Spirit AeroSystems pauses return-to-work plan as Boeing extends coronavirus shutdown

Spirit AeroSystems workers who produce parts for Boeing might not return to work this week after Boeing extended its shutdown in Washington state indefinitely.

Spirit, Wichita’s largest employer, announced last month that it was halting production of parts for Boeing in Wichita until Wednesday, April 8, mirroring Boeing’s plan to suspend work in the Seattle area, one of the nation’s hardest-hit by the coronavirus.

As of Friday, Spirit had instructed workers on the Boeing line in Wichita, Tulsa, McAlester, Okla., and San Antonio to return to work this Wednesday to restart work on Boeing programs.

In a statement from Spirit to its workers on Sunday, the company said it is “assessing the re-start of our Boeing programs” and will provide further information to employees after talking with Boeing this week.

Work at Spirit will continue this week as it has since it suspended most of its Boeing operations.

As one of Boeing’s largest suppliers, Spirit has been grappling with two major crises.

First came the 737 Max crisis. Once the bread and butter of Spirit and Boeing Commercial, the 737 Max plane has been grounded worldwide for more than a year after two crashes killed 346 people and has yet to be certified as safe to fly.

Spirit, which makes 70% of parts on the planes and gets roughly half of its revenue from the 737 Max, laid off 2,800 workers in Wichita and was planning a scaled-down return to production of the troubled planes to begin this spring.

Then the coronavirus pandemic hit. Airlines and plane-leasing firms have continued to cancel billions of dollars in orders of the troubled 737 Max.

Boeing is offering buyouts to its workers and weighing other cuts as the pandemic threatens to depress aircraft sales for years, according to Bloomberg News. Cuts to Boeing’s production output would almost certainly result in lost jobs at Spirit.

Some Spirit workers have continued to work in the factory through the statewide stay-at-home order. The company’s defense work has continued, as has work for Airbus and other growing programs.

Others have continued work on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner program or been called back to work for one reason or another.

Those employees are expected to continuing showing up to work this week. Those working from home will continue to do so, according to a written statement from Spirit.

Workers who were sent home when Spirit suspended work on Boeing programs and have not been reporting to work should stay home, the statement says.