London City Airport (LCY) sits in the Docklands, a short hop from Canary Wharf and the City — which makes it the airport of choice for a lot of business travel, even though it's smaller and less written-about than Heathrow or Gatwick. From the City itself, our EC1–EC4 airport transfer guide covers pickup points that work around Bank and Liverpool Street.
It is also, for a large part of south-east London, simply the nearest airport there is. Greenwich, Charlton, Woolwich and Thamesmead are all closer to the Royal Docks than to any other terminal, and with the Silvertown Tunnel now open the river crossing is far less of an obstacle than it used to be. See our London City Airport transfer page for routes and estimates.
Prices below are estimates and may vary by traffic, time of day and vehicle; we confirm the final fare when you book.
Pickup and drop-off at London City
- Drop-off charge — London City was the last of the six London airports to introduce one, from January 2026: £8 for up to 5 minutes, then roughly £1 per extra minute up to a 10-minute cap, billed by camera. See our UK airport drop-off charges guide for how payment and penalties work.
- Terminal size — LCY is compact and single-terminal, so pickups and meet-and-greet are straightforward compared with a sprawling hub airport.
Picking someone up at London City Airport
This is the part that catches people out, because collecting an arriving passenger is charged separately from dropping one off, and it costs more.
- Dropping off uses the forecourt zone directly outside the terminal — £8 for up to 5 minutes.
- Picking up is not done on that forecourt. Collections use the Short Stay car park, immediately next to the terminal, and it is charged as parking rather than as a drop-off. As published by the airport in August 2026, that is £10.00 for up to 20 minutes and £16.90 for 20–30 minutes. The car park is cashless — card only.
Tariffs change, so check the airport's own parking page for the current figure before you travel. But the shape of it is unlikely to change: at London City, collecting is the expensive direction.
That matters more than the headline number suggests, because the two situations aren't symmetrical. A drop-off takes two minutes and you control the timing. A collection means waiting for a flight you don't control, then for the passenger to clear the terminal — and the meter is running the entire time. A delayed arrival can quietly move you from one price band to the next while you sit there.
Two practical ways round it:
- Wait off-airport until they're actually through. Ask the passenger to message you when they have their bags and are walking out, then start the short drive in. Arriving early achieves nothing except a longer stay.
- Pre-book the collection instead. With a booked car, the driver deals with the airport's arrangements and the waiting allowance is part of the booking rather than a parking tariff ticking upward. Give the flight number so the pickup tracks the actual landing time — how airport waiting time works explains the allowances.
Blue Badge holders are exempt from the drop-off charge. Our UK airport drop-off charges guide covers how the exemption and the payment process work across all the London airports.
Journey times from London City
- To Canary Wharf — around 10–15 minutes; this is the airport's biggest advantage for business travellers heading straight to the docks.
- To the City / Bank — roughly 25–35 minutes depending on traffic.
- To the West End / central London — roughly 35–50 minutes.
These are estimates only — traffic around the Docklands and the Blackwall Tunnel/Silvertown corridor can add time at peak hours.
For transfers starting in the surrounding east London postcodes, see the area pages for Canary Wharf & Poplar, Canning Town & Royal Docks, Stratford, Plaistow, East Ham, Forest Gate, Manor Park, Bow, Bethnal Green, Whitechapel & Stepney, Clapton, Chingford and South Woodford.
Minicab vs the DLR
The Docklands Light Railway connects LCY directly to Canary Wharf and the City, and for a solo traveller with light luggage it's a genuinely fast option. Where a minicab wins is exactly what draws people to LCY in the first place — a pre-booked, door-to-door transfer straight to a meeting or hotel, without navigating platforms and interchanges with a laptop bag and wheeled case in hand, and it scales properly for a group in a way a DLR platform at rush hour doesn't.
Business transfers from LCY
Because LCY skews toward business travel, an Executive-class vehicle is a common choice here — the short Docklands-to-Canary-Wharf run is exactly the kind of transfer where a premium car makes sense. If you live in Hackney, Leyton or Walthamstow, our guide to which airport to use from north-east London explains why City is often the closest.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How much is the drop-off charge at London City Airport? A: £8 for up to 5 minutes, then roughly £1 per extra minute up to a 10-minute cap, billed by camera. LCY was the last of the six London airports to introduce one, from January 2026.
Q: Is there a charge to pick someone up at London City Airport? A: Yes, and it is separate from the drop-off charge. Collections use the Short Stay car park next to the terminal and are charged as parking — as published by the airport in August 2026, £10.00 for up to 20 minutes and £16.90 for 20–30 minutes, card only. Check the airport's parking page for current prices.
Q: Where is the pick-up point at London City Airport? A: Not the forecourt — that is the drop-off zone. Pick-ups use the Short Stay car park immediately adjacent to the terminal, a short walk from arrivals.
Q: Is it cheaper to drop off or pick up at London City Airport? A: Dropping off is cheaper: £8 for up to 5 minutes on the forecourt, against £10 for up to 20 minutes in the Short Stay car park for a collection. Collections also tend to run longer, because you are waiting on a flight and on the passenger clearing the terminal.
Q: How long does a minicab take from London City Airport to Canary Wharf? A: Around 10–15 minutes. That proximity is the airport's biggest advantage for business travellers heading straight to the docks.
Q: How far is London City Airport from the City and the West End? A: Roughly 25–35 minutes to the City and Bank, and roughly 35–50 minutes to the West End. Traffic around the Docklands and the Blackwall Tunnel corridor can add time at peak hours.
Q: Is the DLR or a minicab better from London City Airport? A: The DLR connects directly to Canary Wharf and the City and is genuinely fast for a solo traveller with light luggage. A minicab wins for door-to-door travel straight to a meeting or hotel, and it scales for a group in a way a rush-hour DLR platform does not.
Q: Does London City Airport have more than one terminal? A: No — it is compact and single-terminal, so pickups and meet-and-greet are straightforward compared with a sprawling hub airport.
Q: What vehicle should I book for a business transfer from LCY? A: An executive-class vehicle is a common choice here, since LCY skews toward business travel and the short run to Canary Wharf is exactly the sort of transfer where a premium car makes sense.
If you are travelling from south of the river, our guides to which airport to use from Greenwich and to Woolwich, Plumstead and Thamesmead cover the tunnel routes and local pickup points in detail.
Get an estimated fare for your London City Airport transfer, whether you're headed to Canary Wharf, the City, or further into London.