BA CityFlyer: The Only British Airways Subsidiary That Flies Only from London City

History and positioning

London City imposes technical requirements that exclude most commercial aircraft: only a few models are certified for the steep approach required, and this is the main reason British Airways runs the flights from this airport through a dedicated subsidiary with a specific fleet, rather than with the same aircraft used at Heathrow.

The fleet

The fleet consists exclusively of Embraer E170 and E190 jets, the only airliners commonly certified for London City's steep approach. Since spring 2025 two additional new-generation E190s have entered service, part of a gradual fleet renewal.

Routes and network

From its London City base the network includes Edinburgh and Glasgow with very high frequencies (up to eight daily flights to Edinburgh and five to Glasgow), as well as links to Amsterdam, Nice, Florence, Milan and Dublin; in 2025 the flight to Stockholm-Arlanda was added from January and the one to Madrid, departing from December.

On board and service

On board, British Airways standards apply with Club Europe and Euro Traveller cabins, despite the small size of the Embraers: a service level that replicates that of the parent company's larger narrowbodies, including access to the Executive Club program.

What passengers say

Those who fly regularly from London City appreciate above all the speed of access to central London compared with Heathrow or Gatwick, an advantage that, according to many reviewers, makes up for the smaller cabin compared with British Airways flights operated with larger narrowbodies from the other London airports.

BA CityFlyer is the most convenient choice for those who work or stay in the City of London and want to avoid the transfer times to Heathrow or Gatwick, especially on high-frequency business routes such as Edinburgh and Glasgow. It is less suitable for anyone who has to carry bulky luggage or is traveling on a long-haul connecting route, since the Embraer cabin is smaller than that of the narrowbodies used at the other London airports. If you have a connection to a long-haul British Airways flight from Heathrow, always check the transfer time between the two airports, because London City and Heathrow are not linked by a direct fast transport service.