City Airport could be closed and the site redeveloped to create a new housing and business quarter, under plans proposed by the Greens.
The party’s mayoral candidate Sian Berry argued that the plan would create 16,000 jobs and contribute £400 million to the economy.
The East End airport, which carries 3.3 million passengers a year compared with Heathrow’s 72 million, is on the market. Ms Berry urged one of the bidders, Allianz, to consider her business case. Thousands of new homes within easy reach of central London could be built on the site, easing the housing crisis and pressure on transport.
Failing that, she would form a privately-funded consortium between City Hall, councils and businesses to buy and redevelop the airport.
Ms Berry said: “City Airport carries just 1.5 per cent of all UK airport passengers and is therefore of negligible importance to Britain’s aviation. It will become even more irrelevant once Crossrail opens.”
Tory London Assembly member Andrew Boff said: “The proposal is nonsense. How much revenue will be lost by scrapping an airport that provides key business links to our city?”
