The short answer
London City is small and built for speed, so you don't need to arrive as early as at Heathrow or Gatwick. In practice:
- Hand luggage only, checked in online: about 1 hour before departure.
- Dropping a bag: about 75 to 90 minutes.
- Busy times, such as early weekday mornings or the start of school holidays: add 15 to 30 minutes.
The airport also asks passengers not to arrive more than 2 hours before their flight, as the terminal is small.
The deadlines
When we checked in October 2026, the airport's published deadlines were:
- Check-in and bag drop close 30 minutes before departure. If you've checked in online but have a bag, it must be dropped by then.
- You must be through security at least 20 minutes before departure.
These are much shorter than at most UK airports, where bag drop often closes 40 to 60 minutes before departure. But they are strict: if you miss them, you won't fly. Your airline may have its own rules, so check your booking too.
Why London City is so quick
The airport has a single, compact terminal. On a normal day, it's only a short walk from the entrance to security and from security to the gates. Most passengers fly with hand luggage, many of them on business, and flights use smaller planes, so queues build up less than at the big airports.
That doesn't mean it's never busy. Early weekday mornings, when many business flights leave close together, are the busiest time. The first days of school holidays can be busy too, as more leisure travellers use London City for short breaks and ski trips.
Security and liquids
London City was the first UK airport to install new security scanners, and in 2023 it briefly allowed liquids of up to 2 litres in hand luggage. Since then, the rules at UK airports have changed back and forth, and recent guides in autumn 2026 said London City's 100ml limit applied.
The safest approach is to pack liquids in containers of 100ml or less in a clear, resealable bag, unless the airport's own security page says otherwise when you fly. Check it a few days before you travel.
To get through faster:
- Keep your liquids bag at the top of your hand luggage.
- Empty water bottles before security and refill them airside.
- Have your boarding pass ready on your phone, with a screenshot in case of poor signal.
Getting there
DLR: London City Airport has its own station on the Docklands Light Railway, right beside the terminal. Trains run to Bank in the City of London in about 22 minutes, and there are usually trains every few minutes during the day. From Canning Town, you can change to the Jubilee line. If you're coming on the Elizabeth line, use the TfL Journey Planner to find the best change for the DLR.
Taxi or being dropped off: the airport is in east London, near ExCeL and Canary Wharf, and traffic can be slow at rush hour. Allow extra time by road, especially on weekday mornings.
The airport opens at about 4.45am from Monday to Saturday and later on Sundays, so the earliest flights still need some planning.
Checklist for the night before
Check in online and save your boarding pass to your phone, along with a screenshot in case the signal drops. Because London City's deadlines are so short, it's worth checking your flight time again the night before, and making sure you know whether your bag needs to be dropped.
If you're flying with hand luggage, check the size and weight limits for your airline. Smaller planes at London City sometimes have tighter overhead space, and larger cabin bags may be taken to the hold at the gate. Pack your liquids so they're easy to reach, and keep chargers and laptops together.
Finally, plan your journey to the airport with a few minutes of slack. The DLR is reliable, but a missed connection or a busy road can easily eat the time you've saved.
Worked example
Say you have a 9.30am flight to Amsterdam on a Thursday with hand luggage only, and you're coming from central London by DLR.
- Security closes 20 minutes before departure, at 9.10am.
- Aim to arrive at the airport by about 8.30am, an hour before departure, which leaves time for a busier-than-usual queue.
- From Bank, the DLR takes about 22 minutes, so leave Bank by about 8am, with a few minutes spare for waiting.
If you had a bag, you'd aim to arrive by about 8.15am, to be sure of dropping it well before the 30-minute cut-off.
Where could you go from London City?
London City's routes are mostly short city hops and, in season, holiday and ski flights. British Airways, through its BA CityFlyer arm, flies most of them. KLM flies to Amsterdam, and Luxair to Luxembourg. Routes change by season, so check the airport's destinations page.
Depending on the season, ideas from our guides include:
If you can't decide where to go, read our guide to how to decide where to go on holiday, or put a few ideas into somewhere.party and let the draw choose.
