Boeing to shutter Wichita plant

WICHITA, Kan., Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Boeing Co. said it would shutter a production facility in Wichita, Kan., that currently employs 2,160 due to cuts in federal spending on defense.

Boeing said in a statement Wednesday that it would close the facility by the end of 2013.

"In this time of defense reductions, as well as shifting customer priorities, Boeing has decided to close its operations in Wichita to reduce costs, increase efficiencies and drive competitiveness," Boeing vice president and general manager Mark Bass said in a statement.

"We recognize how this will affect the lives of the highly skilled men and women who work here, so we will do everything possible to assist our employees, their families and our community through this difficult transition," he said.

The production facility in Wichita is the base for the company's B-52 and 767 programs and its Global Transport & Executive Systems business.