AAR in June to lay off 80 at Rockford jet repair hub

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - Aircraft maintenance and repair company AAR in June will lay off about half its workforce in Rockford, Illinois, citing an expected seasonal downturn in work.

Wood Dale-based AAR began operating out of the Greater Rockford Airport Authority's twin-hangar maintenance center in late 2016 after signing a 10-year lease. The hanger was built with $40 million in taxpayer funds.

The Rockford Register Star reports the company laid off Rockford workers last summer, but its local workforce was smaller then. The number of AAR employees in Rockford has since grown to about 160.

Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara said he spoke with AAR CEO John Holmes who told him AAR tends to shed workers during the spring and summer months when airlines have most of their planes in the sky.

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Information from: Rockford Register Star, http://www.rrstar.com