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.
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.
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.
Taxi 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 taxi 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.
Get an estimated fare for your London City Airport transfer, whether you're headed to Canary Wharf, the City, or further into London.