(WICHITA, Kan.)—
Boeing is studying whether to leave Wichita. The company employs 2,100 people mostly at its defense facility.
A spokesman for Boeing released the following statement Monday afternoon:
“Boeing is studying the future of its Wichita, Kan., facility as part of an initiative to address the current defense budget environment,” said spokesman Jarrod Barlett. “The Wichita facility faces pressures because of product and services contracts that have matured and expired, and limited prospects for future work. We are in the process of engaging key stakeholders — including customers, government officials and union representatives — to share this information as we continue to have open and candid discussions about the challenges we face in the current budget and economic environment.
Among the options being reviewed is the potential closure of the Wichita site,” Bartlett continued. “Because of defense budget pressures, we are conducting a number of market studies to determine how to best preserve and grow our business, and continue to provide quality and cost-efficient services for our customers. We anticipate completion of the Wichita study by the end of the year or in early 2012.”
Boeing has a defense facility in Wichita. It doesn't do any commercial work. The facility maintains and modifies existing aircraft. It currently employs 2,100 people.
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback along with members of the Kansas Congressional Delegation released the following statement regarding a performance study being conducted by Boeing of its Wichita facility:
“The Boeing Company has a rich history in Kansas, and the state and Congressional delegations have been strong supporters of this successful partnership throughout the last 80 years. No one fought harder for Boeing’s win of the U.S. Air Force tanker competition during the last decade than the Kansas delegation and our teamwork paid off.
Boeing has promised publicly and repeatedly in writing that the success in winning the tanker contract would mean ‘7,500 jobs’ in Kansas, including several hundred jobs at Boeing-Wichita for the Tanker Finishing Center. We expect the company to honor that commitment.
Kansans are the right team with the right tools to make Boeing’s continued operations a success for many years to come.”
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