London Luton Airport (LLA) has received the National Literacy Trust’s 2026 Literacy Changemakers Award.  

The award was presented at the National Literacy Trust’s Vision for Literacy Business Pledge Awards and recognises LLA’s commitment and contribution to ensure more children and young people can develop the literacy skills they need to thrive. 

In a successful first year of its charity partnership with the National Literacy Trust, funds raised by LLA employees and passengers have benefitted 61,000 children, funded over 210,000 new books and enabled the training of almost 240 new Literacy Champions working in local communities.  

Earlier this year, LLA Chief Executive Officer, Alberto Martin, joined the National Literacy Trust’s Business for Literacy Council, working with other senior business leaders committed to making an impact on literacy. 

Alberto Martin, Chief Executive Officer at London Luton Airport, commented: “Our partnership with the National Literacy Trust exemplifies our ambition to create positive and enduring social impact that extends far beyond the airport boundary. In our first year of our partnership with the National Literacy Trust, we have worked hard to enhance access to books and provided vital funds for the charity, while reaching thousands of children through our community skills development and education programmes. This is just the beginning, and we are excited to continue our work helping to close the literacy gap and creating more opportunities for children and young people across our region. This award is a proud moment for everyone at London Luton Airport and wonderful recognition for the work carried out by our volunteers.” 

Jonathan Douglas CBE, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust, said: “London Luton Airport has made an outstanding contribution to improving literacy outcomes for children and young people, demonstrating a genuine commitment to placing literacy at the heart of their social responsibility work to create lasting impact.  

“Literacy underpins social mobility, breaks cycles of poverty and fuels economic growth. Businesses like London Luton Airport have a vital role to play in supporting the literacy skills of the next generation and the development of a future workforce that is inclusive and able to grow. 

“Their collaborative approach to help close the literacy gap embodies what the Literacy Changemakers Award was created to recognise. We are hugely grateful for their support and look forward to continuing our work together.” 

Highlights of LLA’s literacy initiatives include:  

• Launching a new Charity Champions Committee made up of LLA employees from across the airport and responsible for developing and supporting a calendar of fundraising events 
• Raising £31,500 for the National Literacy Trust in 2025, through fundraising events including the airport’s annual runway run and golf day, charity bake sales and Christmas shopping nights 
• Donating over 1,000 books to local young people via LLA’s Classroom to Careers skills development and education programme 
• Launching an employee book exchange and providing book vouchers to staff across the airport to encourage reading for pleasure 
• Signing the National Literacy Trust’s Vision for Literacy Business Pledge, providing a framework for businesses to play a leading role in improving literacy levels in the UK 
• Contributing to the National Literacy Trust’s Future of Literacy Report in December 2025, shedding light on the vital literacy skills young people need to thrive in modern, digital first workplaces 

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About London Luton Airport

London Luton Airport (LLA) is one of the UK’s busiest airports, 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 Jet2, easyJet, Wizz Air, Ryanair, Tui, FlyOne, Sun Express and El Al.

The airport is owned for community benefit by Luton Rising, a company wholly-owned by Luton Council, which has invested more than £500m in front-line, voluntary and charitable services since 1998.

The Luton Airport Express allows passengers to travel from central London to the LLA terminal in around 30 minutes. The service 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 2024, LLA was named European Airport of the Year (10-25 million passengers) by ACI EUROPE, and in 2025 LLA received the highest possible rating of 'Very Good' in the annual Airport Accessibility report published by the CAA, assessing assisted travel service performance.

In 2023, LLA also achieved 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 four consecutive years in the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) benchmark of sustainability governance management and performance of major infrastructure assets worldwide.

LLA continues to be a major employer and a key economic driver in Bedfordshire — supporting 28,000 jobs and contributing £830 million per year to the local economy. 

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

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

URL: https://mediahub.london-luton.co.uk/news/airport-receives-award-for-making-literacy-soar/18052026