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Bombardier Cuts 620 Jobs In Wichita

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Bombardier Inc. announced Thursday that it laid off 620 people in Wichita. The layoffs took effect that same morning. KMUW’s Abigail Wilson has more…

Bombardier says it's going to layoff about 1,000 employees from its Learjet business in 2015, including the 620 in Wichita. The Montreal-based company said the cuts are due to weak demand for the Learjet 85 business jet, despite a predicted rebound in the small- and medium-sized business jet market this year.

“There are signs that the different category in the market is picking up in the U.S., but there's other areas of the world where the market is more difficult," says Pierre Beaudoin, Bombardier's president and CEO. "We feel that right now the best decision for bombardier, based on market data is to pause the Lear 85.”

Bombardier representatives say they have not decided how long the pause will last, but says it will re-evaluate the market and decide when it is best to bring the program back.

Employees affected include engineers, some assembly and the flight departments.

If work is available, the company said some employees could possibly be rehired.