Lancashire leading way in the air

The Paris Airshow was attended by representatives of Aerospace Lancashire, the joint initiative between the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Lancashire County Council (LCC).

They flew over to highlight how the Red Rose County employs more people within the sector than any other area of the UK does.

Part of the North West Aerospace Alliance (NWAA) delegation, Aerospace Lancashire had its own exhibition stand which showcased the county’s world-class aerospace businesses, assets and infrastructure dedicated to aerospace R&D, manufacturing and servicing.

A new report, Lancashire: Number One For Aerospace Jobs, shows that 17,000 people are employed directly in the aerospace sector in the county.

Around 500 firms in Lancashire directly also supply the county’s aerospace sector, with many working within specialist manufacturing areas such as precision components, advanced surface treatments, and the assembly of engine sub-systems.

Andy Walker, from the Aerospace Lancashire delegation, said: “Lancashire remains the UK’s biggest aerospace employer and supports tens of thousands of high skilled jobs both directly and through its supply chain.

“This, combined with our continued investment into our new EZ cluster, which includes a dedicated aerospace zone in Samlesbury, and other assets such as BAE’s ASK training facility will help us continue to prosper as one of the world’s most advanced and successful aerospace clusters.

“This is the upbeat and confident message we took to Paris last month, which was very well received by potential investors, employers and numerous government ministers who were in attendance.”

David Bailey, chief executive of the NWAA, said: “Our new report suggests that the global economic outlook for the aerospace sector remains very positive, with Lancashire in a great position to build upon its status as the UK’s leading region for aerospace jobs.” The fact that Lancashire has a complete end-to-end capability to design, build and maintain an entire fixed-wing aircraft provides for a fantastic range of business and employment opportunities.