Thames cable car opens for passengers on 28 June Published duration 18 June 2012

image caption The cable car will carry up to 2,500 passengers an hour across the River Thames

The new Thames cable car spanning the river in east London will open to the public at midday on 28 June.

The Emirates Air Line will create a direct link between the 02 Arena in Greenwich and the ExCel exhibition centre and carry 2,500 people an hour.

A single adult fare on the pay-as-you-go Oyster card will cost £3.20 while the cash fare will be £4.30, Transport for London (TfL) said.

The service will operate through the week from 07:00 BST until 21:00.

The gates will open an hour later on Saturdays while the service will run from 09:00 on Sundays.

TfL said people who plan to use it regularly could make 10 single journeys for £16 using a "frequent flyer" pass.

Children under the age of five will be entitled to free travel, but a cash ticket for those aged 15 or under will cost £2.20 and the fare will be £1.60 for those using Oyster cards.

Passengers will also be able to make a non-stop round trip on the cable car, with views of the City, Canary Wharf, the Thames Barrier and the Olympic Park, at a cost of £6.40 with Oyster.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "On 28 June this spectacular new addition to London's skyline will provide a much needed new river crossing in the east of our great city."

The Dubai-based airline Emirates is sponsoring the cable car for 10 years at a cost of £36m. The total cost of the project is about £60m, £45m of which went towards building it, TfL said.

Labour London Assembly member for City and east London John Biggs said the project was a "broken promise" because only £36m of the nearly £60m cost came from the sponsor.

Mr Biggs said: "We were also promised by Mayor Johnson that this scheme would cost the taxpayer nothing, in fact we will end up paying tens of millions of pounds.

"The sponsors have got an exceptionally good deal out of the mayor, it's a shame he didn't push them harder and get a better deal for Londoners.