Using new classes of electric, hydrogen and autonomous air vehicles, the ‘Future flight’ challenge will transform how we connect people, deliver goods and provide services.
It will speed up the acceptance of these vehicles into service by encouraging businesses to share knowledge and resources.
This £300 million challenge is delivering the third revolution in aviation by:
The challenge is working towards demonstrating:
Taking place over three phases, this £125 million investment is backed by £175 million from industry.
The challenge has a clear plan and strategy to advance future flight in the UK. And encourage its spread into society.
It has a vision for a future aviation system. Using new classes of electric, hydrogen and autonomous vehicles to transform how we:
Pivotal to the uptake, roll out and the success of future flight technologies are public:
So the challenge has brought in social science research alongside further technology development. This helps build a comprehensive understanding of the complex public, community and stakeholder attitudes, concerns or expectations that will inform societies thinking about future flight.
This approach leads the way globally in gathering community and social insight.
The challenge connects industry, government and regulators in working groups which discuss, tackle and solve issues from across the sector. They help provide input and insight to government strategy and regulatory policy to ensure future flight becomes a reality in the UK.
Video credit: UKRI. An autogenerated transcript of the video is available on YouTube.
Many organisations, in the UK and globally, are developing novel vehicle technologies covering drones, advanced air mobility vehicles and zero-carbon regional aircraft. These novel aircraft will enable the creation of new markets worth over $675 billion by 2050.
To benefit from these new markets in autonomous air logistics, air taxis in dense urban environments and distributed, sub-regional aviation whilst maintaining high safety levels, every aspect of the wider aviation system needs to develop radically and quickly.
For example:
In addition, new regulations and standards in many areas must be developed by the UK Civil Aviation Authority and public concerns must be addressed around:
Read more about UKRI business funding opportunities.
Funding opportunities may fund research and development projects that are classed as feasibility studies, industrial research or experimental development.
For feasibility studies and industrial research projects, the following intervention rates may apply:
For experimental development projects which are nearer to market, the following intervention rates may apply:
Capital costs may be funded through some funding opportunities with intervention rates of up to 80%.
Compiled by leading experts from industry, academia and government, the future flight vision and roadmap sets out how zero emission air travel within and between British cities could be commonplace by 2030.
Find out more in the Future flight vision and roadmap.
The paper outlines the starting point for wider engagement across academia, industry, and the public sector
Future flight social science considerations and research.
Recognising the industry challenges that could hamper the acceptance and integration of this future aviation system the challenge is setting up working groups to discuss, tackle and solve these issues.
The working groups will draw on expertise from across the industry to help provide input and insight to government strategy, regulatory policy and create alignment to ensure future flight becomes a reality in the UK.
The Future Flight Challenge asked PwC to develop and test a holistic framework for assessing the potential costs and benefits of six use cases selected by the challenge.
Findings from the Future Flight Challenge socio-economic study.
Egis and the University of York, on behalf of the Future Flight challenge, present their findings into the potential technological developments that will influence aviation safety.
Future Flight Challenge: initial safety case framework.
This interactive landscape map provides insight into the capability in the UK to support the integration of new aircraft with the digital and physical infrastructure necessary for future flight.
Explore the map to find new collaborative partners and see the breadth of investment and expertise in the UK.
Projects funded so far include:
Find out more:
Last updated: 1 December 2022
