Boeing Co. has restarted production of its beleaguered 737 Max jetliner, ending a four-month shutdown, as the planemaker works with regulators to end a global grounding that has hurt sales and damaged its reputation.
The company also said Wednesday it was eliminating more than 12,000 U.S. jobs, including the involuntary layoffs of 6,770 U.S. workers, as America's largest planemaker restructures in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
Output of the Max resumed at a low rate as employees focused on improving quality and streamlining the way the plane is built, Boeing said in a statement. The company halted work at its Seattle-area plant in January, citing uncertainty over when regulators would lift a flying ban imposed in March 2019 after two crashes killed 346 people.