Heavylift Engineering RIP ?? (merged)

[evolante]

Heard that all staff have just been made redundant.....

Best of luck to all concerned for the future

[newswatcher]

From the Southend Evening Echo(10/9):

"Aviation workers have become the latest victims of the September 11 attacks after losing their jobs at crisis-hit maintenance company Heavylift Aircraft Engineering.

The Southend Airport-based aircraft maintenance firm, which has been badly hit by the collapse of the air transport industry that followed last year's terror attacks, went into administration late on Friday.

The administrators immediately made 24 people redundant, but are now engaged in discussions with clients and potential buyers in the hope of maintaining the company as a going concern and preserving the jobs of the remaining 34 workers.

Administrator Rod Weston of Deloitte and Touche said: "Like a lot of aviation businesses, Heavylift Aircraft Engineering has been effected by the downturn in the market that followed September 11. People are not flying at the moment, and as a result there aren't that many planes being repaired.

"Our plan is to really try and rescue the business and sell it as a going concern, but we have only just arrived, so it is too early to say what the chances of that are."

The staff who lost their jobs will not receive redundancy payments from the cash-strapped company, although the administrators insist they will receive statutory redundancy payments from the Government."

[maverick766]

As of noon today, the administrators pulled the plug on this fine engineering establishment. It will leave a great void at Southend and add to the many blows the industry has suffered in the past year. All the very best to those friends who have had heartache in the past few weeks because of the uncertainty and the lack of salary payments. I hope the controlling management at Stansted are happy with themselves and their pockets don't weigh them down too much. All the best lads...good luck for the future:( :mad:

[fallen angel]

strong info coming from the country that heavylift has gone and only air foyle part remains, the one remaining A300 is being returned, where will the belfast go? good luck to you all

[Earthmover]

Just seen a friend who flew the Belfast ..... he's totally mortified as one can imagine. Best of luck to you all

[classic crew]

Heard today that HeavyLift have come to the end of the road; Can anybody shed more light on what's happening or the actual state of the company ?

[Notso Fantastic]

Rather than start another thread, if you look down the list here you will see more.

[Engine overtemp]

See here (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=66785) . (You just beat me to it NSF!)

[DogsDiner]

Well I ain't gonna miss them.

[Electric Sky]

Been in this situation before and it's horrendous ..... very best of luck to all staff who are affected. Was Prime partly responsible for the collapse as the aircraft spent most of it's time parked up at EMA?

This must be the sad end for the Belfast. :(

ES ;)

[VP8]

Nice reply DD :mad: Hope you are secure in your apparent Ivory Tower not with the rest of us Plebs here wondering what the future holds for us

Veeps

Unless you are one of the fallen looking at your posting #'s then it's still bad vibes and I apologise

[The Sandman]

Sorry guys, best of luck to all.

[P.Pilcher]

I understand that despite its slow start, Prime was profitable with a very busy October ahead of it and many, many further future bookings. Those Prime personnel who received their redundancy notices today are mortified that such an apparently successful operation could have the plug pulled so sudenly and unexpectedly.

[aeroground]

good luck guys, I have been there to many times

[heavyless]

ALL BUT FOUR OF ENGINEERING STAFF NOW BEEN MADE
REDUNDANT. A SORRY WAY FOR SUCH A GOOD FACILITYTO GO. RUMOURS THAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT THE FACILITY MIGHT PUT SOME LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL FOR ALL OF US DOWN HERE AT SOUTHEND.

[VIKING9]

Any ex HLA Ops/Crewing staff looking for a job, then drop me a line......I might be able to help someone. ;)

[VP8]

Thanks Viking I'll pass it on to those concerned..

VEEPS:)

[Startri]

Guppy Followers

9G-LCA is scheduled to leave MQY tomorrow morning going via YQX to arrive MME Wed afternoon, hopefully of this week!!!

Startri
:D :p :D

[VP8]

Believe it when I see it there!!!!

Rgds
VEEPS

[jetwiz2001]

Its so sad to hear that HLA have finally pulled the plug and have put the recievers in>I just want to say good luck to all the crews and staff what a fine bunch they were ,with the exceptions of Hales N Pace of course ! I hope you all find jobs soon and you get everything thats owed to you.Thanks for A WONDERFULL 3 YEARS !

[evolante]

From todays Air Transport News

UK freight operator HeavyLift Cargo Airlines has ceased trading and executives at the company are discussing options for the firm with its investors.

Collapse of the company follows the closing-down of its sister passenger operation Prime Airlines which was grouped with HeavyLift Cargo Airlines under the umbrella organisation HC Airlines. HC Airlines held the companies’ air operators certificate (AOC).

HeavyLift Aircraft Engineering, based at Southend Airport near London, was put into administration last week but has now also been forced to close after UK CAA regulatory demands thwarted attempts to keep the operation running.

A spokeswoman for the London Stansted-based company says: “HeavyLift Cargo Airlines is no longer trading and is in discussion with its financial backers.”

HeavyLift’s main financial support comes from banking group Barclays but the company has also received the backing of US investors. The company was acquired, along with its maintenance division HeavyLift Aircraft Engineering, by its management team in a buyout three years ago.

HeavyLift Cargo Airlines was formed as an outsize freight operator in 1980 using five ex-Royal Air Force Shorts Belfast freighters, an aircraft type which the company has retained through its 22-year existence.

It expanded this fleet to include other specialised freight aircraft - including Boeing 707s, Ilyushin Il-76s, Antonov An-12s, Airbus A300s - and about a decade ago teamed with Russian outsize cargo company Volga-Dnepr to market Antonov An-124 freighter capabilities. The current status of HeavyLift’s fleet is unclear.
HeavyLift’s marketing partnership with Volga-Dnepr collapsed last year and HeavyLift tied up instead with Air Foyle, the UK-based marketing arm for Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines, through a joint venture named Air Foyle HeavyLift which now markets cargo services using Antonov An-124 and An-225 aircraft. HeavyLift is keen to point out that this joint venture is still operating and insists that it is not under threat.

[opsmaneurope]

Good luck to all,

Regards Upstairs

P.S. I'm not a Guppy follower!

[dogs body]

Sorry to hear about you guys, been there myself last year, Eastern airways at Humberside are looking for people, 'aint great but it pays the bills.