The UK government is backing aerospace tech with projects with more than £250 million in funding to drive greener air travel.

The combined funding from government and industry will drive forward the development of cutting-edge technologies that will help to secure the future of the UK’s aerospace sector. This includes advancements in gas turbines, hydrogen-powered flight and the use of laser technologies for large-scale aerostructure manufacturing

It aims to attract even more investment into the UK’s aerospace sector and support thousands of high-skilled jobs outside of London, delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change and helping grow the economy.

The announcement comes as new figures from the industry’s trade association ADS show the UK’s aerospace sector added £13.6 billion to the economy last year – an increase of almost 50 percent compared to 2014 – and supported 100,000 direct jobs.

“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,” industry minister Sarah Jones said.

“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.”

During her visit to Paris Air Show – the world’s largest event for the civil aerospace sector – Minister Jones will tour the UK’s pavilion and meet with British companies exhibiting, before meeting with a wide range of leading aerospace companies, such as Airbus, Rolls-Royce and GKN.

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The meetings will focus on encouraging even greater investment into British aerospace, promoting the UK’s world-class R&D offer on the global stage, and how government can support businesses to increase their manufacturing and operations in the UK.

Smaller and medium size businesses across the UK continue to benefit from the ATI Programme, with more than 302 receiving support since 2013, and another 19 investing over £22.8m in innovation in today’s announcement.

The UK aerospace sector had an annual turnover of £34 billion in 2024 and spent £1.9 billion on business R&D – a record level, driven by ongoing investment in both sustainable technology and market manufacturing technology to help ramp up UK production.