Boeing has announced plans to lay off 600 workers at the former McDonnell Douglas commercial aircraft plant in Long Beach, California. The cuts, expected to be completed by the end of the year, are due to continuing sluggish sales of the 717 regional twinjet assembled at the site. A recent key 717 sale to Midwest Express has been offset by American Airlines' decision to not to take 20 of the 30 remaining 717s that its Trans World Airlines subsidiary has on order. Around half of the 5,000 people employed at Long Beach work on the 717 programme.
Source: Flight International
