London City Airport Closure Following WW2 Bomb Scare

London City Airport was forced to close earlier this week following the discovery of an unexploded WWII bomb at George V dock during planned airport works.

The bomb, a 500kg device, was discovered on Sunday and forced immediate closure of the airport and led to the evacuation of local residents while Metropolitan Police and the Royal Navy examined the device and attempted to remove it.

The airport remained closed on Monday, affecting as many as 16,000 passengers due to use the airport as flights were cancelled. The airport reopened for business as usual during the early hours of Tuesday morning, and affected passengers were urged to contact their airlines for further flight information.

According to local historians, it is believed that up to 10% of the bombs dropped on London during the Blitz did not detonate as planned. As the number of bombs dropped is estimated at around 20,000, there is little wonder that discoveries of WWII devices are still happening more than 70 years later.

The airport, the only one located in the City of London made a statement to affected passengers and local residents thanking them for their patience and understanding, and thanked Police and the Royal Navy for their efforts to bring the incident to a safe conclusion.

Flights are now operating as expected, and affected passengers should contact their individual airlines to find out more about their flight status.