However, as the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns took effect, GE Aviation has had to reduce its workforce twice, with up to 25% pre-crisis staff let go. The division has unveiled more than US$1 billion of cost actions and more than $2 billion of cash actions that will impact 2020, primarily in the second half of the year. At least a third to a half of the cost-saving measures, such as layoffs, will be permanent as the company looks to ramp up digital business operations, spokespeople said 10 June. "Not surprisingly, our commercial services business has experienced the greatest impact as airline customers take actions to conserve cash, such as parking aircraft while demand remains low or delaying engine maintenance until those engines are needed again," GE representatives said in an investor update last week. "We also expect these market dynamics will lead to hundreds of millions of dollars of charges related to our long-term service agreements," they continued.