Jeppesen ForeFlight carried out large-scale layoffs this week, according to multiple employees and online posts from current and former staff. The company has not yet released details on the scope of the reductions, which employees said affected multiple departments.
The layoffs follow Jeppesen ForeFlight’s transition to independent operations after Boeing completed the $10.55 billion sale of its digital aviation assets to private equity firm Thoma Bravo on Oct. 31.
Jeppesen ForeFlight Comments
Discussions in online settings like Reddit have claimed layoffs affected as much as half the company, although a company spokesperson told AVweb that those figures are “misleading.”
“Jeppesen ForeFlight is making changes to streamline its operating model and support continued investment in product innovation and customer experience,” the spokesperson said. “While we are not sharing specific numbers, the current percentages being referenced are misleading. We are supporting all affected employees with severance, benefits and resources to help them through this transition. Safety, reliability, and our customer commitments remain unchanged and remain our top priority.”
A Thoma Bravo spokesperson declined to comment.
Former Employees
Former employees who spoke to AVWeb said notifications were delivered via internal messaging and email, with an initial email alerting employees to a coming layoff announcement, and a second email sent to employees who would be laid off shortly thereafter, quickly followed by revocation of access to company systems.
One laid-off employee, who requested anonymity due to concerns about future employment, said staff were told broadly that the company was moving in a “new direction.”
“They said basically in the next few hours you’ll know if you’re here or not,” the former employee said. “Then you get an email if you didn’t make it.”
The employee said they received a one month severance package.
Jeppesen ForeFlight, which serves general aviation, business aviation, military and airline customers, reported having approximately 3,900 employees at the time of the Boeing transaction.
Previous Comments
In a December interview with AVWeb following the close of the acquisition, CEO Brad Surak emphasized continuity in the company’s approach under private equity ownership.
“We’re not going to be doing anything different that’s going to in any way negatively impact the value that we’re delivering,” Surak said at the time. “In fact, quite the opposite. The whole point, the whole thesis on investing the kind of money that Thoma invested in us was to continue to drive that innovation, and in fact bring more investment into the areas that are going to really deliver value to our customers.”
