Following the successful completion of a three year contract with London Luton Airport for AIRDAT’s cloud-based training management and competency system ‘Passport’, as well as the provision of on-site Airside Driver Training services, London Luton Airport (LLA) has signed a seven year contract that will see AIRDAT not only continue to provide these services, but extend their remit to include:
- ‘Onboard’ – The company’s cloud-based assurance and fleet management system to cover the Airside Operator Licence process and application/issue of Airside Vehicle Permits.
- ‘Visa’ – The company’s audit & training management smartphone app to allow the airport teams to audit companies, people and fleet whilst out and about.
- Audit Consulting Services for the Airside Operator Licence & Certificate of Competency Schemes.
Speaking on the deal, AIRDAT’s Founder & CEO, Charles Cardwell said ‘A huge amount of work has gone into overhauling LLA’s Airside Driver Training programme over the last three years and we have enjoyed vast improvements because of this. It’s the input from all of the stakeholders that has helped ensure this was a success, from LLA, to NATS, the Ground Handlers & Airlines and in particular through the monthly Safety Stack meetings. LLA does a wonderful job of bringing the community together to act as a knowledge sharing platform and ensure everyone’s perspective is considered before any proposed changes are implemented.’
Chris Harvey, AIRDAT’s Training Director and lead at the Luton base has been an integral part of the company’s success at the airport. Chris added ‘Having spent the majority of my working life at LLA, and seen the airport grow as much as it has in that time, I am enormously proud to have been part of that growth and improvement. The relationships we have built and the constant interaction and feedback from the airside community has meant the training we provide is built by them, for them! We continue to recognize the need for new types of courses to improve the knowledge and experience of the airside community at all levels, as well as using different technologies to improve testing and assessment. Looking to the future, this new contract means we can continue to build on the successful improvements to airside safety.‘
Liam Bolger Head of Airside at London Luton Airport said: ‘We are really pleased with the impact that AIRDAT has had on the standard of Airside Driving at LLA over the last few years. I am confident that by extending these services to other areas of the operation for the longer term, we will see further enhancements, not just to our standards, but to the overall process for our stakeholders too.’
AIRDAT has been established for 15 years and provides systems and services that improve safety and compliance standards, minimise incidents & streamline processes to reduce operational costs.
About London Luton Airport:
London Luton Airport (LLA) remains one of the UK’s busiest airports despite COVID-19, carrying 5.4 million passengers in 2020.
The airport is operated and developed by a consortium of which the majority shareholder is AENA, the world’s largest airport operator, and AMP Capital, a specialist global investment manager. Airlines include easyJet, Wizz Air, Ryanair, Tui, Blue Air, FlyOne, Sun Express and El Al.
LLA was the first UK airport to receive the Airport Health Accreditation from Airports Council International (ACI) for health and hygiene measures introduced during the pandemic.
Passengers travelling by rail will benefit from upgraded rail links to Luton Airport Parkway station as part of a partnership agreement with East Midlands Railway. A half-hourly express rail service between London and Luton Airport Parkway will launch in May 2021. In addition, work is well underway on a £225 million light rail system linking the airport with Luton Airport Parkway station and is anticipated to be completed by 2021. The project is being delivered by the airport owners, LLAL – a company owned by Luton Council.
LLA is also applying to raise its passenger cap by 1 million, to 19 million. It will not require any physical changes or new construction at the airport, and will prepare the airport to support the recovery of the local and national economy once demand for travel returns.