“Spirit” Aerospace Jobs at Prestwick Secured as Airbus Takes over Site Production

Great news breaking tonight. The “Spirit” aerospace jobs at Prestwick are secure.

New name over the door of the main factory will be Prestwick Aerosystems.

Doug Maclean Aviation Editor, 8th December 2025

Double good news for Prestwick and Scottish industry today as details released from Airbus in Amsterdam said that Airbus “has closed the transaction with Spirit AeroSystems for the acquisition of industrial assets dedicated to its commercial aircraft programmes.”

Picture Airbus Industries

Boeing also confirm in a statement made in Arlington, Virginia that “Spirit's Aerospace Innovation Center in Prestwick, Scotland, will begin to integrate into Boeing.”

On July 1st 2024 I wrote an article about the future of the Spirit Prestwick site. Ayr MSP Siobhian Brown had been alarmed by stories about the sale of the Spirit business to Boeing. Spirit had invested £22 million in a spoiler manufacturing project. That included £2.1 million funding from Scottish Enterprise while a grant of £4.8 million was awarded to Spirit’s £28 million Aerospace Innovation Centre which was built at Prestwick.

The reason for Ms Brown’s concern was that the main production at Prestwick was spoilers for the Airbus 320 and wing fixed leading edges and front spars for the Airbus 350 aircraft. Concerns were being raised that the Airbus work was being sold to Boeing.

Ms Brown met with Scott McLarty, Senior Vice President of Spirit AeroSystems. After that meeting last year she said to Ayrshire Daily News “I had reassuring talks that this will not impact local jobs. I was also updated on the positive impact this news could have for Prestwick.”

That story here - https://www.ayrshiredailynews.co.uk/news/spirit-prestwick-outlook-positive-despite-being-left-out-from-8-3-billion-merger-of-boeing-and-spir

Now the news today that Prestwick Aerosystems, an affiliate company of Airbus, will be the new company running the Prestwick site.

Jerome Blandin - Head of Wing Operations for Airbus Commercial Aircraft, talking about acquiring the production from Belfast and Prestwick sites said “We are proud to welcome more than 1,200 employees in Prestwick, who join us as part of the affiliate business, Prestwick Aerosystems.”

“The acquired capabilities deliver essential work content on the A320 and A350 aircraft and will provide stability and support our ramp up objectives on both key Airbus programmes.”

Mr Blandin concluded “By integrating the rich history of innovation in Belfast and Prestwick into our existing operations in Broughton and Filton, we are further bolstering our world-class design and manufacturing capabilities in the UK.”

When the Airbus A320 was first designed in the mid 1980s it was considered that there may be a demand for a few thousand such aircraft over the lifetime of the project. The order book now stands at over 20,000 with new orders arriving every month.

40 years after the first orders the prospects for A320 work at Prestwick Aerosystems looks bright with decades of backlog and production will soon be increasing to an astonishing 75 aircraft per month by 2027.

Boeing and Airbus will now be represented on the Prestwick site - the two biggest aerospace manufacturers in the world. Not only are the existing jobs secure but the aircraft order books for both companies sit at record levels and the future looks good.

MSP Siobhian Brown reacted to today’s news by saying – “This is a huge milestone for the region.”

“With production of key components for the A320 and A350 wings taking place at Prestwick, this will not only strengthen Scotland’s aerospace industry but also bring long-term benefits to local jobs and the economy. This marks an exciting new chapter for Prestwick, cementing its place in the future of commercial aviation.”

“This is a massive vote of confidence in the incredible talent and capabilities we have in Scotland’s aerospace sector. Looking forward to what’s ahead.”