Boeing to cut 5% of commercial jet workforce amid production struggles

Commercial Aeroplanes plans to cut 5% of its workforce as it struggles to increase jetliner production, the division's chief, Stephanie Pope, told employees in an internal memo on Monday.

"As shared in our third-quarter earnings, we ​need to reset the pace of our production rate ramps to provide our factories ​and supply chain partners additional time to achieve stability. Adjusting our production schedules ⁠and reducing aircraft output puts us in an overstaffed position," Pope said in the memo, ​which was reviewed by Reuters.

Boeing shares were down less than 1% in afternoon trading.

The reductions will ​happen through attrition and involuntary layoffs, with notices going out in December at the earliest, according to the memo. In many states, Boeing must give workers 60 days' notice.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told analysts last month ​the company would miss its 737 jetliner production and delivery targets this year. It now expects ​to hit a 737 production rate of 47 jets per month in early 2027, after previously projecting it ‌would ⁠hit that pace by summer 2026.

He also said that the company does not expect to reach $10 billion in free cash flow until 2029, a year later than analysts had expected. That target is seen by investors as a critical milepost in its ongoing financial recovery following years of ​crises and controversies that left ​Boeing with a ⁠dented reputation, heavily in debt and under stricter regulatory scrutiny.

Boeing's popular 737 narrowbody jet is its largest cash generator, making higher output essential to the company's recovery.

Boeing has also struggled to increase production of its popular 787 widebody jet from 8 jets a month to 10. The company's 767 and 777 programs have also been disrupted, as Reuters first reported last month.

The Seattle-based commercial aeroplane division had ⁠50,494 employees ​as of December 2025, according to the company's website.

Ahead of Monday's announcement, many Boeing workers worried layoffs could come soon, several Boeing employees told Reuters.