The deck will become new ‘land’ in King George V Dock on which the airport’s £480m development programme will be built.

Bechtel, is leading the project alongside main contractor BAM Nuttall.

Each pile casing is typically 17.5m long and 1.0m to 1.2m in diameter.

After embedding the casing into the dock bed, a further 4m is excavated beneath the base of the casing which is then filled with the cage and concrete.

Peter Adams, Chief Development Officer for London City Airport, said: “The piling and decking phase of the airport development is an incredible civil engineering project, right in the heart of London’s Royal Docks.

“This is the first crucial stage in making London City Airport even better, led by our contractor BAM Nuttall.”

“In essence we’re creating new land to build on, for a new terminal building and parallel taxiway, which will enable more routes, additional airlines and greater choice for passengers. Almost anything that you see today will not be untouched by this investment programme.”

Three piling barges are now on site in King George V Dock as the first stage of piling and decking gathers pace.

The  £8 m two-year project forms an essential first phase of the City Airport Development Programme, estimated for completion in the first half of 2020.

The overall programme is expected to be complete in 2022.

To coincide with the start of piling works in the area directly south of the existing aircraft stands 21 to 24 a video below has been produced by the project.