Boeing suspending 787 production at South Carolina plant

Boeing said it would suspend production of its 787 airplane at its facilities in South Carolina amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The announcement came soon after the state’s governor issued an order on Monday directing residents to stay home except for essential trips.

Boeing production will be suspended until further notice after the second shift on Wednesday. On Sunday, the largest U.S. planemaker indefinitely extended the halt of its production operations at its Washington state facilities.

On Thursday, Reuters reported that plane makers – including Boeing and Airbus – were looking at drastic cuts in wide-body production amid a slump in demand for the industry’s largest jetliners, citing manufacturing and supplier sources.

Deliveries of long-range jets like the Boeing 777 or 787 and Airbus A350 or A330 have been hit particularly badly as airlines seek deferrals and many withhold progress payments.

On Monday, Airbus said it would temporarily halt production at its A220/A320 manufacturing facility in Alabama because of “high inventory levels in the sites and the various government