GE Aviation Laying Off 10% Of Workers In Coronavirus Slowdown

LYNN, MA — GE Aviation said it will lay off 10 percent of its workforce and furlough up to half of the remaining workers for 90 days because of the economic slowdown brought on by the coronavirus.

It's unclear what impact the layoffs and furloughs will have on GE Aviation's plant in Lynn, which employs about 2,600 people. Last year the plant won a government contract to make engines for Apache helicopters.

GE CEO Larry Culp said he would not collect a salary for the rest of the year as the company's aviation unit announced the layoffs. The unit makes engines used in some of the world's most popular aircraft. But airlines have grounded hundreds of plane and delayed delivery on new aircraft to save money as fears about COVID-19 bring the travel industry to a near halt.