Jet Works Air Center at Denton Municipal Airport laid off 12 employees Friday because of the downturn in the economy.

“It is the same result as the rest of the industry,” said Trey Bryson, president of Jet Works Air Center. “The economic downtown had an impact on the business, although not a tragic one.”

Karen Dickson, vice president of economic development for the Denton Chamber of Commerce, said the company needed to balance supply and demand.

“People are not ordering as many corporate aircraft, and servicing of aircraft has also been reduced,” she said. “In the aircraft service industry, service events are based on the number of hours an aircraft is flown.”

Dickson said there are still more than 100 employees at Jet Works Air Center.

“In the month of March, the number of flights at the airport improved a bit,” Dickson said. “We remain optimistic that it will continue to pick up in the near future.”

Dickson said private corporate and business flights through the airport had virtually shut down between November and February. In March, the number of flights began increasing, she said.

Bryson said members of its senior staff notified the 12 employees one by one, and the company did not observe Good Friday, so the layoffs occurred during a regular work day.

In 2006, Jet Works Air Center moved its location from Meacham Field in Fort Worth to a 40,000-square-foot hangar and office complex facility at the Denton airport. The company operates two hangars that provide maintenance, inspection, complete avionics installation and warranty service, including interior modifications to a wide range of aircraft.

Jet Works Air center also is an authorized service center for Piaggio America Inc.

KARINA RAMÍREZ can be reached at 940-566-6878. Her e-mail address is kramirez@dentonrc.com .