Boeing says it will bring about 2,500 employees back to its facilities in the Puget Sound region and Moses Lake, Wash., starting as early as Monday, for limited operations that will focus on defense programs and 737 MAX storage and maintenance.
- The defense-related work will include production of P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol planes for the Navy, and KC-46 tankers for the Air Force. Both the P-8 Poseidon program and the KC-46 program have gotten boosts from the military in just the past couple of weeks.
- The Moses Lake operations have to do with maintaining more than 200 planes that are being stored at Moses Lake’s airport due to the worldwide grounding of the 737 MAX fleet. Boeing said other essential labs and support teams will return to work sites to support critical customer needs.
- Tens of thousands of employees are still idled due to Boeing’s suspension of production operations amid the coronavirus outbreak. Employees who return to the workplace will be required to observe heightened safety practices, as detailed in a Boeing advisory. Washington employees will need to wear masks or face coverings.