Listening and committed to our local community

George Best Belfast City Airport outlines its practical and creative approach to corporate responsibility.

At George Best Belfast City Airport, a Corporate Responsibility Strategy is central to our business and through this activity we strive to build and maintain lifelong relationships with the community.

We are acutely aware of the environment in which we operate and our creative approach to Corporate Responsibility (CR) allows us to offer support and provide opportunities to neighbouring groups and individuals.

Within our multi-award winning CR Strategy there is a strong emphasis on young people and helping them realise their ambitions by presenting them with an experience they may not have otherwise had.

Community Fund

Over the last four years, our Community Fund has invested more than £100,000 in approximately 60 projects supporting young people and facilitating the promotion of:

• the community (including education);

• sport (including leisure and recreation); and

• the environment

We are entirely transparent in our operations and the Community Fund was introduced to reduce the number of night flights at the airport. Any airline operating flights after 9.30pm is subjected to a substantial fine which the airport then re-invests into the local community.

To mark the £100,000 milestone, all Community Fund recipients were invited to a celebratory event in the Long Gallery at Stormont. This was sponsored by Junior Ministers Jonathan Bell MLA and Jennifer McCann MLA and well-attended by politicians from all parties.

Employment

The airport is one of the largest employers in Belfast with almost 1,500 employed on site. However, by way of response to the still problematic unemployment rate, we launched the ‘George Best Belfast City Airport High Fliers Apprenticeship Scheme’, allowing young people to gain valuable workplace skills and the opportunity to gain permanent employment at the airport.

Launched by the Employment and Learning Minister, Stephen Farry, the scheme provides the apprentices with up to two years of work experience at the airport in areas such as human resources, retail, customer service and business administration.

Environment

By implementing policies to minimise waste and maximise efficiency, our dedicated Environment Executive has improved the airport’s environmental performance and its effect on the wider community.

This remains an important objective and we are continually looking at new ways to improve our environmental performance even further.

Open door policy

Listening to the community and ensuring that Corporate Responsibility activity is implemented is at the centre of our strategy, and an open door policy is operated at the airport for anyone who wishes to discuss any element of our business.

Our Community Newsletter is distributed to 24,000 neighbouring households each year communicating up-to-date information about the airport. Social media channels are also operated throughout the week to address any queries from members of the public.

Our continued investment as a facilitator and as a significant employer ensures that we have an airport of which our community can be proud.

Talk to us: yourquestions@belfastcityairport.com

Email: communityfund@belfastcityairport.com

Social media:

www.twitter.com/belfastcity_air

www.facebook.com/belfastcityairport

For more information on our corporate responsibility activity, please visit: www.belfastcityairport.com