by Leah Darnell, Photo Editor
Conner Enderud’s life changed once he received a notice from Spirit in Wichita, Kansas.
After 10 months working for the Spirit Crew Floor Shear Ties (cockpit), also known as assembly mechanic, Enderud was laid off 12 days before his one year at Spirit. The company had halted production of the prominent airplane Boeing 737-MAX.
Spirit Aerosystems manufactures airplanes and is the leading commercial aircraft company in Wichita, Kansas.
“I’m not mad at Spirit,” Enderud said. “I believe they were a victim in the current situation as well. We’re not as big of a company as Boeing and they had no choice, despite not wanting to lose workers.”
News articles and stations everywhere in and around Kansas are talking about the grounding of the Boeing 737-MAX, which led to layoffs at Spirit in Wichita, Kansas, McAlester and Tulsa as well as DB Schenker, a Wichita business and the logistics provider for Spirit Aerosystems.
The employees at Spirit received a warning notice Jan. 10, to prepare the employees who would be laid off. Hourly employees were laid off Jan. 2-24 and salary employees on February 7. After 22 years, Enderud’s friend, who is another employee at Spirit, got laid off for the third time.
“The impact goes beyond Spirit,” Scott Hamilton, managing director of Leeham Company and aviation expert, said.
Days after the production stopped, 2,800 employees just like Enderud had received a notice. A majority of the workers were those in sheet metal, an entry-level position at Spirit. In addition to Spirit laying off employees, 18 other companies felt the effects of the production coming to a halt. DB Schenker dismissed a third of the overall workforce after the news of production being stopped.
During these times, the Wichita Workforce Alliance is stepping in to help those in need of a job. Some decided to stay in the current industry while others are leaving and finding a different path.
“I prefer to stay in the industry, as Spirit is my first aircraft job, but I am willing to find something else for the time being,” Enderud said.
After two deadly crashes, the realization of the Boeing 737-MAX causing problems settled in, but production at both Spirit and Boeing continued for 10 months after the crashes. The crashes on Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 claimed the lives of 346 passengers.
Malfunctions before take-off of Flight 610 are still unknown for the pilots onboard the aircraft. 189 passengers on the aircraft felt uneasy within the first 12 minutes of the plane crash landing.
According to nytimes.com, “The first signal that something was wrong, was the control column started shaking loudly, warning that the plane was in danger of stalling and could crash.”
Shortly after the numerous issues and attempts from the pilots on October 29, 2018, Flight 610 plunged at the rate of 450 mph into the Java Sea in Indonesia.
The second crash of the aircraft, Ethiopian Airlines 302, claimed the life of 157 individuals, including children. After taking off, within six minutes, the plane crashed into the ground. Reports indicate the crash could have been avoidable.
Five months earlier, the first crash of the Boeing 737-MAX raised concerns, but after a second crash, an investigation of the airplane eventually led to stopping production.
According to nymag.com, “Its destruction raised the shocking possibility that the latest model from the world’s most venerable jet manufacturer might be fundamentally unsafe.”
IMPACT ON KANSAS
In addition to the media discussing production stopping, other reports of job loss, the firing of Boeing’s CEO Dennis Mulienburg, 40 airlines being out of the aircraft and news about the economics in Kansas taking a hit surfaced.
“Boeing of course, is the largest U.S. exporter, and the 737 represents about the 80% of the production,” Hamilton said. “The federal government has said that the grounding will be depression of the Gross Domestic Product by about half of a point a year.”
PRODUCTION RESUMES
As reported in recent news articles, production of the Boeing 737-MAX is starting up at Spirit again, but this time at a slower rate and with lower numbers.
“Spirit said that it will take them until the year 2022 to return to rate 52, which is the rate that they were at before the MAX was grounded, and that is 52 [planes] a month when I say rate,” Hamilton said.
At Boeing, production is also starting slow.
“Boeing hopes to restart production, beginning in April at a very low rate;” Hamilton said. “They don’t want to add to the inventory of 400 airplanes that have been produced, but now in storage in Washington and San Antonio.”
Hamilton has production predictions until 2023, and the rate would be at 57, which was where the company wanted to be before the grounding of the popular aircraft.
“Spirit announced that they have planned to deliver 216 new fuselages to Boeing this year,” Hamilton said. “Those are in addition to the 130-116 that they already produced which are in shrink wrap at their facility in Wichita.”
The future for the 2,800 employees laid off at Spirit is unknown, yet resources are available. Wichita State University Technology is offering free tuition, and Wichita Workforce Alliance is setting up job fairs to help the personnel affected.
“I’m searching on Indeed for pretty much anything willing to pay me a livable wage, which is even more difficult,” Enderud said.
During this time, Endreud is trying to remain positive and staying busy with friends, family and hobbies. He is waiting to hear if he gets called back once production ramps up.
“I am hoping for a call back, but my personal prediction and expectation is I will most likely get a call back in a year,” Enderud said. “If I do get a call back, I will more than likely go back to work for Spirit. I enjoyed my job and miss my coworkers.”