is expected to grant permission for the expansion following a report by its inspector Sunil Sahadevan.

The airport will then be free to increase air traffic from 80,000 flights a year to 120,000. City bosses developed the plan for more flights in response to the Government's Aviation White Paper, which requires airport operators to maximise use of existing runways before building new ones.

Residents near the airport have complained that noise levels are already at an unacceptable level but Mr Sahadevansays that restrictions on flights could appease their concerns.

In his report, Mr Sahadevan is expected to highlight the fact that the extra flights could create 1,000 jobs for people in the area.

The airport is so confident that its proposal will be approved that it is working on a further planning application to raise capacity to eight million passengers a year, continuing its expansion into leisure flights.

A spokesman said: "We once were 100 per cent business travellers but now we have an increasing number of leisure passengers."