Story ID: 2021313mxreports
Lufthansa Technik Switzerland To Shut Down
By: David A. Lombardo
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Word Count: 193
Lufthansa Technik Switzerland in Basel has been unable to sustain its operations and will be closing its two line maintenance and logistics services businesses at the end of April.

“We will no longer have any operations at Basel Airport. We’re leaving the facility permanently,” a spokesman for the MRO told AIN. According to the company, the plant closure will lead to 31 job terminations, though another 29 employees will transfer to Swiss at the Basel site.

The move comes one year after the company underwent extensive restructuring to focus on line maintenance, light base maintenance and logistics services and reduced the workforce from 304 to 82. Rainer Lindau, the MRO’s CEO, told AIN at the time that engine services at Basel serving the Honeywell LF507 (which powers the Avro RJ) “dramatically declined.” He further remarked a year ago, “The job cuts are naturally extremely painful for us. But only a rigorous focus on one core product will create conditions that ensure the continued existence of Lufthansa Technik Switzerland in Basel. The labor-intensive technical maintenance of VIP aircraft and the component services and engine services business will all be discontinued.”