Boeing Wichita To Close

Thu, January 05, 2012

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KMUW / Carla Eckels

Kansas officials are disappointed in the Boeing Company’s decision to close its Wichita plant despite efforts to help secure a $35 billion dollar Air Force refueling tanker contract. KMUW’s Carla Eckels reports.

State Representative Jim Ward says he’s outraged that Kansas will not be getting the 7500 jobs promised by Boeing when the company got the tanker contract. He says Boeing has benefited from numerous tax breaks.

“But here’s the key thing, which is the most frustrating and disappointing after an 80 year partnership,” says Ward. “What you’re hearing from all three levels of government is they didn’t come to us and say here’s the piece that’s holding us up. Here’s the piece that is going to make us back track on our promises to you.”

More than 2,000 Boeing employees will be laid off by the end of 2013. Boeing’s Mark Bass says the decision to close the Wichita facility is substantial.

“We did not make the decision lightly,” says Bass. “We will work to assist our employees, their families and the community through this difficult transition, but this action is necessary to ensure that Boeing can compete for and win new business.”
Bass says the Wichita plant wasn’t competitive because of its size and high labor costs. The site includes 97 buildings with 2 million square feet.