Builder John Sisk & Son looks set to win a near €100 million contract to build a hangar that will house Boeing's biggest aircraft at a British airport.
US aerospace giant Boeing is building a maintenance base at Gatwick Airport outside London to service craft flown by European airlines using the British hub. The Irish construction group's British arm, John Sisk, has emerged as preferred bidder for the project, which is valued at £88 million (€99m).
Being named preferred bidder puts Sisk in pole position to complete the deal to build the hangar for the aircraft manufacturer.
The hangar is designed to house two Boeing 777x aircraft, which will be the biggest aircraft built by Boeing when it enters service over the next two years.
The facility will also hold a larger number of smaller aircraft, such as the Boeing 737s used by the likes of Ryanair and its rival Norwegian Air International.
Boeing predicted that construction of the hanger would create up to 475 jobs when it announced details of the project last year.
John Sisk was recently named as preferred bidder for a €210 million development at Great Ormond Street children’s hospital in London. The Irish company is also one of the contractors on Crossrail, a high-profile rail development in the British capital.
Sisk shut elements of its British business in a shake-up last year. Stephen Bowcott, chief executive of the subsidiary, told UK trade publication Construction Enquirer recently that it would turn over £280 million (€314m) this year and generate a profit.
John Sisk & Son is one of Ireland biggest builders. It made up one third of the consortium that built the M17 Gort-Tuam motorway, and was the lead contractor on the reconstruction of the GAA's Páirc uí Chaoimh in Cork.
