Boeing says it's going to be several weeks before it fully resumes building passenger planes, as factory workers return following a strike that lasted nearly two months.
The strike has curtailed business for Wichita-based Spirit AeroSystems, a major Boeing supplier, as well as many Wichita companies part of the aviation supply-chain. Boeing is in the process of re-acquiring Spirit.
A Boeing spokesperson said the delay in restarting plants in the states of Washington and Oregon is because of multiple steps needed to resume production.
Airline customers have grown increasingly upset over delays in getting new planes from Boeing — delays that started long before 33,000 machinists went on strike Sept. 13. Boeing’s schedule for gaining certification of new 737 Max models has also been pushed back.
Irish airline Ryanair still expects to get its first 737 Max 10s in the first half of 2027, but the CEO of American Airlines declined to predict when his airline might see the largest version of the Max, which has not yet been certified by U.S. regulators.
Boeing workers are represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace. They faced a deadline of Tuesday to return to work after voting last week to accept a Boeing contract offer raising pay rates 38% during the next four years, but won’t restore pensions frozen a decade ago.
The strike shut down production of the 737 Max and 777 passenger planes and a cargo-carrying version of the 767 plane. Boeing continued building 787s, which are produced by non-union workers in South Carolina.
The strike cut deeply into the cash Boeing receives when it delivers new planes.
Boeing delivered 14 planes last month, including planes that were finished before the strike began. Boeing said it took orders for 63 planes, including 40 737 Max jets by leasing company Avia Solutions Group.