49 new jobs for Co Down

Nearly 50 jobs are to be created in the North as part of a new £5.2 million investment by Thomson Aero Seating.

The company, which develops seating designs for international airlines, is to create 49 highly-skilled jobs at Kilkeel, Co Down.

Invest Northern Ireland has offered £875,000 of support for the investment, which will enable Thompson Aero Seating to commercialise their products for export markets.

Thomson's latest patented seating concepts have already secured £1.6million in engineering contracts from a number of world airlines and have the potential to generate at least a further £23million in sales outside Northern Ireland.

This is a significant investment from Thompson Aero Seating. The products designed are highly innovative and have the potential to revolutionise the global civil aircraft seating market, generating over $34million in export sales," said Northern Ireland enterprise minister Arlene Foster.

"By commercialising the seating, which also benefits from having a design protected by patent, the company will not just enhance its market position and create employment, but bolster the credibility and reputation of Northern Ireland's aerospace sector as a whole," she added.