Sustainable Aviation welcomes the measures the Government has set out in the Budget today that will support UK aviation on its journey to Net Zero by 2050. The aviation industry is working to deliver next generation aircraft, zero carbon propulsion solutions, and carbon removal, so we welcome the Government’s commitments to deliver £975 million in R&D support for the aerospace sector over the next 5 years, confirming support for electrolytic hydrogen projects in Scotland and Wales to support low carbon hydrogen production, and leveraging £8 billion of private investment in Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage infrastructure.

We also welcome the extension of the Advanced Fuel Fund for a further year as this will support the emerging Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) plants in the UK. SAF can be a new growth sector in our industrial heartlands and help protect the more than one million jobs that currently exist within the aviation sector and its supply chain. Demand for SAF is forecast to increase significantly, but we need urgent action in order to deliver a UK based SAF production industry. We look forward to the SAF Bill coming before Parliament next year, and urge the government to do all they can before, and alongside, that to deliver a thriving SAF industry. Sustainable Aviation stands ready to work with this Government to help deliver this, and support the growth and clean energy missions.