Ryanair announces 450 jobs in Prestwick Airport aircraft maintenance base expansion
Third hangar to be built at South Ayrshire airport where airline started Scottish flights 32 years ago
Another 450 jobs are to created at Ryanair’s huge aircraft maintenance base at Prestwick Airport, Europe’s biggest airline announced on Friday.
The Irish carrier will build a third hangar at the South Ayrshire airport in a £40 million development, with £15m support from the Scottish government and some £5m from the UK government.
It will increase the workforce to more than 1,200, with 60 additional apprenticeships.
It marks another major expansion of the facility, which opened in 2004, with a second hangar added in 2011. The airline signalled likely further growth four years ago.
The development will increase the number of aircraft the base can handle from six to ten, which will make it Ryanair’s largest heavy maintenance facility, although its Dublin complex is larger overall.
Chief executive Eddie Wilson, who made the announcement at Prestwick with First Minister John Swinney and Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes, said it came as Ryanair’s fleet was expected to increase from nearly 600 to 800 aircraft by 2034.
The news follows Ryanair launching a £5m training academy in 2024 which created 500 jobs.
The total number of people employed on the site will now increase to more than 1,200.
Mr Wilson said: “Together, these investments underline Ryanair’s long-term commitment to Scotland, to high-quality engineering and mechanic jobs, and to developing the next generation of aviation talent here in Ayrshire.”
He also paid tribute to the key role played in securing the development by Ms Forbes, who is standing down at the Holyrood election in May.
Mr Wilson said: “She did all the hard work on the project and did a fantastic job.”
He told Mr Swinney: “You are going to lose a great public servant.”
Mr Swinney said: “Ryanair has chosen to expand at Prestwick because of the talent and expertise on the ground and it is testament to the skills of the existing workforce.”
UK government minister for Scotland Kirsty McNeill described it as “a massive win for Ayrshire and a powerful vote of confidence in our hugely talented local workforce”.
The new jobs include aircraft mechanics, avionics specialists, structures technicians and supervisory engineering positions.
The government funding will also support the recruitment of people facing barriers to work, such as those with limited or no engineering experience and older workers.
Prestwick Airport chief executive Ian Forgie said: “This agreement provides a strong platform for passenger growth in the future.”
Ryanair operates ten routes from the airport, where it is the sole passenger airline with two aircraft based there.
The services are to Lanzarote, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife, Barcelona and Pisa, with more flights this summer on its Alicante, Faro, Pisa, Malaga and Murcia routes.
The airline started flights from Scotland with services between Prestwick and Dublin 32 years ago.
Ryanair is the largest carrier at Edinburgh, Scotland’s busiest airport, with nearly 70 routes, and also operates eight routes from Glasgow.
Mr Wilson said he would like to expand further at Edinburgh by basing more aircraft there, so long as majority owner Vinci did not ”jack up” airlines charges, as he said it had done at most of its other airports.
He said: “We have a good working relationship but don’t always see eye to eye.”
An Edinburgh Airport spokesperson said: “We have a long and successful relationship with Ryanair based on shared goals and a strong commercial approach.”
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