More than half of London Luton Airport’s (LLA) supply chain spend went to businesses within a 25-mile radius last year, with an increasing number of local companies joining the airport’s supplier list. 

A total of £70 million was shared among 252 local businesses in 2023, amounting to 53% of all supply chain spend. The biggest proportion, £44.7 million, was spent with 125 businesses in Luton and Bedfordshire. 

LLA actively encourages local suppliers to bid for airport contracts and organises a number of events each year to engage small and medium size enterprises. An additional 95 local suppliers were added to the books in 2023, an increase of 60% compared to the previous year.

Alberto Martin, CEO at London Luton Airport commented: “As one of the largest employers in Bedfordshire, and a major driver for the local economy, London Luton Airport has always placed great faith in local people and businesses. Last year, more than half of our supply chain spend was allocated to works, goods and services provided by neighbouring businesses, underlining the strength of our commitment to the region. Our plans for responsible and sustainable growth are intrinsically linked to the wellbeing of the local economy and our aim is to continue to invest in the local supply chain, developing our relationships with both existing and prospective suppliers.”

Justin Richardson, Chief Executive of the Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, commented: “London Luton Airport is one of our region’s most important assets, playing a pivotal role in the local economy. Its importance to many hundreds of businesses across Bedfordshire cannot be underestimated. As well as providing thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities to local people, the airport is a catalyst for economic opportunity and growth across an extensive local supply chain network.”

LLA’s continued investment in local businesses is just one example of the airport’s investment in the communities it serves. Last year, the airport invested almost £400,000 in the local community through initiatives such as its Community Trust Fund, Greener Future Fund, donations and sponsorship. This total, when combined with industry leading community funding provided by the airport owner Luton Rising, makes LLA by far the most socially impactful airport in the UK.

Paul Kehoe CBE, Independent Chair of Luton Rising, the Luton Council company that owns the airport, said: “Maximising the local and regional benefits of London Luton Airport is our absolute priority, so this achievement by the airport operator working with surrounding businesses is fantastic news.

“As airport owner, this support for neighbouring businesses is just part of our unique social impact offer. Over the last 20 years, Luton Rising has contributed more than £480m to frontline services in the town and the vital voluntary, community and charitable organisations who support and improve the lives of people who most need our help. As part of our plans for the future long-term sustainable growth of the airport, we are committed to continuing to work closely with all our partners to deliver even greater benefit in the years to come.”

-Ends-

Notes for Editors
Hertfordshire based firms secured contracts with a combined total value of £9.1 million with London Luton Airport last year. The figure, 13% of the airport’s spend with local suppliers in 2023, was divided across 56 companies in the county. In addition, fifteen companies based in Buckinghamshire were awarded contracts with a combined total value of £5.7 million in 2023, 8% of London Luton Airport’s local supply chain spend. 

On the Luton DART, Luton Rising sourced more than 80 per cent of supply chain and recruitment spend from within 20 miles of Luton. The DART opened last year and has already exceeded more than two million passengers.
 

About London Luton Airport

London Luton Airport (LLA) is one of the UK’s busiest airports, carrying over 16.2 million passengers in 2023.

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 that allows passengers to travel from central London to the LLA terminal in around 30 minutes. The Luton Airport Express runs from St Pancras International to Luton Airport Parkway station and connects seamlessly with the DART, an electrically powered people mover that connects to the airport terminal in less than four minutes.

In 2023, LLA was named the UK’s best airport by readers of the prestigious Condé Nast Traveller magazine. 

Last year, LLA also became only the third major UK airport to achieve Level 4 of the globally recognised Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme, demonstrating that it is ‘transforming its operations to achieve carbon reductions in line with global climate goals’. With a maximum score of 100 and a five-star rating, LLA has been ranked as a sector leader for two consecutive years in the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) benchmark of sustainability governance management and performance of major infrastructure assets worldwide.

To learn about the progress London Luton Airport is making across its sustainability programme please click here 

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

Luton Rising has submitted a Development Consent Order application seeking the sustainable long-term growth of the airport to a new capacity of 32 million passengers a year by the mid-2040s, making best use of the existing runway and including a second terminal, associated infrastructure and Green Controlled Framework.

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/21022024/lla-invests-70-million-in-local-economy