The FAAM Airborne Laboratory is a world-class research facility dedicated to the advancement of atmospheric science.
Closure announcement
Following the withdrawal of funding by UKRI-NERC, announced on Thursday 26 February 2026, the FAAM Airborne Laboratory will cease operations at the end of this financial year.
UKRI have been the custodians of UK airborne science and monitoring since 2014, but the closure marks the end of over 100 years of UK leadership in this field.
We will work closely with UKRI, NERC, our host institutions, delivery partners, facility users, and staff to decommission the research aircraft and manage the transition responsibly. Our immediate priority is supporting affected staff and the wider UK atmospheric science community.
Further updates will be provided as the closure process moves forward. For enquiries please contact UKRI.
The FAAM Airborne Laboratory’s research aircraft is owned by UK Research and Innovation and the Natural Environmental Research Council. It is managed through the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, and leased through the University of Leeds.
The aircraft is supported, modified and upgraded by BAE Systems, operated by Airtask Group, and maintained by Avalon Aero. It is hangared in Bedfordshire, with Cranfield Airport at Cranfield University.
The FAAM Airborne Laboratory offers users – scientific and commercial – a complete package of support and access to world-class measurement technology, with which to tackle some of the most difficult problems in atmospheric science.
Our aims:
- Deliver science campaigns on behalf of the scientific community
- Manage the introduction of new instruments to the facility
- Plan and coordinate instrument configuration changes on the aircraft
- Provide training for the scientific community on using the aircraft and facility
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