SINGAPORE - Aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney will be hiring another 250 full-time staff this year, adding to the 250 new workers it recruited in 2021.

This will bring the firm's headcount back to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year, taking into account natural attrition of staff, said Mr Tim Cormier, Pratt & Whitney's vice-president of aftermarket operations in Asia-Pacific.

The United States-based firm had employed about 2,000 workers in Singapore before Covid-19 struck in early 2020.

In August 2020, it retrenched 400 staff at five of its six facilities here, citing the impact of the pandemic.

Mr Cormier, who was speaking to The Straits Times on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow on Tuesday (Feb 15), said the strong recovery for flights within domestic markets overseas, as well as strong demand for air cargo transportation, has contributed to the firm's business picking up.

The new hires will span various roles, such as engineers, technicians and production associates. Former employees who had been laid off are welcome to apply for the jobs if they are interested, he added.

The fortunes of the aerospace sector are closely tied to those of the aviation sector. Aerospace firms build planes and provide maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services to players in the aviation sector, such as airlines.

Several other aerospace firms, including GE Aviation and ST Engineering, have stepped up hiring of new staff in Singapore as optimism about recovery of the aviation sector grows.

Jet engine-maker Rolls-Royce also said this month it is planning to hire 280 more workers here within the next two years.

Mr Cormier said the rate of recovery so far is in line with the firm's internal projections, in spite of the emergence of the Omicron variant towards the end of 2021.

"There is going to be some volatility, but, generally, I think the trajectory we are on is positive," said Mr Cormier.