The UK government has allocated £7.3 million ($9.7 million) to fund eight projects developing infrastructure for electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft, including airport charging systems, hydrogen storage and flight demonstrations. The funding, announced by the Department for Transport, forms part of a wider £43 million ($57 million) package aimed at supporting next-generation aviation technology, though the sum remains relatively modest given the scale of the challenge in decarbonising air travel.

Among the recipients is Bristol-based Vertical Aerospace, which leads the ECLiPSE project to develop high-power charging and thermal management systems alongside the University of Bath and InnCat. Other schemes include the Scottish Electric Aviation Network (SEAN), which will trial zero-emission regional flights from Inverness Airport using Beta Technologies' Alia CX300 aircraft, and several Bristol Airport-linked hydrogen initiatives such as CHOSAN and Project HyPRIME, which explore cryogenic hydrogen propulsion and mobile refuelling vehicles. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the funding reflects efforts to work with industry to cut aviation emissions, though separately Airbus has cast doubt on whether its hydrogen-powered ZEROe aircraft will meet its original 2035 service target.