Up to 200 jobs could be lost at the Dublin operation of aircraft maintenance company, FLS Aerospace, in the coming months.
The company said yesterday it will cut 150 jobs at the aircraft overhaul section of its Dublin operation as part of a plan to pare 900 jobs worldwide. A further 50 jobs could go as part of a reduction in group-support functions, some of which are located in Dublin.
Last weekend, The Irish Times reported that jobs could be at risk at FLS following a profit warning by the parent company.
The firm currently employs around 1,600 people in Dublin. FLS said it hoped to achieve the job losses through natural attrition, redeployments, early retirements and voluntary redundancies but, if necessary, would introduce compulsory redundancies.
Along with the cuts in Dublin, FLS said it would cut up to 620 jobs at its Manchester base. Further cuts would be implemented at Stansted and in Scandinavia.
A spokeswoman for the company said the cuts followed a four-week strategic review of its operations in which it assessed the impact of recent world events on the business. FLS said the group had experienced reduced maintenance demand and cash pressures from some customers. In September, Virgin Atlantic cancelled a large maintenance contract on five Boeing 747-200 aircraft which it had grounded. But it is understood that FLS is a front-runner in a contract to service Virgin A340s which will be renewed in April.
Meanwhile, Fianna Fβil TD Mr GV Wright has called on the Government to accept a tender by Sikorsky to supply military helicopters to the Irish Air Corps, through which Sikorsky has guaranteed FLS maintenance work on aircraft from its parent company, United Technologies.
United, which earlier in the year had been in talks to buy the entire FLS operation, has offered to send 12 Boeing 767 aircraft to FLS for conversion for cargo use if Sikorsky wins the deal.
"The work that FLS would get with this cargo conversion would come on line in summer 2002 and would generate 50 new jobs," said the FLS spokeswoman, who added that the contract would act as a "springboard" into new markets for the company.
Workers leaving the FLS plant at Dublin Airport yesterday said the job cuts had been expected. "We knew redundancies were a possibility. We know that there are difficulties in the airline industry at the moment and Dublin is doing quite well as far as FLS is concerned," said one worker. Others expressed relief that job cuts in the region of 200 were lower than in other parts of the operation. "In the times we're in, in the airline industry at the moment, we're doing alright to lose just that," said Mr Paul Walsh.
