Wrightbus, which employs 2,000 people at its facilities in Ballymena, County Antrim, has won a multi-million-pound order from the Kowloon Motor Bus Co. It will supply 500 buses for use in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories.

There are already 500 of its buses on the roads there, following earlier deals. Company chairman William Wright said: “Hong Kong can easily buy buses from China, but they come to us when they want quality.” Although he declined to reveal the total value of the deal, he admitted that it came to “quite a bit of money”.

Mr Wright said that he is looking forward to meeting London Mayor Sadiq Khan at the end of the month; Mr Khan is considering ordering up to 1,000 buses from his firm.

In its latest results, the company announced pre-tax profits of £11.6 million on a turnover of £297 million.