London City Airport is celebrating after winning big at the International CSR Excellence Awards 2026 for its STEM in Aviation programme, reflecting eight years of inspiring young people across East London to pursue careers in the sector.
The awards recognise organisations demonstrating strong environmental, social and economic impact through responsible business initiatives. London City Airport’s STEM in Aviation programme won in three categories: Community Commitment, Initiatives and Socio-Economic.
Launched in 2016, the airport’s initiative was created to help address the UK’s growing STEM skills shortage and improve access to aviation careers for young people from underrepresented and disadvantaged communities in East London. Since launch, the initiative has engaged more than 3,000 students from 154 schools through workshops, large-scale events, mentoring, internships and work experience opportunities.
The programme’s flagship ‘Future of Flight’ event welcomed more than 500 students from 24 schools in 2025, supported by charity partner East London Business Alliance (ELBA), seven industry partners including Embraer, Boeing, British Airways City Flyer and 50 volunteers. An additional 300 students from 10 schools also accessed the event through live-streamed sessions.
Alongside the event, London City Airport delivered 12 STEM workshops reaching 275 students, covering themes including decarbonisation, airspace modernisation and green jobs. The programme also includes a structured mentoring scheme, paid internships and multi-department work experience placements.
Feedback from participants revealed that 92% of students increased their understanding of aviation careers, while more than 70% said the programme inspired them to explore STEM pathways further.
Nazmin Begum, Senior Community & Sustainability Manager at London City Airport, says: “We are incredibly proud to receive this recognition for our STEM in Aviation programme. Supporting young people from our local communities and helping them to understand the opportunities available within aviation and STEM is a major priority for London City Airport.
“The programme continues to grow thanks to the support of our partners, volunteers, schools and the students themselves. Through workshops, mentoring and hands-on experiences, we want to help inspire the next generation of aviation professionals while supporting greater diversity across the industry.”
The programme has also been supported through the Department for Transport and Civil Aviation Authority ‘Reach for the Sky’ campaign, which helped to expand delivery through additional workshops, streaming capability and education resources.
London City Airport has been invited to attain CSR World Leader status and represent the UK at the Green World Awards in 2027.
