Scotland's aerospace industry received a double boost yesterday after Rolls-Royce secured a major engines order and Spirit AeroSystems expanded the operations of its Prestwick facility.

Scotland's aerospace industry received a double boost yesterday after Rolls-Royce secured a major engines order and Spirit AeroSystems expanded the operations of its Prestwick facility.

Staff at Rolls-Royce's operations at Inchinnan, near Glasgow airport, could benefit after a major US aircraft leasing company put in an $800m (£380m) order for engines for a new generation of extra wide-bodied aircraft.

International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) has ordered the company's Trent XWB engines to power a fleet of 20 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft.

Meanwhile, Spirit AeroSystems, which currently uses its Prestwick facility to manufacture wing parts for Airbus and Boeing planes as well as other pieces for Hawker Beechcraft aircraft, revealed it is to open a maintenance hub for Europe and the Middle East at the site.

The Rolls-Royce order is potentially good news for the 2200 staff who work in Rolls's aerospace operations north of the border particularly those at the plant at Inchinnan which makes blades and seals for a number of engines including the Trent range. It also makes ILFC Rolls-Royce's largest single customer for its Trent range of engines.

ILFC originally ordered 16 aircraft based on a first design for the A350 that Airbus scrapped. The A350 has been repeatedly revamped as European manufacturer Airbus attempted to compete with rival Boeing's Dreamliner 787. ILFC's planes are due for delivery beginning in April 2014.

A spokeswoman for Rolls said: "It has not yet been decided where the parts are to be manufactured."

However, Rolls has in the past highlighted the Inchinnan facility as the most modern of its type in the world.

Spirit AeroSystems's decision to provide maintenance, repair, and overhaul services from Prestwick secures the jobs of 750 people currently employed at there and could lead to the creation of more posts.

Initially the work, which will start in mid-2008, will focus on repairing and maintaining engines for Boeing 737 and 777s although there are plans to extend this to other aircraft.

A spokesman for the Kansas-based company, said: "It is good for us as a business. As an aerospace business if you diversify you become more robust."