Aircraft assembly jobs secured
09/07/2008(16:09)
Two new deals have protected 750 jobs at an aircraft assembly plant in Ayrshire.
Spirit Europe, which is based in Prestwick, has secured contracts to design and manufacture parts for the new Airbus A350 XWB and extend its current contract agreement to produce parts for existing models until 2015.
The two deals have a combined worth of almost £2 billion for the company, which bought the Prestwick base two years ago from BAE Systems.
Neil McManus, vice president and managing director of Spirit Europe, said that the new deals were "fantastic news for aerospace manufacturing in the UK".
"We now have visibility on a product line that has been a core part of our business for a number of years and is set to be an integral part of our future," he added.
The new contracts follow the announcement that an extra 2,000 jobs have been created in the UK's shipbuilding industry.
Shipyards in Portsmouth, Barrow-in-Furness and Newcastle upon Tyne are to be used to construct the country's biggest ever aircraft carriers.
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