Underspent grant could benefit Exeter Airport

The majority of a £230,000 grant rolled over

An underspent grant aimed at supporting innovation in the aviation sector could provide a boost for Exeter Airport.

A total of £236,000 was given to Devon and Somerset last year to create a future flight innovation zone (FFIZ) at Exeter Airport and iAero in Yeovil.

The funding was intended to support companies looking to develop technology that could help decarbonise the aviation industry.

But officers at East Devon District Council have said the pot, which is managed by Somerset Council, had not yet been spent, but that the government had given permission for it to be rolled over.

“Only about £30,000 of the funding has been spent but it has been announced that Somerset can carry over the funding and it is now looking at new ways to spent it,” said Tom Winters, economic development manager at East Devon.

“Hopefully there will be additional opportunities for Exeter Airport and ways for it to benefit from the funding.”

The FFIZ website states that it will build on the South West’s “world-class capabilities and facilities”, with the zone becoming a “living lab developing, testing and commercialising new future flight technologies under real world conditions, both in the air and on the ground”.

“From drones to unmanned aerial vehicles and traditional aircraft, the zone will be a testbed for hybrid, electric and hydrogen-powered future flight technologies,” the website states.

Partners involved in the FFIZ include Devon County Council, the Met Office, the University of Exeter and Exeter College.

Mr Winters was outlining the council’s progress on its economic development strategy, which lists ambitions for the council and charts its progress on them.

At present, it has 28 priorities, with five of those being categorised as ‘red’, meaning there is little or no progress at present, with the rest rated amber or green.