Located in central Virginia, Rolls-Royce has announced the forthcoming closure of its Prince George County aircraft parts factory, scheduled for mid-2021.
Like many businesses connected to the commercial aerospace industry, the Rolls-Royce plant has been heavily hit by the downturn in demand for travel during the COVID-19 pandemic and had already laid off 190 workers back in June.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a historic collapse in civil aviation which will take several years to recover. As a result, we’ve had to make difficult, but necessary, decisions to protect the future of our business,” Rolls-Royce North America spokesman Don Campbell said in a statement.
Situated near Richmond, the plant was opened in 2011 with the help of a state-provided US$57 million incentive package, and was intended for the testing and assembling of components for corporate jets. However, with the announcement of the plant’s creation four years earlier in 2007, the subsequent 2008 recession saw Rolls-Royce change its plans.
