Boeing axes jobs

Aircraft industry giant Boeing has issued 60-day redundancy notices to around 340 employees, in an indication that it may continue cutting jobs in its commercial plane division into next year.

Most of the new notices went to employees in the Puget Sound area of Washington state, where the aerospace manufacturer’s commercial plane division is based.

Those notices would take effect on January 23.

Boeing had said it planned to cut its workforce by about 40,000 people by the end of 2003, but has not given indications of its plans beyond that.

Spokesman Peter Conte said the company would complete its employment forecast for 2004 in the next few weeks.