South West aviation and aerospace industry figures pledge towards net zero

Today, a number of aviation and aerospace industry leaders from across the South West met to discuss how they would work together to support the sector’s transition to net zero and set out joint commitments for the coming years.  

The event was convened by Bristol Airport and was attended by representatives from a number of organisations including Rolls Royce, Airbus, easyJet, GKN, Atkins, Vertical Aerospace, Universal Hydrogen and Wood.

There are a number of clean aviation projects underway in the South West including a consortium led by Atkins (of which Bristol Airport is a participant) that is exploring the feasibility of air taxi services in the South West using eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft.

Following the event, the participants released a joint statement:

“We are committed to working together to drive the development and adoption of zero emissions technologies across the whole aerospace and aviation industry in the South West and beyond. This will involve cross-sector collaboration and innovation that will help deliver the UK’s sustainable aviation ambitions and enable the UK to build back better from the pandemic, driving recovery and job creation across the region and the country.”

Emma Gilthorpe, CEO of the Jet Zero Council said:

“I welcome today’s roundtable discussion between many of the leading voices within the South West's aviation and aerospace industry, and I am greatly encouraged by their joint commitment to support the decarbonisation of our sector. Collaborative regional planning such as this will ensure our industry harnesses it's collective capabilities and maintains the benefits of flying for future generations, whilst also establishing a credible pathway to net-zero emissions.”

Today’s event is part of series being organised by Bristol Airport which aim to showcase the region’s role in driving clean aviation growth and set out proposals on how the aviation sector can decarbonise.

Further collaborations and proposals are expected in the coming months as the region turns towards recovery from Covid-19 and in the lead up to COP26 later this year.  This will include working with the Western Gateway to promote and maximise economic growth across the West of England and South Wales.