Boeing plans to reduce its commercial airplane workforce by roughly 5% through natural attrition and involuntary layoffs, Commercial Airplanes head Stephanie Pope announced in a staff memo on Nov. 9, 2026.
The reduction targets a division that employed nearly 50,500 people as of December 2025, which translates to about 2,525 positions. Affected workers will begin receiving notifications in December. As Pope explained to employees, "Adjusting our production schedules and reducing aircraft output puts us in an overstaffed position." She added, "Unfortunately, that means we need to align our staffing levels to our revised business plan, resulting in a reduction of approximately 5% through a combination of attrition and involuntary layoffs."
Production Bottlenecks Slow Assembly Lines
The staffing cuts follow persistent manufacturing snags across primary aircraft programmes. Boeing confirmed it will miss its annual delivery target for the 737 MAX due to problems at its wing shop in Renton. The company builds about 47 MAX jets each month, but Chief Executive Kelly Ortberg stated the manufacturer does not expect to significantly accelerate assembly toward its goal of 52 planes monthly until the second half of 2027.
Boeing has also slowed planned production increases for the 787 Dreamliner assembled in South Carolina, while Chief Financial Officer Jay Malave projected 777X assembly will hold at one aircraft per month through 2027.
