Aircraft without pilots could be flying commuters to UK regional airports within a decade - possibly using hydrogen as fuel making them environmentally friendly.
British aircraft manufacturer Britten-Norman is working alongside technology company Bear Blue to first develop a semi-autonomous plane with just one pilot, followed by an aircraft with no humans on the flight deck.
The government has pledged £1.8 million to the project, which could see the first aircraft carrying passengers by the mid 2020s.
Aircraft manufacturer Britten-Norman is working with several high-tech companies to produce an autonomous version of its Islander aircraft as part of a government-funded scheme