Today’s announcement by the Ministry of Defence of plans which safeguard the long-term future of the RAF bases at Lossiemouth and Kinloss has been welcomed by local enterprise company HIE Moray.

However, the organisation’s chief executive Douglas Yule warned the area’s economy still faces severe challenges in the short-term from the loss of more than 900 jobs at the bases.

Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram today announced RAF Lossiemouth will be home for the new Combat Aircraft and that the new Nimrod maritime reconnaissance aircraft will be based at RAF Kinloss. The Minister said the plans would secure 4,500 jobs at the bases.

In March the MoD announced that 935 jobs were to go at the two bases under plans to cut the size of the armed forces. Research commissioned by HIE Moray and The Moray Council concluded the job cuts would take around £20 million a year from the area’s economy.

Douglas Yule said: "We wholeheartedly welcome today’s announcement by the Ministry of Defence which secures the future of the RAF bases in Moray. It helps to create the kind of long term climate of certainty which encourages businesses to invest in the area.

"However, in the short to medium term, the area's economy still faces severe challenges posed by the impending loss of nearly 1,000 jobs at the bases."