ORDERS worth more than £1.25 million have been clinched by East Lancashire aerospace firms.

Aero & Industrial Technology and the Pendle Group of Companies, both based in Burnley, announced the major contracts at the Farnborough Airshow.

And other East Lancashire firms exhibiting at the 'show window' of the world are hopeful of bringing home more orders to complete a week of good news for the industry.

The Pendle Group picked up a £750,000 order direct from the show when a customer visited its staff on the Consortium of Lancashire Aerospace stand. A London based aircraft operator asked for Pendle's help in problems it was having in repairing a delicate aircraft skin on a passenger jet.

"I got in touch with our staff back in Burnley and a team of engineers worked all hours to put together a package," said Eric Smith, manufacturing director of Pendle Aeroform, one of the three companies that make up the group.

"I saw the customer next day and they were so impressed with what we had come up with they agreed the deal."

The contract will mean work for the three Pendle Companies, Rigby Aerotooling, Pendle Aeroform and Pendle Precision. Work on the contract is expected to start immediately.

And AIT, which employs 350 at its Wood Top, Burnley, site confirmed an order worth £560,000 at the show to supply Rolls-Royce with components for the Avon engine. "This is certainly a sizeable order for us and is further evidence of our strength," said Dave Pickup, sales and marketing manager.

More than 20 companies, mostly from East Lancashire, are exhibiting on the Consortium of Lancashire Aerospace stand.

Dennis Mendoros, chairman of the consortium, said: "We are all extremely happy with the response that we are getting from this appearance at the world's showcase for aerospace."

The orders won come on top of major announcements for the industry in the area with the UK go-ahead for production of the Eurofighter and major orders for Airbus and Rolls-Royce aero engines.

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