Celebrating 10 years of opening young minds to aviation
This year we’re celebrating 10 amazing years of the Aerozone – our dedicated education centre here at London Stansted. And there’s even more reason to cheer because we hit 25,000 visitors last November!
That’s more than 25,000 school kids, teens and students who’ve come through our doors since we opened in 2015, all getting a taste of what it’s like to work in aviation and learn about life at the airport.
What the Aerozone is all about
We set up the Aerozone to be a fun, hands-on place where young people from local schools and colleges can learn all about our airport – what happens behind the scenes, what it takes to run an airport, and what kinds of jobs are out there.
It’s not your typical classroom. We’ve got a flight simulator, interactive activities, cool videos, and a spectacular viewing platform where you can watch planes take off and land.
Everything’s designed to be exciting, inspirational and educational – with a big focus on subjects like science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), plus the environment and sustainability.
Opening eyes to new opportunities
One of the best things about the Aerozone is how it gets young people thinking about their future.
Whether it’s becoming a pilot, air traffic controller, airside ranger, security officer, engineer or working in customer service, there are loads of career options to explore.
We’ve even had students who first visited with their school later go on to study at Stansted Airport College and now work at the airport – which is just brilliant to see.
A big thank you
We’re so proud of what we’ve achieved – and we couldn’t have done it without the help of the brilliant airport staff who give up their time to talk to the students, share their career journeys and highlight what they do.
Their support, along with all the positive feedback we get from visitors shows that the Aerozone is making a real difference.
What’s next?
We’re not stopping here! We’ve already started bringing in new tech, updated activities, and expanded our lessons on sustainability – including our Jet Zero resources that explore the future of green aviation.
This all ties into the airport’s new five-year Sustainability Strategy: Creating a Sustainable Future for All, which puts environmental responsibility and social impact at the heart of everything we do. And the Aerozone is a key part of that – helping the next generation understand how aviation can be part of a greener future.
Want to find out more?
Get in touch with us to find out more about the facility including how to book a visit: https://www.stanstedairport.com/community/community-support/inspiring-young-people/
Here’s to the next 10 years – and another 25,000 visitors!
By Alex Smith, Education Manager at London Stansted