Empty legs from London City

Empty legs out of London City exist in a narrow window, and that window is what makes them worth watching. EGLC operates under one of the tightest envelopes in the London system: a steep 5.5 degree approach that requires steep-approach certified aircraft and crews, a runway of roughly 1,500 metres that rules out heavier metal, and a curfew that closes the field from 22:00 on weekdays and through most of Sunday. An empty leg only appears here when an aircraft has already been positioned for a departing client and needs to return to base or reposition for its next trip. The economics favour you because the operator is moving that airframe regardless.

What flies the City tends to be the smaller end of the fleet: Phenom 300s, Citation CJ family, the Legacy 650 for longer sectors. That shapes where these legs go. Short hops to Paris Le Bourget, Geneva, Zurich, Amsterdam and the Channel Islands turn over fastest, with occasional onward repositions toward Nice or Ibiza in season. Because the field handles full customs and immigration on site, departures to Schengen and beyond clear without a detour through a larger gateway, though general aviation arrivals still want adequate notice for the border force booking.

Treat the dates as fixed and the aircraft as given. An empty leg is someone else's schedule, so the value is real but the flexibility is not. If your timing is firm and your party fits the cabin, the saving against a quoted charter is substantial. If you need to move a day either way, a standard positioning quote will usually serve you better. We list what is genuinely available from London City, confirm slot and curfew feasibility before we publish, and hold each leg only until the operator commits the airframe elsewhere.