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Will Boeing close its Wichita facility?
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01/04/12 11:39 AM ET
During the epic U.S. Air Force KC-X tanker competition, there were several constants in an ever-changing narrative. One was that a Boeing win would bring new jobs to its Wichita, Kan., facility — but the aerospace and defense giant appears poised to change that.
Company officials have scheduled a mandatory all-hands meeting with its employees at the Kansas plant this morning. A sweep of local media reports shows a growing expectation that Boeing will announce plans to shutter the facility.
Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) has said recently that a senior Boeing official has told him the long-planned work on the Air Force flying gas stations will go to Washington state, not Kansas, according to Kansas media reports.
Boeing spokesmen had yet to respond to an inquiry Wednesday morning.
Company officials long said a tanker win would deliver over 7,000 jobs to Kansas. The facility now employs just over 2,000 workers.
If the Wichita facility is closed, the fate of those workers remains unclear.
