Bristol mayor George Ferguson has announced his support for a proposed aerospace attraction at the Filton airfield that would showcase aircraft, helicopters, aero-engines and missiles, and also provide a home for Concorde 216.

In a letter to Iain Gray, chair of the Bristol Aero Collection Trust, Ferguson said he saw the Bristol Aerospace Centre as a "key legacy project".

"The Bristol Aeroplane Company was one of the first and most important British aviation companies and Bristol's links to the history of flight forms an integral part of the city's unique identity."

In December BAE Systems pledged £2m to the project as well as £400,000 worth of design, construction consultancy and project management support.

The attraction, expected to cost around £13.65m and open in 2016, is forecast to attract 80,000 visitors a year.

In February the charity will seek around £4.5m from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and additional money will be sought from corporate players, charitable trusts and foundations, major donors and a public appeal.

Concorde was largely built and designed at Filton and the fleet's final supersonic flight landed at the airfield in 2003.