The Emirates Air Line, not to be confused with the Emirates the airline, is a cable car service run by Transport for London. Sadly the Emirate sponsorship recently ended and the name was changed to IFS Cloud Cable Car, which doesn’t sound as good to me. It will always be the Emirates Air Line in our hearts. The service runs accross the River Thames, connecting the O2 Arena and Excel London, the giant convention centre. Now, This route is already well covered by the Jubilee line, DLR and even river boats. Which led me to ask the question: The Emirates Air line – Why Does This Exist?
The £60m cable car was originally built for the 2012 London Olympics by Boris Johnson as a gimmicky way to ferry people between various sport events. With a height of 90m, it provides the highest view directly over the Thames in London, and probably ones of the best views in London. I made a Youtube video below showing the whole trip:
Also just to note, even though this is a cable car I’ve listed it as a flight review post. Technically it does fly through the air, and it is sponsered by one of the worlds largest airlines after all.
The Route
Spanning the River Thames between the O2 Arena and Excel London, two of the largest event centres in the UK. This is certainly a unique way of travelling between the popular areas. You can alternatively make the journey on the jubilee line between North Greenwich and Canning town. Both journeys take around 15 min depending on where you start. So decide if the fantastic views and novelty are worth paying double the price. Still, at only £5 one-way, I think it’s definitely worth it.
What Was The Trip Like?
I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the IFS Cable Car. It was super efficient, just need to swipe you’re credit card at the entrace gate. Then we walked straight onto the car and had a whole gondala to ourselves. The car quickly reaches its full height of 90m and you’re subjected to panoramic views of West London.
Visibility was great, you can see Canary Wharf & Central London in one direction. Then the Excel Centre, London City Airport and the Thames estuary in the other. It was pretty impressive feeling like you’re flying over the river. And the height is perfect for sightseeing, unless you’re afraid of heights that is. There’s also an area on the north side where you can go swimming and do watersports.
The whole trip took around 5 minutes from ticket gate to gate. We were a bit disappointed about the surrounding areas though. Both the O2 Arena and Excel London don’t really have anything to do unless you’re going to an event. That being said, there’s plenty of hotels and restaurants. In fact, we went to Heroica lounge located on the North end of the cable car. It’s an old double decker bus converted it a pizza restaurant and was surprisingly good.
Final Thoughts
The IFS Cable Car (formerly Emirates Air Line) may seem like a waste of money and completely pointless. That’s because it is, but I still like it. It’s a fun novelty thing to do if you find yourself in East London. And it is the most direct connection between the O2 Arena and Excel London. For any fan of wacky methods of transportation, or skiing enthusiasts, I recommend going. You won’t find any similar cable cars in the UK that are so easily accessible, and the views are fantastic.