The expansion will grow the existing facility from six to ten bays, making Prestwick the airline’s largest heavy maintenance base in Europe.

The new roles will span a range of disciplines, including aircraft mechanics, avionics specialists, structures technicians and supervisory positions, alongside 60 apprenticeships. The Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise are jointly contributing more than £15m to support the project, with a portion of that funding drawn from the Ayrshire Growth Deal to finance infrastructure improvements across the wider Prestwick campus, including car parking, a pedestrian footbridge and flood mitigation measures.

Part of the investment will also be directed towards helping people facing barriers to employment, including older workers and those with little or no prior engineering experience, access structured training that leads to long-term, high-value careers.

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.

“This week alone, investment into Scotland has supported the creation of more than 2,300 jobs. The economic conditions and policies set by the Scottish Government have enabled these investments and we will continue to build on our strong track record of delivery to keep growing the economy.”

Ryanair Chief Executive Eddie Wilson said: “As Europe’s No.1 airline, we are pleased to announce a further £40 million investment at Prestwick Airport, expanding our existing maintenance facility from 6 to 10 bays and creating 450 new highly skilled engineering and mechanic jobs, including 60 apprenticeships.

“This new state-of-the-art, 4-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 focussed 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.”