London Luton Airport scored 100 out of 100 and kept its five-star GRESB rating for a fifth year, citing carbon from its operations down more than 40% on 2019.

London Luton Airport has been named a sector leader in the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) for the fifth year running, with a score of 100 out of 100, the airport announced on 15 October.

It kept its five-star rating and, the airport says, ranked first overall among more than 500 companies worldwide, as well as being the highest-ranked airport in its European peer group.

GRESB is an independent international framework that benchmarks organisations and assets on their environmental, social and governance (ESG) management. Its sector leaders are the top performers by sector, region and type of ownership.

What the airport says it has cut

The airport lists these environmental milestones:

  • Carbon emissions from airport operations down by more than 40% compared with 2019. This covers the airport company’s direct emissions and the emissions from the energy it buys (Scope 1 and 2), not flights.
  • Emissions from aircraft landing and taking off down 13.2% compared with 2019.
  • Nearly two thirds of based aircraft are now quieter, more fuel-efficient “next generation” aircraft, which the airport calls one of the highest proportions in Europe. A based aircraft is one parked at Luton overnight, before 5am, that flies the first departure of the day.
  • 34% of passengers travelled to and from the airport by more sustainable modes of transport, up from 29% in 2024.
  • Lower energy use, more recycling and more low-carbon vehicles across airport operations.

Jobs and money in the area

The airport’s social figures include:

  • More than £44m in social value through local employment and procurement, an estimate worked out with the Social Value Portal’s formulae.
  • About 14,700 jobs supported locally.
  • Half of its workforce employed from Luton postcode areas.

For 2025 it reports:

  • £41.2m spent with businesses within 20 miles of the airport, £25.2m of it with businesses in Luton.
  • 932 people supported through its education and skills programmes, bringing the total to 1,279.
  • More than £60,000 raised for charity partners.
  • 45 community projects supported, benefiting more than 34,000 people.
  • 826 hours of staff volunteering, up by more than 44% on the year before.

What they said

Alberto Martin, the airport’s chief executive, said: “As one of the UK’s busiest airports and one of the largest employers in the Luton area, London Luton Airport recognises the importance of seeking to operate more responsibly and sustainably. LLA plays an important role in connecting people, places and economies, and our focus on managing our environmental impact and providing enduring social benefit to our local community will always be paramount.”

He added: “Maintaining a 100% score, five-star rating and sector leader status from GRESB for a fifth consecutive year highlights our commitment to demonstrating the highest, most robust ESG management, governance and performance.”

Rodrigo Marabini, International Subsidiaries Director at Aena, said: “Aena Group continues to champion the highest standards of environmental, social and governance performance across all its airports. We are delighted therefore that London Luton Airport has been recognised by GRESB for the fifth-year running, reflecting its ongoing commitment to delivering positive environmental and social outcomes across its operations.”

Justin Symonds, Senior Adviser at InfraBridge, said: “The airport continues to demonstrate the benefits of an effective public-private partnership and securing a maximum score and five-star rating underlines our collective commitment to delivering positive sustainability governance management and performance.”

What it means for you

The headline cuts are to the airport’s own operations and to aircraft on landing and take-off; the release gives no figure for emissions from whole flights. If you fly from Luton, the airport’s figure of 34% of passengers using more sustainable ways to get there is the one you can add to. The airport’s own news and contact details are on the London Luton Airport website. More on how the benchmark works is on the GRESB website.