1,200 trained in life-saving CPR for Restart a Heart Day
More than 1,200 passengers and staff learned vital life-saving skills at London Stansted during Restart a Heart Day 2025, delivered in partnership with Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT) on Thursday 16 October.
From 4am until 10pm, EHAAT’s critical care team, charity staff, and volunteers offered quick, hands-on sessions in CPR and defibrillator use in the departure lounge, giving passengers and airport colleagues the confidence to act in an emergency.
The event built on the success of last year’s inaugural session, when more than 700 people were trained in just 10 hours.
Anita Harrison, Customer Operations Director at London Stansted, said:
“It was great to welcome Essex & Herts Air Ambulance back to Stansted for Restart a Heart Day. Passenger safety is always our number one priority, and by teaming up with EHAAT to raise awareness of CPR, we’re helping more people feel confident to step in during an emergency. Airports are busy places, and while our customer service teams are trained as first responders, CPR is something anyone can learn, it’s quick, simple, and could one day save a life.”
Adam Carr, Critical Care Paramedic and EHAAT’s CPR Smart Lead, added:
“Restart a Heart Day at Stansted shows just how many people are willing to learn CPR when given the chance. To know that, within months of last year’s event, airport staff had already put those skills into action and saved lives is incredibly powerful. Airports are busy, high-stress environments, and because of security and access challenges, it’s not always possible for emergency services to reach a patient straight away. That’s why it’s so important that people on the ground – staff and passengers – have the confidence to step in. And it doesn’t stop at the airport: everyone trained today will take those skills home with them, creating a ripple effect of life-saving knowledge in communities right across the country, and beyond. Early CPR really can make the difference between life and death.”
Restart a Heart Day is part of EHAAT’s CPR Smart programme, which aims to ensure every child in Essex and Hertfordshire learns CPR. Partnering with Stansted helps extend that life-saving message to thousands of passengers passing through one of the UK’s busiest airports.