It also won an extension to an existing contract worth just over £1 billion to continue building parts for existing planes.

Spirit AeroSystems Europe, which works from premises near Prestwick Airport, has signed the new contract with Airbus — one of the two biggest plane manufacturers in the world — to design and produce the leading edge of the wings for the A350 XWB, a new aeroplane currently in the design stages.

The announcement safeguards 750 jobs at the Prestwick site.

"We already have a long history of producing major wing structures in the UK for current Airbus models including the A320 and A380," said Neil McManus, managing director of Spirit Europe.

"This contract win means that we will be playing just as vital a role in their newest model, the A350 XWB."

The company also agreed an extension to their contract to supply leading and trailing edges and other wing structures on the Airbus A319, A320 and A321 aeroplane range from 2011 until 2015.

Mr McManus added: "This contract extension is fantastic news for aerospace manufacturing in the UK. We now have visibility on a product line that has been a core part of our business for years and is set to be an integral part of our future."

Central Ayrshire MP, Brian Donohoe, said: "I am really pleased for all concerned that this order has been won. The announcement by Spirit Europe is excellent news for manufacturing in Ayrshire and the aerospace industry in Scotland.

"Recognising that companies like Spirit are the life-blood of the local economy, we have to make sure that this kind of investment continues to be made to keep our aerospace industry and our local economy as vibrant as possible.

"Spirit sits at the centre of an exciting aerospace hub surrounding Prestwick Airport, and involvement in the next generation of passenger plane will help to maintain the aerospace capability which is such a significant part of the local heritage."

"This announcement shows that the aerospace workers at Prestwick were so good at their last jobs that they gained a contract extension of their existing workload, as well as a vital part of a multi-billion pound new contract at the very cutting edge of aerospace design and manufacturing. I congratulate the staff in achieving this work."