Spirit AeroSystems reduces employment in Wichita as a result of lower demand

Spirit AeroSystems announced Saturday it will reduce employment at sites supporting commercial programs as a result of lower demand for commercial airplanes. Spirit is a supplier to Airbus and Boeing, both of which announced lower production rates for commercial aircraft due to the impact of COVID-19 on the aviation industry.

"In addition to reducing employment, we are taking other initiatives to lower costs and preserve liquidity, which included raising $1.2 billion in high yield secured second lien bonds in April. We are focused on ensuring Spirit AeroSystems remains a healthy business and emerges from this crisis with a bright future,” said Tom Gentile, President and CEO, Spirit AeroSystems.

As part of the overall employment reductions, Spirit offered a voluntary layoff to union represented employees in Wichita, Kan. earlier this week. Today Spirit issued a notice to the State of Kansas under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of layoffs affecting approximately 1,450 hourly and salaried employees at its site in Wichita. Spirit's Wichita employees affected by these layoffs are expected to begin exiting the company May 15. Later this month, smaller reductions will occur at Spirit's remaining U.S. sites that perform commercial work. Spirit's global sites are reviewing workforce requirements and will announce their plans in the coming weeks.

As Spirit continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by changing its work practices to keep employees safe, the company is also working directly to contribute to the fight against COVID-19. Spirit has developed a partnership to manufacture medical devices in Wichita. Approximately 700 employees will be transferred to this temporary special project that is expected to last through October and may go longer, depending upon demand. Spirit will have more information to share on the medical device partnership in the near future.

Spirit's work on defense programs will not be impacted by these announced employment reductions and those operations will continue uninterrupted. Additionally, some employees currently supporting commercial programs may be transferred to available defense work, mitigating the number of employees who may be affected by these workforce actions.

Video: Blue Angels and Thunderbirds aim for flyover of Baltimore, Atlanta and DC this weekend

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels and U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds performed a very rare joint flyover above New York City, Trenton, Newark, and Philadelphia on Tuesday to honor health care and essential workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. The teams departed from Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida and were refueling mid-flight by four KC-10 Extenders before returning back to Pensacola. Flyovers will continue around the country under the name Operation America Strong with Baltimore, Atlanta and D.C. scheduled on Saturday.

Alaska Air will load passenger jets with cargo to fill empty seats

Alaska Air Cargo announced Wednesday it will fly passenger jets as cargo-only flights to carry essential goods like mail, medical equipment, e-commerce packages and food throughout its domestic network. Filling the passenger cabin with cargo will backfill the loss in capacity across the continental United States and Hawaii after passenger flights were reduced.

"We're determined to help protect the resiliency of our nation's supply chain by connecting critical cargo to the communities we serve during this public health crisis," said Torque Zubeck, managing director of Alaska Air Cargo.  "Our teams have been working tirelessly since March to identify the safest and most effective processes to increase our cargo capacity as quickly as possible."

In addition to Air Cargo's dedicated three freighters, six Boeing 737-900 aircraft will be utilized as cargo-only aircraft.  Boxes, mail and other items will be placed on and under seats, in overhead bins and in closets – to offer 13,500 more pounds of cargo than what a passenger-only flight could carry. In total, each flight will carry up to 30,000 pounds, which includes belly capacity.

If approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, the passenger-only aircraft would begin flying throughout the United States in May.

Alaska Air Cargo Facts

• Cargo freighters: 3 Boeing 737-700s
• Passenger-to-cargo planes: 6 Boeing 737-900s
• Cargo flown annually: 200 million+ pounds
• Seafood flown: 30 million+ pounds per year
• Destinations in Alaska we serve: 19 stations, only three connect by road
• Total destinations served in 2019: 100+
• Freighter-only flights flown in 2019: 5,487