Posted on 06/27/2002 4:31:18 PM PDT by Willie Green
For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.
LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Hundreds of new high-paying aviation industry jobs are coming to Arkansas.
Raytheon Aircraft announced Thursday that it will complete painting and interior work on its new flagship Hawker Horizon business jets at its Little Rock operation.
The company, which manufactures plans and provides parts, charter and management services, plans to add 350 new jobs over the next five years and construct new facilities at the Little Rock National Airport.
The new jobs will pay about $19 an hour, company officials said at a news conference, attended by Gov. Mike Huckabee and other state and local officials.
Raytheon Chairman Jim Schuster said the business jets will be built in Wichita, Kan., where the company is based, and flown to Little Rock for painting and equipping for the company's business customers. The Little Rock site will be the last stop for the completion of the new mid-size jet.
All of the jets' custom work for individual buyers will be done in Little Rock using the new Raytheon employees as well as local vendors for such work as interior audio equipment and other specialized projects.
Raytheon spends about $18 million a year on local vendors in Arkansas.
Raytheon Aircraft announced last year the layoff of about 90 of its 640 workers at Little Rock after a nationwide disruption of air traffic because of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. The layoffs were part of about 1,700 throughout the company.
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