Retail specialist, Milligan, has been appointed by London City Airport to produce a strategic plan for its growth in time for the Olympic Games in 2012.

Milligan will undertake a six-month strategic review to explore future opportunities in order to improve the customer experience and meet the anticipated increase in passenger demand.

“London City Airport is delighted to be working with Milligan on the next stages of airport development; they will bring much flair and imagination to the planning of the future for our fast growing business,” said Richard Gooding, Chief Executive of London City Airport. “The commitment of our shareholders - AIG Financial Products and Global Infrastructure Partners - to the necessary capital investment to accommodate our growth has been a vital component, ensuring that all airport users will continue to enjoy our excellent service.”

London City Airport, celebrating twenty years of operations, recently submitted a planning application to London Borough of Newham to increase flight movements from the current 80,000 to a proposed 120,000 per year. The increase, utilising the existing facilities at the airport with no new runway, will lead to an additional 1,000 jobs being made available over the next three years. The airport predicts passenger numbers will increase from 2.4million in 2006 to 3.9 million passengers by 2010. As part of the future growth of the airport, Milligan will advise on how the terminal infrastructure can be maximised to support the increase in passenger numbers.

John Milligan, Chief Executive of Milligan, says, “we are still at the very early stages of our work and the first stage for us is always getting a close understanding of the customer and what they want. It is already clear to us that efficiency and speed are the number one requirement and indeed the main reason why London City Airport has built a loyal and growing customer base. The building is now twenty years old and needs modification to cope with the increased demand that has resulted from the success of London as a world financial centre and in particular from the growth of Canary Wharf.”

London City Airport, the only London airport to be located within the M25 corridor, is only minutes away from the site of the 2012 Olympic Games and the new O2 entertainment centre. The DLR was introduced to London City Airport in December 2005, with over 50 per cent of the airport’s passengers now utilising the efficient service with a journey time of only 22 minutes to Bank station. The airport’s Master Plan predicts up to eight million passengers will choose London City Airport by 2030.