Ryanair offered £67m grant for NI engine facility
It is thought the facility would create up to 600 jobs.
Ryanair has been offered a £67m grant to establish an engine maintenance facility in Northern Ireland.
The airline is planning to move its engine maintenance in-house at two sites from 2029.
A senior Stormont official has confirmed that Ryanair will be offered the subsidy to site the facility in Northern Ireland.
It is believed the project could generate up to 600 jobs.
Ian Snowden, the Department for the Economy’s top official, told MLAs it would be “the biggest inward investment for two decades”.
He said most of the funding would come from the NI Enhanced Investment Zone (EIZ).
The EIZ is a UK government-funded scheme aimed at boosting investment and productivity in manufacturing.
Snowden said £30m of the package would come from the EIZ, £10m from his department, and the remaining £27m from the UK government.
He said the £27m is still being discussed.
Snowden also said the executive would “backstop” the £27m, but did not explain what that would mean in practice.
Northern Ireland is competing with Spain and Poland to host one of the facilities.