Ryanair to create 450 jobs in £40m Prestwick Airport expansion

Hundreds of jobs will be created after a £40 million investment project was announced for Prestwick Airport.

Some 450 highly-skilled engineer and mechanic jobs, as well as 60 apprenticeships, will be created through a major expansion of Ryanair’s maintenance facility at the South Ayrshire hub.

A new 11,938sq m, four-bay heavy maintenance hangar will be created, bringing the total number of Ryanair bays from six to 10.

The company said the expansion meant the site would become its largest heavy maintenance hangar as well as a key aircraft maintenance and training hub.

The Scottish Government said it would jointly invest £15 million to support the expansion alongside Scottish Enterprise. The UK Government will invest nearly £5 million.

It comes after Ryanair’s £5 million investment in its Prestwick training academy, opened in October 2024, which it said was delivering 500 jobs.

Ryanair chief executive Eddie Wilson said: “As Europe’s number one airline, we are pleased to announce a further £40 million investment at Prestwick Airport, expanding our existing maintenance facility from six to 10 bays and creating 450 new highly-skilled engineering and mechanic jobs, including 60 apprenticeships.

“This new state-of-the-art, four-bay hangar and component workshops will make Prestwick our largest heavy maintenance facility, and a key part of how we will maintain and support our fleet as we continue to grow to 800 aircraft and 300 million passengers by 2034.

“Today’s announcement builds on the £5 million investment and 500 jobs delivered with our Prestwick training academy, opened in October 2024.

“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.

“We thank Deputy First Minister Forbes and the Scottish Government, the UK Government, South Ayrshire Council, Scottish Enterprise and Prestwick Airport for their support and partnership on this expansion.

“Their focused approach in backing this project has been crucial in enabling us to grow Prestwick into a major heavy maintenance and training hub that will deliver skilled careers and economic benefits for many years to come.”

First Minister John Swinney said: “I am delighted that Scottish Government investment will support the creation of 450 skilled jobs at Prestwick, which will have a major economic impact in Ayrshire and beyond.

“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.

“My Government will continue to do everything in our power to support the creation of good jobs and to support economic growth in Scotland.”

The First Minister paid tribute to his deputy during his speech at Prestwick, saying: “One of the pivotal contributions in making this happen has come from my deputy, Kate Forbes, the Deputy First Minister, who has put what can only be described as a superhuman zeal into making sure that investments are landed for Scotland.

“Over the two years that Kate has been the Deputy First Minister, thousands and thousands of jobs have come to Scotland because of her willingness and aptitude to make deals happen, to build relationships and friendships, and to make sure that we can land investments in a very specific timescale.”

Mr Swinney said he is still “coming to terms with the fact” that Ms Forbes is stepping down as his deputy, and as an MSP, at May’s election.

He added: “On this occasion, perhaps one of the last occasions I will have to express publicly my appreciation to Kate Forbes, I want to say, on behalf of the people of Scotland, the warmest thanks for diligent efforts to make sure that lives are improved.”

The UK Government is providing £4.9 million towards enabling infrastructure for Ryanair’s heavy maintenance hangar, part of its broader £32 million for the Prestwick aerospace cluster to position Ayrshire as a leading UK aerospace hub.

UK Government minister for Scotland Kirsty McNeill said: “This is a fantastic example of significant public sector funding – including £32 million UK Government Ayrshire growth deal money for the Prestwick aerospace cluster – unlocking substantial private sector investment, boosting employment and driving economic renewal in Scotland.

“Helping secure Prestwick Airport’s long-term future is a priority for the UK Government and Ryanair’s decision to build its largest heavy maintenance hangar here creating and supporting 1,200 jobs is a massive win for Ayrshire, and a powerful vote of confidence in our hugely talented local workforce.

“Our collective efforts mean that Ryanair is delivering 450 new high-skilled jobs, including 60 apprenticeships, ensuring that the next generation of Scottish engineers has a world-class career path right on their doorstep.

“The sky’s the limit for Ayrshire as a global leader in the aerospace sector.”