Boeing to lay off more than 2,500 workers

Boeing is laying off more than 2,500 workers in the United States, according to federally required filings posted on Monday  (Nov. 18) as part of the planemaker's plan to cut 17,000 jobs, or 10 per cent of its global workforce.

Nearly 2,200 layoff notices went to workers in Washington and another 220 in South Carolina, the two states where Boeing builds commercial airliners, Reuters reports.

The company has reportedly told affected U.S. workers that they will stay on Boeing’s payroll until Jan. 17, to comply with federal requirements to notify employees at least 60 days prior to ending their employment.

In October, Boeing’s new CEO, Kelly Ortberg, said the plane makers does not intend to “take people off production or out of the engineering labs.”

But several hundred engineers and production workers were still among those who received pink slips last week.

The update come as Boeing tries to kickstart production of its 737 MAX, after a weeks-long strike by more than 33,000 U.S. West Coast workers halted output of most of its commercial jets.

Boeing reported a net loss of more than $6.17 billion (USD) in the third quarter last month. 

The layoffs are another blow at the troubled plane maker, which is grappling with losses of more than $33 billion in the past five years; a string of series of safety lapses; and increased scrutiny from regulators and law enforcement as a result.

Don't miss a single travel story: subscribe to PAX today!  Click here to follow PAX on Facebook.