AKIPRESS.COM - ixteen thousand passengers booked to fly in and out of London City airport on the busiest day of the week have had their flights cancelled as a Second World War bomb is made safe, The Independent reported.

The airport adjoins George V Dock, where an unexploded bomb was found early on Sunday morning during work to expand the Docklands hub.

The Metropolitan Police said: “Specialist officers and the Royal Navy have attended and confirmed the nature of the device.”

At 10pm on Sunday, a 214-metre exclusion zone was imposed “to ensure that the ordnance can be safely dealt with whilst limiting any risk to the public”.

Some residents were evacuated, and roads closed. A Royal Navy bomb-disposal team is working to make the device safe.

Robert Sinclair, the airport’s chief executive, said: “I recognise this is causing inconvenience for our passengers, and in particular some of our local residents. The airport is cooperating fully with the Met Police and Royal Navy and working hard to safely remove the device and resolve the situation as quickly as possible.”

Airlines are thought to likely lose more than £1m as a result of the closure.