£30m funding safeguards 300 jobs

The plant will handle a new generation of engines for Boeing

Three hundred jobs will be safeguarded through a £30m investment at a jet engine servicing plant, the Scottish Executive has said.

The money is to be spent at the Prestwick plant of GE Caledonian, part of US engine giant General Electric.

The plant repairs and overhauls engines for large commercial planes.

Deputy Enterprise Minister Allan Wilson said: "This investment will safeguard 300 jobs and keep Ayrshire at the forefront of aerospace maintenance."

The money will be used to equip the plant for handling the new generation of engines which will power the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and a stretched version of the Boeing 747 freighter.

The work will include constructing a testing building capable of withstanding 84,000lb of thrust from the new engines.

The company will invest £22.41m, a further £5.6m will come from the Scottish Executive in the form of grants and an additional £1.8m in training cash will come from Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire.

GE Caledonian managing director, David Crews, said: "This is very positive news for GE Caledonian and represents a significant investment in our site over the next five years."