Another 300 job cuts at Pratt & Whitney Canada and Airbus, as airline industry turbulence continues

Westjet cuts over 100 flights to Quebec, Maritimes A day after major layoffs in the aerospace industry, Westjet says it will cut more than 100 flights to Atlantic Canada and Quebec.

MONTREAL — The axe is falling for a second time in just a few months at Pratt & Whitney Canada and Airbus Canada, resulting in the elimination of approximately 300 jobs in Quebec as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to shake up the airline industry.

The new job cuts come in addition to 4,000 jobs that have disappeared since the start of the pandemic within the Quebec aerospace cluster, in particular at well-known companies such as Bombardier and Héroux-Devtek.

Engine maker Pratt & Whitney attributed the further downsizing to the need to adjust to long-term demand that looks to be much weaker, because the commercial aviation industry will take several years to recover from the health crisis.

At Airbus, which assembles the A220 in Mirabel, 48 people will lose their jobs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2020.