Boeing has sent 60-day layoff notices to 21 workers at its plant in Irvine, a spokesman confirmed last Thursday.  These are the first of up to 160 jobs moving to Mesa, Arizona this year as the facilty closes in Irvine.  The company announced in August 2010 that they would be making this move due to lease expiry at the end of this year (HeliHub.com story).

The closure is part of Boeing’s global consolidation plan, in which they expect to cut 10,000 jobs. The company said that the A160 work is being sent to Mesa alongside its Apache and AH-6 lines, seen as a state-of-the-art facility.  In making the announcement last year, the company expected around 50 jobs to be available in Mesa, and that other redeployment opportunties would be available – but with an overriding aim of such a big reduction in force, the outlook appears bleak for many in the Hummingbird program.

Jeremy Parkin – HeliHub.com