PRESS RELEASE : £12m funding for lower carbon aerospace project to upskill South West jobs [July 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Business and Trade on 5 July 2023.

Minister Ghani has announced £12 million of funding for a cutting-edge new aerospace R&D project at Airbus Filton which will support local jobs.

• £12 million government-backed funding for groundbreaking aerospace R&D project at Airbus Filton set to upskill local staff – furthering one of the Prime Minister’s five priorities to grow the economy.
• Combined government and industry funding will develop new lower carbon aircraft wing technology – reducing CO2 emissions and fuel burn.
• Industry Minister announces package following visit to Airbus Filton to open new Wing Technology Development Centre to advance technology on next generation aircraft.

A new cutting-edge aerospace R&D project supporting highly-skilled jobs at Airbus Filton in the South West will benefit from £12 million in combined government and industry funding, Industry Minister Nusrat Ghani has announced today (5 July).

The project will develop new aircraft wing technology, in particular for longer aircraft wings, to reduce CO2 emissions from flights and will upskill local employees and apprentices in a range of roles, including technicians and engineers.

Longer wings make it easier for an aircraft to create lift without using as much fuel, helping to reduce CO2 emissions. The project will explore the technology for a folding mechanism for longer wings, so that they can be retracted and aircraft do not take up more space at airports as a result.

The funding will be delivered through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme and was announced following Minister Ghani’s visit to Airbus Filton yesterday.

Minister Ghani also opened a new state-of-the-art Wing Technology Development Centre, which will house the next generation of aircraft wing technologies and production capabilities.

Minister for Industry and Economic Security Nusrat Ghani said:

Our world-class aerospace sector is helping us grow the economy and lead the way on greener air travel, and this new project at Airbus Filton will make sure the South West stays at the forefront of this innovation.

We’re backing our aerospace sector to soar, and projects like these are helping drive forward our goal of net zero air travel by 2050 and securing high-wage, high-skill jobs across the country in the process.

Around 2,700 staff work in high-skilled roles at Airbus Filton, which has established itself as the company’s lead UK site for civil aircraft R&D and develops some of the most exciting future technologies in aircraft wing design, fuel systems and landing gear.

The funding announced today builds on £218 million of support for cutting-edge UK aerospace research projects announced last month at the Paris Air Show, where Airbus also announced Indian airline IndiGo’s historic purchase of 500 Airbus A320-family aircraft.

This was the biggest single purchase by an airline in commercial aviation history and will be worth billions to the UK economy, with Airbus manufacturing almost all its aircraft wings in the UK.

The ATI funding announced also forms part of a joint commitment with industry to invest in new aircraft and manufacturing technologies set to help secure at least £20 billion of further private investment in the UK aerospace sector and support over 100,000 jobs across the country.

Yesterday, Minister Ghani also gave a keynote address at an event hosted by key suppliers to the UK aerospace industry and manufacturers of aircraft components, including GKN, Airbus, Spirit AeroSystems and many other smaller businesses.

In her speech, the Minister set out the Government’s commitment to backing more innovation and investment in UK aerospace to an audience of companies in the industry – including a range of aerospace SMEs – considering investing in the UK.

The event marked the first time that the UK’s leading manufacturers in the aerospace sector have come together to give a joint message on their plans for the future and ambitions to attract more investment into the UK.

Background:

• The Airbus-led project announced by Minister Ghani is named XWING BETA, and will use cutting-edge techniques and research to develop longer aircraft wing capabilities.
• The ATI Programme is a joint government and industry investment. Its purpose is to competitively offer funding for research and technology development in the UK, to maintain and grow the UK’s competitive position in civil aerospace and accelerate the transition to net zero aviation.
• The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has a well-developed approach to supporting the aerospace sector, including: £685 million of funding for the ATI Programme; the Aerospace Growth Partnership sector council which has developed the Destination Zero strategy for aerospace, a technology strategy developed by the ATI, and support for airline sales campaigns.
• Aircraft components are manufactured using advanced materials. The advanced materials industry contributes £14 billion to the UK economy annually. It is also crucial for achieving net zero targets, as innovation in advanced materials is hugely important for sustainable growth.