GE Aerospace is to expand its aircraft maintenance operation beside Prestwick Airport in a project valued at £57 million, and the company expects to create 150 jobs over five years. The upgraded facility in South Ayrshire is due to be completed in the first quarter of 2028.
The company will spend £30 million extending and modernising its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) site in Prestwick, including a new 55,000 sq ft building. The scheme is also backed by £27 million from the Ayrshire Growth Deal, and Scottish Enterprise plans to invest a further £6 million. GE Aerospace says the work will add capacity and improve operational flow at the site, which supports customers across the company’s wider commercial MRO network.
Andy Prow, who leads the Prestwick site, said the investment showed the company’s “commitment to our customers and to the future of our Prestwick site”. He said the partnership with government would help the firm hire and train more people from the area. As part of that effort, GE Aerospace is giving £75,000 to Ayrshire College to buy training equipment for around 150 students and apprentices and to support a course that prepares students for careers in aerospace.
The plans were welcomed by both governments and the local council. Brian Connolly, leader of South Ayrshire Council, called the investment a “major milestone” for the Ayrshire Growth Deal and said it would keep high-value skilled jobs in the area while drawing new talent into STEM careers. Melanie Ward, the UK Government’s minister for Scotland, said Westminster had provided more than £18 million in funding and was investing £32 million in total in the Prestwick aerospace cluster through the growth deal. Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth described the expansion as a real boost for the local economy and a vote of confidence in Scotland’s workforce, pointing to the Scottish Government’s £103 million commitment to the deal.
Prestwick Airport itself has been in Scottish Government ownership for several years. Reuben Aitken, managing director for investment and international at Scottish Enterprise, said the GE Aerospace project built on decades of engineering expertise at Prestwick and would make the site more competitive while increasing its already significant contribution to Scotland’s exports. He described it as a strong endorsement of the people and skills in Ayrshire, and evidence that Scotland can attract international investment in aerospace.
