BusinessTuesday, November 10
Boeing plans to cut 5% of commercial airplane staff, but Wichita employees aren't being considered
The Daily Wichita team
If you work at Boeing Wichita, here's the headline: a message to local staff said employees in Wichita and Tulsa aren't being considered for layoffs, voluntary separation or early retirement. Boeing Commercial Airplanes plans to cut 5% of its workforce, and the company told employees Monday.
Boeing's 5% cut covers a division of about 50,000 people, with about 13,000 in Wichita
- 5%
- of the commercial airplane workforce would be cut
- 13,000
- is about how many people work at Boeing Wichita
- 50,000
- is about how many people the commercial division employs
- 47
- 737s a month is the rate Boeing says it's progressing toward
Stephanie Pope, who sent the message to employees, said the company needs to reset the pace of its production rate ramps. "Adjusting our production schedules and reducing aircraft output puts us in an overstaffed position," she said.
- Starts: December
- Method: attrition and involuntary layoffs
- Layoff count and locations: not released
- Help: outplacement, layoff benefits, employee assistance program
Boeing's staffing cuts follow a slower 737 ramp-up
- Oct. 2026Boeing executives say the company will miss its yearly 737 Max delivery target.
- Nov. 9Boeing Commercial Airplanes tells employees it plans to cut 5% of its workforce.
- Dec. 2026Staffing reductions begin, through attrition and involuntary layoffs.
- Mid-2027Boeing has delayed the next rate increase on the 737 line until this point.
Boeing's third-quarter report said it was progressing toward 47 737s a month, and CEO Kelly Ortberg previously said that rate would come before the end of 2026. He also said wing production in Renton, Washington, is holding up output.