Partnership
Major public funding support for the KEPPLAIR 72 program (France 2030)
2026-04-08
The KEPPLAIR72 program has reached a major milestone, with an official commitment from the French State and the Occitanie / Pyrénées-Méditerranée Region, as part of the regional component of the France 2030 investment plan. This support takes the form of an exceptional €5 million grant, including €1.5 million from the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund). Major institutional stakeholders mobilized This decision has been endorsed at both regional and national levels: ➡️ The French State, through its innovation and industrial reindustrialization support mechanisms ➡️ The Occitanie Region, strongly committed to developing the aerospace industry ➡️ The European Union, through the ERDF, confirming the strategic importance of the project at European level The decision was notably endorsed by: ➡️ The General Secretariat for Investment (SGPI) ➡️ Pierre-André Durand, Prefect of the Occitanie Region and Prefect of Haute-Garonne ➡️ Carole Delga, President of the Occitanie Region A grant with strong industrial leverage Beyond the amount itself, this funding plays a key role: ✔️ Accelerating the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) certification process with EASA – European Union Aviation Safety Agency, followed by the Federal Aviation Administration ✔️ Launching in-depth technical studies and testing ✔️ Moving into the industrialization phase ✔️ Building a French-based maintenance and support ecosystem It acts as a genuine industry catalyst, bringing together the full range of aerospace stakeholders around a sovereign project. A matter of national sovereignty and security This public support is not driven solely by economic considerations. It also addresses critical strategic challenges: ⏩ Renewal of civil security fleets ⏩ European technological independence ⏩ Resilience in the face of increasingly intense wildfires and disasters KEPPLAIR 72 is therefore part of a broader strategy focused on: 👉 National sovereignty 👉 Public safety 👉 Ecological transition A project already recognized by operational institutions The program has already received a letter of interest from the Directorate General for Civil Protection and Crisis Management (DGSCGC), confirming its alignment with the future needs of France’s aerial emergency response capabilities. 💬 “This public funding is essential […] and strengthens the credibility of our ambition to deliver an operational solution as early as 2027.” David Joubert, President & Founder of @Kepplair Evolution 🔥 “With this support, KEPPLAIR 72 is no longer positioned solely as an innovative project, but as a strategic program shaping the future of France and Europe.”