Jobs blow for town as closure of aviation factory is confirmed
AN aircraft cabin interiors factory in Llanelli has confirmed it will close next month.
Aim Altitude’s manufacturing site in Dafen will fold and with it the 99-strong workforce based there.
The downturn in all aspects of the aviation industry caused by the Covid pandemic is being blamed for the Uk-based firm being forced to look at streamlining its operations.
Staff at the factory in
Heol Cropin entered into a period of consultation at the start of the year, with the firm wanting to ensure all necessary requirements had been met and be sure it had taken every route possible ahead of the final decision to close.
Aim Altitude’s main manufacturing site is in Bournemouth, Dorset.
A statement from the company said: “Amid the continuing challenges of the coronavirus pandemic for the worldwide aviation industry, Aim Altitude has
consolidated its manufacturing facilities.
“Regrettably, through due process, its Dafen facility will be closing at the end of May.”
There were calls earlier in the year by local politicians for the firm to rethink the closure of the Llanelli site.
The aviation industry has been thrown into uncertain times, with a reduced call for aircraft manufacturing, maintenance and financial pressures due to fewer people travelling, which has led experts to predict a curbed growth over coming years.
In February, Aim Altitude said it had already taken action, making use of the UK Government’s furlough scheme, reduced overhead costs, and received support from the shareholders.
Despite these steps there was still an overcapacity within the business for the year ahead.
Having been founded in Surrey in the early 1900s – the firm was then known as Henshalls – it became Aim Altitude in 1939 and has a history as one of the leading global suppliers of cabin interiors to the world’s leading airlines, including Boeing, Airbus and manufacturers of regional aircraft.
Aviation has clearly been massively hit by the pandemic and in October 2020 Cardiff Airport bosses revealed that business was down 93% on the same time in 2019.
While vaccines may help get Covid-19 under control over the next year or two, experts within the industry predict the aftermath of the virus worldwide will continue to affect growth for industries like aviation for the next decade.