Boeing to Cut 5% of Commercial Airplane Workforce

Boeing will reduce the workforce at its commercial-airplane division by about 5% through attrition and layoffs, as it slows planned production increases. Stephanie Pope, president and chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, told employees in a November 9 memo that notifications would begin in December.

The division had about 50,500 employees at the end of 2025. A 5% reduction would equal roughly 2,500 positions at that headcount, but Boeing has not disclosed how many employees will be laid off or how reductions will be distributed by role and location. The announced figure includes posts left vacant as employees depart, as well as involuntary job cuts.

Pope said slower production growth and reduced aircraft output had left the division overstaffed. She said the revised pace would give Boeing’s factories and suppliers more time to stabilize production. The company has said it wants to increase output in a measured way as it works through manufacturing and supply-chain challenges.

Boeing’s target is to produce 52 737 MAX aircraft per month in the second half of 2027. The company expects to reach a rate of 47 per month in early 2027, later than previously planned. Chief...