GE Aerospace Announces £57m Investment in Prestwick Aircraft Maintenance Site
Why It MattersEngine OEMs are placing MRO capacity inside public regional-growth programmes, so shop-visit slots, local skills pipelines and government co-funding increasingly shape where overhaul work is added.
What happened
GE Aerospace has announced a £57m investment in its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities next to Prestwick Airport in South Ayrshire, Scotland. The company is spending £30m on expanding and modernising the site, including a new 55,000 sq ft (5,109 sq m) building, with completion due by the start of 2028.
The project is supported by £27m from the Ayrshire Growth Deal, and Scottish Enterprise has also planned to invest £6m. The investment is expected to create about 150 new jobs over the next five years.
GE Aerospace said the upgrade will increase capacity and operational flow at the site, enabling it to better support customers across its commercial MRO network. Site leader Andy Prow said the expansion and modernisation, carried out with government partners, will improve capacity and readiness for future demand while helping hire and train additional workers from the area. The company has also announced a £75,000 donation to Ayrshire College to fund new training equipment for around 150 students and apprentices and to support a course preparing students for careers in the wider aerospace industry.
Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth called the project a major expansion and a boost for the local economy. UK minister Melanie Ward said the UK government has invested £32m in the Ayrshire Growth Deal to deliver a long-term future for Prestwick Airport. South Ayrshire Council leader Brian Connolly described the investment as a major milestone for the Growth Deal.
GE Aerospace designs and builds engines and technology for passenger, military and private aircraft. The US company also has bases in Cardiff and Hounslow. In 2025 it announced a £14.2m investment at its Wales site over three years to improve infrastructure.
Industry impact & what to watch
The funding structure is the notable part of this case. Of the £57m, £27m comes from the Ayrshire Growth Deal and a further £6m is planned from Scottish Enterprise, against £30m of GE Aerospace's own spending. Engine makers adding overhaul capacity increasingly do so alongside regional development money, which ties the project's timing and scale to public programmes as much as to the company's own demand planning.
MRO capacity for engines is built slowly: a new building, equipment and trained technicians all have to be in place before additional shop visits can be absorbed. The 2028 completion target and the five-year hiring horizon show how long that lead time runs. The Ayrshire College donation points to the other constraint, which is skilled labour, and it explains why the training pipeline is announced alongside the bricks and mortar.
GE Aerospace's earlier investment at its Wales site, announced in 2025, suggests a pattern of upgrading its UK footprint in stages rather than in one move. The next concrete milestones are the completion of the new building by the start of 2028 and the progress of the 150 hires over the following five years.
