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Boeing 787 facility in Everett, Washington, U.S. Source | Boeing

Update: In response to this announcement from Boeing, on March 24, Spirit AeroSystems announced a temporary suspension of Boeing production at its Kansas and Oklahoma facilities.

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On March 23, Boeing (Chicago, Ill, U.S.) announced a temporary suspension of production operations at its Puget Sound area facilities, in light of the state of emergency in the U.S. state of Washington due to the spread of the coronavirus in the region.

Boeing says these actions are being taken to ensure the well-being of employees, their families and the local community, and will include an orderly shutdown consistent with the requirements of its customers.

Boeing plans to begin reducing production activity on March 23 and projects the suspension of operations to begin on Wednesday, March 25, at sites across the Puget Sound area.

“This necessary step protects our employees and the communities where they work and live,” says Boeing president and CEO Dave Calhoun.

The suspension of production operations will last 14 days, during which Boeing will continue to monitor government guidance and actions on COVID-19 and its associated impacts on all company operations. During this time, the company says it will be conducting additional deep cleaning activities at impacted sites and establishing rigorous criteria for return to work.

“We continue to work closely with public health officials, and we’re in contact with our customers, suppliers and other stakeholders who are affected by this temporary suspension,” Calhoun adds. “We regret the difficulty this will cause them, as well as our employees, but it’s vital to maintain health and safety for all those who support our products and services, and to assist in the national effort to combat the spread of COVID-19.” 

Puget Sound area-based employees who can work from home will continue to do so, Boeing says. Those who cannot work remotely will receive paid leave for the initial 10 working days of the suspension.

When the suspension is lifted, Boeing says it will take an orderly approach to restarting production with a focus on safety, quality and meeting customer commitments. 

Boeing will work with its customers to develop plans that ensure customers are supported throughout this period. Critical distribution operations in support of airline, government, and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) customers will continue.