Ryanair has announced it will open a £10 million sterling (€15 million) aircraft overhaul and maintenance facility at Glasgow Prestwick International Airport.
The company said the move will create up to 180 new jobs.
The facility, which is planned to open in 2004, will be large enough to take two Boeing 737-800 series aircraft, and the company said it will help deal with the maintenance needs of the company's fleet.
Ryanair is planning to more than triple the number of aircraft over the next eight years with 150 new planes on order from Boeing. The new jobs will be a mixture of engineering, professional and administration.
Announcing the move today Ryanair chief executive Mr Michael O'Leary said he expected Ryanair to have one of the largest fleets in Europe in eight years, with the planned purchase of 150 new aircraft.
"Accordingly we are investing heavily in support services including our new simulator training base at Nottingham, our engine maintenance contract with Lufthansa in Dublin, and now a large base maintenance facility in Glasgow Prestwick," he said.
Ryanair received £2 million of Regional Selective Assistance through Scottish Development International to help bring this facility to Prestwick. The airline has also signed up for a comprehensive training package put together by Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire to train local people.
Earlier this month, shareholders in the company backed plans to acquire up to 150 new Boeing 737-800 series aircraft over an eight-year period (2002 to 2010).
The new aircraft are expected to create over 3,000 new jobs in Ryanair, including over 800 pilots, more than 2,000 cabin crew and over 400 engineering and operations vacancies.