Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what process was followed that led to decision to cut funding for the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM).

Following a review of value for money across its infrastructure investments, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), concluded that the Facility for Airbourne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM) aircraft no longer offers value for money due to significant rising operating and maintenance costs and limited planned usage. Only two research projects are currently scheduled to use the aircraft between 2027 and 2029, accounting for approximately 27% of the available flying hours.

NERC has engaged directly with the programme leads for the two projects affected, and is working to see how the aims of the research can be achieved through deployment of FAAM instrumentation from ground-based or other platforms, or through exploring alternative approaches with partners to achieve its goals, including the use of drones and other technologies.

Ceasing FAAM operations will also release over £32 million in savings across the Spending Review Period, with a further £5 million in costs. This funding will remain within UK environmental science, enabling reinvestment in more adaptable, scalable and lower-emission technologies that can support a broader range of researchers and applications.