It looks like Eclipse Aerospace might still be struggling. For the second time in three years, workers at the Albuquerque, NM manufacturing plant have been laid off. Eclipse hasn’t said how many people they let go or when those people might expect to be brought back. In the meantime, the plant is still operating, producing the Eclipse 550 twin-jet.
According to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s 2016 Third Quarter Report, ONEAviation — the owner of Eclipse Aerospace and Kestrel Aircraft — sold just 5 Eclipse 550s up through September of last year. The Year-end Report, with the final 2016 sales numbers, is due out at the end of February. A statement issued by ONEAviation says that the company is “undergoing a corporate restructuring, including a personnel reduction, to align production output with our current and anticipated orders over the coming months and to prepare for the future Project Canada development and launch.”
Eclipse Project Canada was announced last year. It is an upgrade of the Eclipse 550, boasting shorter takeoff, longer range, and Garmin G3000 flight deck to name a few features. Deliveries will supposedly start in 2019, though the prototype isn’t yet in the air. Eclipse is shooting for a certification date in 2018. The price tag for their new jet will be somewhere in the $3.5 million range and they are already taking deposits.
Learn more at ONE Aviation.
