The £500,000 Aerozone, MAG’s (Manchester Airports Group) flagship community project at Stansted, has been designed to encourage children to consider choosing a career in the aviation industry when they leave full time education. A particular focus of the centre will be to boost talent and increase interest in STEM subjects - science, technology, engineering and maths.
Fifty year nine pupils from Stansted Mountfitchet’s Forest Hall School were the first to put the facility through its paces, enjoying the variety of interactive activities whilst finding out how London’s third busiest airport works and what airport life is all about.
Joanne Davies, Stansted Airport’s Education Coordinator, said: “We were delighted to welcome Forest Hall School to the Aerozone as the first school to try out our new and exciting facility. Nearly 11,000 people already work at Stansted so it’s a massive operation and involves hundreds of engineers and technicians all working behind the scenes without most of us even knowing. Our aim is to bring these job roles to life to inspire and encourage young people to perhaps choose a career at the airport or the aviation sector when they leave school, college or University. Everyone at the airport is really excited about the Aerozone and we look forward to encouraging all our colleagues, including security officers, fire fighters, operations staff and our airport business partners to get involved and volunteer at the centre when it opens in June.”
Sarah Wedgbrow, IAG and CEG Co-ordinator at Forest Hall School, said: “The students were buzzing after their visit to the Aerozone. It was great for them to see the different types of careers on offer at the airport – they are fortunate to have such an opportunity on their doorstep. It's especially important for students to not only see airport careers in action, but the various paths that can be taken to get there.”
The Aerozone is set to officially open in June 2015.
Image: Forest Hall School were the first group to visit Stansted Airport’s new Aerozone.
Further information about the Aerozone
Construction work started on the centre in December 2014. An old administration building adjacent to the airfield was completely refurbished to house the classrooms while the surrounding area was landscaped to include picnic, viewing and parking areas where visitors can watch the airport in full operation.
There is also a space dedicated inside to the airport’s history including photos and artefacts dating back to the Second World War when Stansted began life as a U.S. Air Force base. Other exhibits include a wardrobe of airport uniforms that the youngsters can try on and a scale model of the airport which has been designed and built by the airport’s engineering apprentices as part of their course work.
Many airport businesses are supporting the project, they include: Galliford Try, Essex Police, Essex County Council, Boeing, British Airways, Harrods Aviation, Inflight, Ryanair, easyJet, Titan Airways and the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Schools and community groups can find out more about the Aerozone by emailing [email protected]
About London Stansted Airport
London Stansted Airport is the 3rd largest in London (4th in UK) serving nearly 21 million passengers a year. It is owned by MAG (Manchester Airports Group) which is the country’s largest UK-owned airport operator. MAG’s four airports - Stansted, Bournemouth, East Midlands and Manchester – serve around 42 million passengers every year.
Firmly positioned as a market leader for short-haul travel across Europe, with over 170 destinations across 30 countries, Stansted serves more scheduled connections to Europe than any other airport in the world. With approval to serve 35mppa, it’s the only London airport with space and permission to grow, within its existing infrastructure.
Stansted also boasts an impressive and growing range of transport links that benefit from close proximity to the M11 and A120, as well direct trains to London and Cambridge and is proud to be the UK’s leading major airport (and one of the best-performing in Europe), with nearly half of passengers travelling to and from by public transport.
London Stansted Airport won several notable international awards, including:
• Skytrax ‘World’s Best Airport for Low-Cost Airlines 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014
• ‘Air Cargo Award of Excellence’ (April 2011 and April 2013)
The airport also holds ISO14001 for environmental management, OHSAS18001 for Health & Safety systems and Carbon Trust Standard for reductions to emissions.
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For further information contact Stansted Airport press office:
T: +44 (0)1279 680534
E: [email protected]
W: stanstedairport.com
twitter: @STN_Airport
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Stansted’s Aerozone is cleared for take-off as youngsters enjoy sneak preview
6 May 2015
Stansted Airport’s Aerozone has received the thumbs up from a group of local school children who enjoyed a sneak peek inside the education centre ahead of its grand opening in June.