Everybody knew it was only a matter of time before layoff notices started going out when Cessna and Beechcraft completed their mega merger earlier this year. That process officially started yesterday as parent company Textron Aviation announced that about 750 full-time and contract employees will lose their jobs.
Saying it made “very difficult decisions” about the size of the workforce reduction, Textron Aviation wrote in a letter to employees that the layoffs will affect management and non-management workers at U.S. facilities. About 575 of the job cuts will be in Wichita, Kansas, where Cessna and Beech are based.
The city has suffered thousands of job losses since 2008, when the global financial crisis curbed demand for airplanes. The newly formed Textron Aviation says the workforce reductions, while painful, are necessary for building a stronger company.
The job cuts will occur over the next 60 days, Textron said.
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