AEROSPACE firms from East Lancashire are buoyant about prospects for new orders at the Paris Air Show.

Several local companies are at the showcase event exhibiting under the umbrella of the Clayton-le-Moors based Consortium of Lancashire Aerospace.

And they reported high hopes that their presence at the show would lead to significant new orders.

Employees from Cleveland-Guest (Engineering) of Colne were celebrating after news broke at the show of a huge order for Embraer jets from a subsidiary of American Airlines.

Cleveland-Guest supplies components for the jets and managing director Steve Hollis described the order for up to 67 aircraft as "excellent news" for his company.

"Work for the Embraer is currently worth more than £1 million a year to us so this is very good news for Cleveland-Guest and will help secure future jobs in East Lancashire," he said. Staff from AIT, which employs 370 at its Burnley site, were also confident.

"We've made a lot of good contacts here and when we get back home will be following them up," said sales and marketing manager Dave Pickup.

"We're very busy in Burnley at the moment and by being here we are helping ensure we will be in the future. We're now looking for work two or three years ahead."

As well as East Lancashire firms taking stand space at the show, the Consortium is also representing the rest of its 130-strong membership.

Chairman Dennis Mendoros said the fact that other regions across Europe and in the USA were now setting up similar groups proved how influential it has become.

"It is the best compliment that other regions can pay us to try to follow what we have done. Lancashire is recognised as a leading region in aerospace and we now have to ensure we maintain our superiority."

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