13 January 2009
Diamond Aircraft has become the last of the major light aircraft manufacturers to announce job cuts as part of the reaction to the global economic crisis.
The company announced yesterday that it was making 180 temporary job cuts at its Canadian plant (situated in London, Ontario), leaving a workforce of just over 500. The company blames in part the slow sales of its four-seat DA40, but Peter Maurer, company president, pointed out that “our industry has been hit particularly hard. The sales of luxury goods such as private airplanes have gone down with consumer confidence.”
Speaking to a local newspaper, he said that sales of aircraft to flight schools are helping to alleviate the impact of the downturn.
He said that he is confident that the laid off workers wild be ‘called back’ when the general situation improves
