250-350 Spirit AeroSystems employees in Wichita notified of furlough

Between 250-350 employees at Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita were notified Friday morning that their job will soon be furloughed for about a month because of a backlog, spokesperson Joe Buccino said.

The furlough will begin May 12 and go through mid-June. It is supposed to be about 30 days before the employees return to work, he said.

“Two programs, 737 fabrication, and 737 composite fabrication, it’s tied to a thrust reverser, we’ve overproduced and accumulated a parts surplus over the last several years,” he said. “We have to reduce inventory.”

Thrust reversers help planes slow down when they land.

Spirit, one of Wichita’s largest employers, has roughly 12,000 employees in Wichita, Buccino said.