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Boeing 787 jet
Photo: HO / AFP
Hardly any other industry suffers as badly from the economic consequences of the corona pandemic as aviation.
This also has a massive impact on the companies that manufacture aircraft.
The US group Boeing is an example alongside Airbus.
In order to reduce production costs in the corona crisis, the US aviation company is postponing production of its 787 "Dreamliner" model.
The long-haul jet is traditionally produced in Everett near Seattle in the US state of Washington, and in 2010 North Charleston in South Carolina was added as a second location.
From 2021, the entire production of the model series is to be relocated there, as Boeing announced on Thursday.
The production rate will drop to six jets per month from next year.
In a memo to the employees, Boeing manager Stan Deal spoke of a "difficult decision" that was necessary so that the company could cope with the strains of the pandemic.
When asked, a spokeswoman said that about 900 people are currently employed in the 787 production in Everett.
Boeing wants to try to keep the downsizing as low as possible.
South Carolina is one of the southern US states that attract corporations with lower wages and little union influence.
However, there have been reports of production deficiencies at the Boeing plant there for some time.
The decision is a severe blow to Everett in the Puget Sound region.
Boeing has a number of plants there with a total of tens of thousands employees and emphasizes that the model series 737, 747 as well as 767 and 777 will continue to be produced there.
Boeing is already badly hit because of the debacle surrounding the 737 Max, which was banned from flying after two crashes, and the corona pandemic has exacerbated the situation.
The Airbus rival has already announced that around 19,000 employees will be leaving due to the crisis, and further layoffs are likely to follow.
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beb / dpa