Two hundred energetic early risers have taken part in London Luton Airport’s (LLA) 2023 Runway Run, raising £5,000 for the airport’s charity partners, Luton Foodbank and East Anglian Air Ambulance.

The event, which marks the start of the airport’s 85th birthday celebrations, provided runners of all abilities a rare opportunity to run the length of the LLA’s 1.3-mile (2.2km) runway and back again.

The annual race, now in its fifth year, takes place between 04.30 and 05.30, whilst the runway is closed to flights. 

London Luton Airport celebrates its 85th anniversary on July 16th and has planned a range of events and activity to mark the occasion with passengers, staff and the community.

LLA Operations Director Neil Thompson, commented: “The runway run is the perfect way to kick off our 85th birthday celebrations. Despite the extremely early start it is now firmly established as one of our most popular fundraisers. It’s also hugely rewarding to see so many people arriving before dawn to have some fun and raise much-needed funds for these two amazing charities.”

Sarah Cunningham, Community Fundraiser for East Anglian Air Ambulance, said: “The runway run is a fun and creative way to raise awareness and much-needed funds for our life-saving operation in Luton and the surrounding areas. All money raised enables our airborne doctors and critical care paramedics to continue saving lives. As a charity, we rely almost entirely on public support, so we are delighted to have extended our charity partnership with London Luton Airport for a further 12 months.”

Salma Khan, Manager of Luton Foodbank, commented: “A huge well done to London Luton Airport and all the runners who met at the crack of dawn to raise awareness and funds for our charity. We are working hard to eradicate food poverty in Luton and the support provided by LLA and the local community plays an essential role in supporting our efforts.” 

The runway run is the latest fundraising event organised in support of Luton Foodbank and East Anglian Air Ambulance. To date, a total of over £130,000 has been raised by LLA employees for the two charities. Fundraising activities over the past 12 months have included a 400km bike ride along the coast of Sicily, a charity golf day and singing Christmas carols in the terminal.

 

About London Luton Airport

London Luton Airport (LLA) is one of the UK’s busiest airports, carrying over 13 million passengers in 2022.

The airport is operated by a consortium of which the majority shareholder is AENA, the world’s largest airport operator, and InfraBridge, a leading infrastructure investment manager. Airlines include easyJet, Wizz Air, Ryanair, Tui, FlyOne, Sun Express and El Al.

The Luton Airport Express is a new dedicated train service launched by East Midlands Railway (EMR) that allows passengers to travel from central London to the LLA terminal in around 30 minutes. With fares starting from approximately £10, the Luton Airport Express runs from St Pancras International to Luton Airport Parkway station and connects seamlessly with the DART, a new automated, electrically powered people mover that connects to the LLA terminal in less than four minutes.

London Luton Airport is ranked as the best performing company by GRESB, an internationally recognised sustainability framework that benchmarks environmental, social and governance (ESG) management and performance. LLA is ranked first among all participating assets, achieving a maximum score of 100 and a 5-star rating.

To learn about the progress London Luton Airport is making across its sustainability programme please click here: Sustainability Reports | Corporate | London Luton Airport (london-luton.co.uk)

Further information on London Luton Airport can be found here: https://www.london-luton.co.uk/
 

Contact Details:

London Luton Airport Press Office 
T : 01582 395333
E: pressoffice@ltn.aero

London Luton Airport – PR agency:
E: LLA@tinmancomms.com 

URL: https://mediahub.london-luton.co.uk/news/14072023/lla-birthday-celebrations-underway-with-runway-run