Helicopter maker Leonardo has put up to 70 jobs at risk at its Yeovil factory in Somerset, opening consultation with staff over roles on the final assembly line where its aircraft are built. The company blames a short-term reduction in workload in that part of the business, though redeployment could cut the final number.

A spokesperson for Leonardo said that, despite recent order wins, manufacturing schedules across its programmes do not deliver immediate work to the Yeovil assembly line. The company called it a difficult decision after a detailed review, and said it is talking to the union and employee representatives throughout.

Redeployment and retraining on offer

Leonardo says it is exploring redeployment and reskilling so as many affected staff as possible can move into other roles within the company, and that it will offer support to its workforce during the consultation. Apprentices and graduates on its early careers schemes will not be affected by the restructuring, the company confirmed.

The announcement comes months after the government awarded Leonardo a £1 billion contract in March to supply 23 new medium-lift helicopters to the UK Armed Forces. The deal, based on the AW149 platform, was presented at the time as supporting more than 3,300 jobs in Yeovil and 12,000 across the UK supply chain. The Ministry of Defence has said international orders from the Yeovil site could generate upwards of £15 billion in exports over the coming decade.

Yeovil is Leonardo's last remaining helicopter manufacturing site in Britain, and the company says it remains committed to sustaining rotary-wing skills there. It opened a £15 million maintenance facility at Elstree Aerodrome in May, and says more than 200 of its helicopters operate across the UK and Ireland. Read the full report at Brit Brief.