The Aerospace Growth Partnership, a new government and aerospace group set up to tackle issues affecting the competitiveness of the sector, has met for the first time today.
Established to address the strategic obstacles identified by the Aerospace Business Leaders Group, the group will be jointly chaired by Business Minister Mark Prisk and Marcus Bryson, chief executive of GKN Aerospace and chair of UK aerospace trade association A|D|S’s Civil Air Transport Board.
Prisk said: “Aerospace is a UK success that we should be very proud of. We are number one in Europe and number two in the world with a 17% global market share. Aerospace companies in the UK directly employ around 100,000 highly skilled individuals and support many more jobs across the wider UK economy. Salaries in the sector are 36% above the manufacturing average.
“This group will bring aerospace and government together so we can take action to address barriers to growth, boost exports and grow the number of highly skilled jobs available in the UK.”
The work of the new Partnership will focus on ensuring that the UK remains an extremely attractive location for aerospace companies to carry out work both on current and future generations of civil aircraft.
Chief executive of GKN Marcus Bryson commented: ”If the UK is able to maintain its current global market share then aerospace will generate £352 billion over the next 20 years. However, we cannot take this for granted, as other nations are also seeking to expand their own aerospace industries.
Bryson spoke of “fantastic opportunities for growth” the industry is determined to seize. “In doing so we will unlock the potential to develop more environmentally friendly aircraft. Our partnership with government is crucial to achieving this success and we welcome the commitment of BIS to this work,” he added.
