USA offered $69 million in aviation manufacturing

The US Transportation Department has said that it offered $69 million to 127 aviation manufacturing and repair businesses under a Covid-19 relief program. The department has offered $673 in total in three rounds of awards nationwide. Some of the previously offered awards were not ultimately paid. 

It is still unclear what will happen to the undistributed funds and the application process is closed for now. The department has also said that the awards will support 31,000 US manufacturing jobs in 43 states. 

The 593 granted awards include $75.5 million to Spirit AeroSystems, $20.9 million for Connecticut-based Hexcel Corp, $17.5 million to BAE Systems Controls, $12.9 million to Airbus' US arm, $15 million to Learjet, a unit of Bombardier Inc, and $12.5 million to Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. France’s Safran was offered $40 million for various US units.

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has said that this funding will help to keep America’s aviation industry as strong as it continues its robust recovery. A company must have involuntarily furloughed or laid off at least 10% of its total workforce or experienced a decline of at least 15% in 2020 total operating revenue to qualify.