ACS Aviation, a Scottish flying school and aircraft maintenance company, has received funding worth £1m to invest in aircraft, airside facilities and its online presence.

Founded in 2007 and based at Perth airport, the school has had recent enrolments from as far afield as the Netherlands and Italy.

MD Graeme Frater states: "The airside operation is thriving. In the past 12 months we have seen a 10 per cent increase in the number of visiting aircraft to Perth airport and grown our workforce from 13 employees to 31.

"Recently the airport runway lighting was upgraded, which is expected to further increase movements, and we have purchased a new commercial flight simulator, the Alsim AL42, and a Diamond DA42 Twinstar, for commercial flight training.

"But there are challenges ahead, and our offer to flying school and maintenance customers requires that Perth airport be allowed to develop as a thriving mixed development within the transformed economic landscape promised by the Tay Cities Deal."

The Tay Cities Deal is intended to bring together public, private and voluntary organisations in the council areas of Angus, Dundee, Fife and Perth and Kinross to deliver a smarter and fairer region. To do so, the local authorities that make up the Tay Cities zone will negotiate with the UK and Scottish governments to secure investment and greater local powers.