GAMA White Paper Maps Funding Path for Euro Clean Tech

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has laid out an industrial blueprint to foster clean aviation manufacturing through a white paper released on Wednesday during Aero Friedrichshafen. Entitled Wings of Change: A Strategy for Competitiveness, Innovation, Industry, and Investment in Europe’s Sustainable Aviation Sector, the document was drafted with the support and input of aviation companies across Europe.

The paper builds upon recommendations included in a 2024 GAMA white paper on accelerating electric aviation in Europe and comes as the EU is advancing its Clean Industrial Deal and competitive agenda. This paper includes a progress report of the recommendations of the earlier paper, but also outlines several proposals to mobilize capital and scale manufacturing.

These include establishing a “one-stop shop” investment platform under a proposed EU Competitiveness Fund. Proposed in July, the fund would consolidate more than €400 billion in funding instruments through 2034 to support industrial resilience, decarbonization, and technological leadership. GAMA’s white paper maintains that a one-stop-shop platform under this fund could help organize research and development, ramp up, and manufacturing funding opportunities.

Another proposal would be to shift EU and member-state funding toward a performance-based funding model with certification and technological milestones. In addition, the paper calls for the creation of an EU Sustainable Aviation Manufacturing Initiative to address administrative bottlenecks and promote cross-border cooperation.

And to support certification of new products, the paper highlights the need for EASA to use resources efficiently. GAMA further encourages integrating environmental criteria into public service obligation tenders, along with directing cohesion policy and EU ETS revenues toward sustainable aviation infrastructure.

“European general aviation manufacturers have led the way with the certification of both a fully electric aircraft and an electric propulsion engine,” said Péter Márton, director of European government affairs for GAMA. “Unfortunately, insufficient access to capital and limited industrial scale-up support have caused some companies to file bankruptcy and/or relocate. Without stronger investment frameworks and regulatory backing, Europe risks losing ground in a sector that is making headway in reducing environmental impacts and growing economic opportunity.”

Companies providing input included Ascendance (France), Aura Aero (France), Daher (France), H55 (Switzerland), Safran (France), Pipistrel Aircraft (Slovenia), Vaeridion (Germany), Volocopter (Germany), Vertical Aerospace (United Kingdom), ZeroAvia (United Kingdom), Skyports Infrastructure (United Kingdom), and ERC – Systems (Germany).