Yeovil has won a share of £236,000 of Government funding to create a Future Flight Innovation Centre.
Based at iAero on Bunford Lane, the new Centre will bring together Industry, academia, skills providers, Local Authorities, and business support organisations to drive innovation and accelerate the decarbonisation of flight.
Lead member for Economic Development at Somerset Council,
Councillor Ros Wyke, says 4,300 people are directly employed in aviation in the South West, with a further 6,000 employed in the manufacturing supply chain and that this initiative will support and sustain many high-value jobs. She says Not only will it help decarbonise aerospace but has the potential to bring wider financial benefits to the region. Establishing a Future Flight Innovation Zone will put Yeovil at the forefront of the decarbonising of aviation and aerospace and help Somerset achieve its carbon net-zero targets.
A second Future Flight Innovation Centre will operate from Exeter Airport.
It estimates that if the UK fully adopts un-crewed air systems it could add £45 billion to the UK economy by 2030.
Radio Ninesprings has plans to go digital across Yeovil & South Somerset. We are bidding to launch a DAB+ service across the area. Find out more now...
Listen to an audio recording of the Hustings for the Yeovil Constituency in the 2024 UK General Election, with members of the political parties involved.