Belfast City Airport is delighted to announce that is has become the first UK airport to win the Gold Level CORE award at the recent Business in the Community Responsible Business Awards.

The CORE accreditation looks at corporate responsibility, both activity and in performance, and Belfast’s George Best Airport has won this year, following last year’s success as being named Northern Ireland’s Most Responsible Business.

Belfast City Airport has been judged on its contributions to people, planet and places, and the airport has felt this has been a key part of its endeavours.

Michelle Hatfield, corporate services director at Belfast City Airport, said, ‘Corporate Responsibility is central to our business and it is a real credit to our employees who have worked hard to ensure we are playing our part, as a major employer, in our local community.’

‘We are constantly striving to improve our standards and to be recognised with a Gold Level CORE award is a testament to the efforts of all our employees.’

The airport has a commitment to education, the environment and the local community and is involved with initiatives such as the Community Fund, supporting 120 local projects. Another contributory initiative is its role in the High Flyer’s apprenticeship scheme, an adopted school and other environmental projects.

‘Congratulations to the ten organisations that achieved CORE this year – the Standard is extremely high and you should all be very proud of your commitment to responsible business,’ said Kieran Harding, MD of Business in the Community. ‘CORE strategically supports companies to develop and improve their approach to corporate responsibility. By completing the Standard, companies gain a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, providing a baseline for next steps and further improvements.’