In ADS Live 2021 held in March we were joined by The Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP who spoke to to Katherine Bennett CBE, Senior Vice President of Airbus.

Kwasi outlined a positive future for aerospace and aviation for three key reasons:

  1. Successful vaccine rollout, giving the prospect of reopening the economy in the summer.
  2. Negotiation of the free trade agreement with Europe.
  3. Publication of the Prime Minister’s ten-point plan and energy white paper.

However he acknowledged that there are still outstanding challenges for the sector; trying to get the right balance of growing the industry but being mindful of the climate change agenda.

I think that the prospects for the UK broadly are very encouraging, I think we’ve got some great industries represented here. I suppose most particularly in aviation. In aviation and aerospace we not only have a thriving civil aviation sector, but we also have a world-beating military aviation sector and that is something that has fed into our traditions of innovation, of science and of developing defence capability.

Find out more in our recording of the event below.

During the Question and Answer session, he answered two key questions for ADS members:

  1. How industry and Government can work together in the development of Net Zero aircraft technology
  2. Public procurement and national security – how will you be enabling investment through the reforms that your department are helping lead.

In answering these questions he discussed Net Zero, wider innovation for civil and defence aerospace and the publication of an innovation strategy over the coming months.

Watch full Q&A discussion.