Airbus opens £40 million aerospace research centre at Filton in Bristol

By Nicky Godding

7 June 2021

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Airbus's Aerospace Integrated Research and Test Centre (AIRTeC) in Filton, Bristol has been officially opened by Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

AIRTeC is a £40 million, state-of-the-art research and testing facility jointly funded by the Government’s ATI programme and Airbus. Covering more than 10,000m2 of gross internal floor space – the equivalent of two football pitches – the Centre is designed to undertake structural testing of large-scale aircraft assemblies, from full-size wings down to the individual components and materials used in aircraft design. It provides the most advanced working environment and tools for Airbus alongside external suppliers, partners, and academia, to deliver the next generation of aircraft wing, landing-gear systems and fuel system designs.

The facility is a key asset in helping industry accelerate the design, manufacture, testing, certification, infrastructure, and commercial operation of zero-emission aircraft through sustained investment in R&T and R&D and fostering greater collaboration across sectors.

Companies in other sectors, such as maritime and nuclear, along with universities can also utilise AIRTeC’s innovative, highly flexible, and easily adaptable environment, which includes 65,000m² of state-of-the-art specialist test space, a 40m-long strong floor, and a 14 x 10m strong wall capable of testing full-size wings – with a force equivalent to the weight of 240 cars – using a 25MN high-capacity loading test machine.

Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, said: “The launch of this fantastic new centre comes as Airbus prepares to ramp up production of its most popular aircraft towards the end of the year – a clear vote of confidence in Britain as we build back better from the pandemic. These top-class research and testing facilities will be used to continue the spirit of innovation for which we are world renowned and will produce the cleaner, more efficient flights of tomorrow. “This is great news, not just for Filton but for the rest of the UK which will benefit from jobs in the supply chain. I am proud of the government’s support for the centre’s construction, showing we are leaving no stone unturned in our drive to make the aviation industry cleaner in the fight against climate change.”

John Harrison, General Counsel and UK Chairman of Airbus, said: “Airbus makes a significant contribution to the UK aerospace industry and we are delighted to welcome the Secretary of State to help us showcase our fantastic facility. AIRTeC will take our research and testing capabilities at Filton to the next level and will make us even more competitive for the future.”

By Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe.

After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts.

She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.