To help ride out the downturn in business aviation, Pilatus Aviation has decided to cut work hours at its Stans facility starting next month as it scales back PC-12 output.

The decision cuts across the company and will result in a 15 percent reduction in work and affect 350 employees. The move will avoid layoffs, the company says.

The move has become necessary because of the rate of cancellations for the PC-12NG as well as a lack of orders for training aircraft.

Company CEO Oscar J. Schwenk says he sees the measure as a short-term step. "We expect that the market will stabilize during 2010 and start growing in 2011."

The production system is sufficiently flexible to quickly ramp up output, once that becomes necessary, Schwenk indicates. What should aid the company is the hope of securing a significant trainer aircraft order in the next 12 months, Schwenk says, without identifying the customer for what is likely the PC-21.

Photo credit: Avitya via Wikipedia