Unexploded World War II bomb closed London City Airport

London City Airport was closed in the early hours of Monday, February 12, following the nearby discovery of an unexploded World War bomb.

The discovery was made during exploratory works prior the extension of the airport’s terminal.

Although the airport mostly handles airline traffic, the London City Jet Centre handles an increasing amount of business jet traffic.

According to the Royal Navy, which was called in to assess the situation, the 500kg explosive was 15 metres underwater in the River Thames.

Following its assessment, the Royal Navy placed a 214-metre exclusion zone around the bomb, which closed the airport.

Alitalia relocated its airline operations to Stanstead Airport for the day, whilst CityJet flights used Southend Airport.

The Royal Navy was able to carry out a controlled explosion of the bomb later in the day, with the airport returning to normal operations in the morning of Tuesday, February 13.

“The World War Two ordnance discovered in King George V Dock has been safely removed by the Royal Navy and Met Police, ” said Robert Sinclair, CEO, London City Airport. “As a result, the exclusion zone has now been lifted and the airport will be open as normal on Tuesday.”