Image credit: Paul Gillis. Aerospace firms in the West Country are set to benefit from a share of £250 million investment in the future of flight, alongside the removal of tariffs on the sector through the UK-US trade deal.
Tens of thousands of workers across our region are employed in aerospace and supply chains for the sector, including advanced manufacturing. Helen Godwin, the new Mayor of the West of England, has welcomed the new funding for green aerospace from government and industry and progress tackling trade barriers. The aerospace sector has been facing additional 10% tariffs on engines and aircraft parts going into the US, which will be reduced by the end of the month.
A quarter of a billion pounds of investment has been announced for cutting-edge green aerospace tech projects at companies including Rolls-Royce, Airbus, and GKN. Projects announced ahead of the Industrial Strategy include:
•Sora Aero (Sora Aviation & Universities of Bristol and Manchester), developing AI-powered tools to similar how aircraft behave in flight and then design better zero-emission aircraft.
•BatWing (Sora Aviation & University of Bath), creating lightweight battery packs and new ways to safely attach them to aircraft wings, supporting the move to electric-powered flight.
Helen Godwin, the new Mayor of the West of England, said:
“Aerospace and advanced manufacturing are a vital part of the West’s economy, so the removal of tariffs with the US is great news for jobs and trade here. This is good news for workers and companies in our part of the world.
“It’s no coincidence that our region, which helped build Concorde, is also powering the future of flight through sustainable engineering. We care deeply about our planet so it’s welcome that, as well as backing jobs and economic growth in the West, this new innovation funding from government and industry will also lower emissions.”
Business and Trade Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, announcing the reduced aerospace tariffs, said:
“We agreed this deal with the US to ensure jobs and livelihoods in some of our most vital sectors were protected, and since then we have been focused on delivering those benefits to businesses.
“Bringing trade deals into force can take several months, yet we are delivering on the first set of agreements in a matter of weeks. And we won’t stop there.
“As part of our Plan for Change, this government is doing all it can to reduce the pressure on businesses by lowering costs, speeding up delivering times and helping them to navigate in a time of global uncertainty.”
Industry Minister, Sarah Jones, Industry Minister, announcing the green aerospace funding, said:
“This government is backing aerospace. This investment will keep it at the forefront of innovation, not only delivering economic growth but boosting the charge to net zero 2030, two key pillars of our Plan for Change.
“This is the latest win for British aerospace in the run-up to the launch of our Industrial Strategy, which will turbocharge growth in our advanced manufacturing and defence sectors to take them to new heights, bringing new high-skilled jobs to every corner of the UK.”
