Jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney says it’s laying off 450 workers from Connecticut, as thousands of airline workers have been furloughed amid the coronavirus.
The company will cut the jobs from its East Hartford and Middletown facilities. The cuts target salaried workers, clerks and administration — not union members. It’s part of an overall reduction of 15-thousand employees at Pratt & Whitney’s parent company, Raytheon.
In a statement, the company says the drop in business from commercial airlines forced them to make these cuts. The commercial airline industry overall has been reeling from the pandemic. Thousands of airline jobs are at stake as Congress and the White House have so far failed to reach an agreement on another round of stimulus to help the industry.
Revenue in the airline business dropped almost 80-percent since the pandemic. Raytheon says defense spending remains strong.
