WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Thousands of Spirit AeroSystems employees in Wichita and other locations are being furloughed for three weeks without pay amid an outbreak of a novel coronavirus that has paralyzed air travel around the globe.
Most managers and hourly employees at Spirit, Wichita’s largest employer, will be placed on 21-day unpaid leave starting Wednesday. It's unclear exactly how many employees will be affected.
The aircraft parts maker's company profile says it employs around 18,000. The temporary layoffs apply to Spirit employees associated with the company's Boeing commercial program. It includes Spirit employees in San Antonio and in Tulsa and McAlester locations in Oklahoma.
In addition, Siemens Gamesa announced Monday it will furlough a large number of workers in the U.S., including 200 at the Hutchinson facility.