Boeing Weighs Cutting or Halting 737 MAX Production: WSJ

(Bloomberg) -- Boeing is considering either halting or further cutting production of the 737 MAX amid uncertainty over the airplane’s return to service, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

• Decision could be disclosed as soon as Monday; the company’s board is meeting in Chicago starting Sunday
• Boeing management increasingly sees pausing production as the most viable option; a decision hadn’t been made as of early Sunday, and production changes are not certain
• No immediate employee layoffs are anticipated, one of the sources told the WSJ
• A Boeing spokesman told the WSJ that the company continues to work with the FAA and global regulators on the MAX’s safe return to service
  • “We will continue to assess production decisions based on the timing and conditions of return to service, which will be based on regulatory approvals and may vary by jurisdiction”
• NOTE: Dec. 13, Boeing CEO Chastised by FAA as Tensions Risk 737 Max Delay

To contact the reporter on this story: Nathan Crooks in Miami at ncrooks@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Sebastian Tong at stong41@bloomberg.net

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