The launch of our new brand, Luton Rising, comes at an important moment for our company, which owns London Luton Airport.
Our proposed expansion of the airport, due to go to public consultation in the new year, will provide vital jobs and economic activity in Luton and surrounding areas. It currently supports 27,000 jobs (directly and indirectly) and this is projected to rise to 39,000 jobs, and £3.4bn in economic activity, when the full proposed expansion is reached.
So we know how important our airport is for jobs and businesses in our town and our region.
We also know how important it is for our community. Our airport is the only major UK airport which is wholly community-owned – our sole shareholder is Luton Council.
Social values are at our core, and this translates into major financial contributions to frontline services and community organisations – £412m since 1998. Our support for community organisations is a very substantial £7.4 million a year, which enables them to transform lives across the town and the region.
Airports do much that is good. We are also completely aware that airports cause much that is not good: carbon emissions, noise, road traffic and air pollution. We have a responsibility to do much more to minimise these impacts, while ensuring the airport continues to provide enormous benefit to our communities. Our sustainability measures will be, we believe, some of the most far-reaching commitments to minimising these environmental impacts ever put forward by a UK airport.
We invite you to join us in this exciting movement for change. Sign up at the foot of this page.
Cllr. Javeria Hussain, Chair, Luton Rising
Graham Olver, CEO, Luton Rising