WICHITA, Kan. — Spirit Aerosystems plans to close its plant in McAlester, Oklahoma, which employs about 175 people.
Spirit president Tom Gentile said in a message to employees Thursday that the closure was the result of a decline in commercial aviation during the COVID19 pandemic, as well as the grounding of the 737 Max airplane. Spirit will consolidate the work done in McAlester at its plants in Wichita and Tulsa. The Wichita-based company plans to close the Oklahoma plant in the second quarter of next year.
Gentile said in the message that employment at the McAlester plant had already dropped by 50% this year.
