A Swaffham company which developed a revolutionary emergency lighting system for the airline industry has picked up its third Queen's Award for Enterprise.

A Swaffham company which developed a revolutionary emergency lighting system for the airline industry has picked up its third Queen's Award for Enterprise.

STG Aerospace is one of only a very small number of businesses to receive three of the prestigious awards, which recognise the most innovative and successful companies in the UK.

The award was presented to the company's chief executive Peter Stokes by the Lord Lieutenant for Norfolk, Richard Jewson, during a ceremony at the firm's Swaffham headquarters last week. Mr Stokes said: “STG produces technology which is unique and innovative and that improves safety on commercial aircraft whilst saving airlines money.

“It is a great honour to once again receive a Queen's Award and it recognises the hard work of STG's teams both in the UK and world wide.”

The award is another high point for the company, which was established in 1995 and provides photoluminescent (PL) floorpath marking systems for planes.

The system, which comprises of glow-in-the-dark strips, enables passengers to find their way to safety even when power on their aircraft fails.

Currently STG's leading product, SafTGlo, is installed on over 5000 operating aircraft, nearly one third of the world's operating commercial aircraft.

In January this year the company signed a five year extension to its contract with Boeing to supply SafTGlo as a factory fit option. The contract is estimated to be worth more than $1.5m annually.

Last year the company also won an indefinite extension to its contract to supply SafTGlo as a standard factory fit product on Embraer's 170 and 190 series aircraft and as an option on all the other aircraft it builds.