“We are right-sizing the company. As part of that, 150-180 Boeing employees in India have been laid off,” Nelson stated. The layoffs represent a small fraction of Boeing’s substantial workforce in India, which includes approximately 7,000 employees, with nearly 6,500 based at BIETC facilities in Bengaluru and Chennai. These centers are critical to Boeing’s global operations, performing advanced aerospace engineering work.
Strategic Layoffs with Minimal Disruption
Despite the layoffs, Nelson emphasized that the reductions were carefully implemented to avoid impacting customers, safety, or quality. “None of the positions that we’ve removed impact in any way on the customers, or on the government,” he explained. “We’ve been very careful to make sure that what we do in India has been extremely strategic. Anything that would hurt customers, safety, quality—we haven’t touched any work that’s going to affect those areas.”
The Bengaluru campus, which opened in January 2024, is one of Boeing’s largest investments outside the United States. The layoffs, while unfortunate, are part of a broader effort to align the company’s workforce with its current financial and economic challenges.
India’s Central Role in Boeing’s Global Strategy
India remains a key component of Boeing’s recovery and growth strategy. The company employs about 7,000 people directly in India, with an additional 7,000 workers through approximately **320 supply chain partners, bringing Boeing’s total employment impact in India to around 14,000 jobs.
“We’ve got about 24,000 employees outside the US, and more than a quarter of those are in India. This is the biggest footprint that we have outside the US,” Nelson noted. He reiterated Boeing’s commitment to India, highlighting the country’s importance in the company’s global operations.
Global Workforce Reduction and Leadership Focus
The layoffs in India are part of Boeing’s broader global downsizing effort, which has reduced the company’s total workforce by approximately 10%, eliminating around 17,000 positions worldwide. This restructuring aims to align the company’s size with its financial realities and ensure long-term sustainability.
Under the leadership of Kelly Ortberg, who became Boeing’s President and CEO in August 2024, the company has prioritized delivery execution, stabilization, and future planning while maintaining stringent safety standards. Ortberg’s early visits to India, Australia, and Japan underscored his commitment to globalizing Boeing’s operations and strengthening its presence in key markets.
“That is a reflection of his commitment to globalizing our company and to India specifically,” Nelson said. Ortberg was reportedly “most impressed with everything he saw in India, especially the people and the quality and complexity of the work being done here.”
Future Hiring Prospects
As Boeing works to increase aircraft production—a development eagerly anticipated by Indian customers such as Air India Group (AI) and Akasa (QP)—the company suggests that hiring may resume once production stabilizes. This indicates that while the current layoffs are a necessary adjustment, Boeing remains committed to its long-term growth and presence in India.
Conclusion
Boeing’s layoffs in India, while a difficult decision, reflect the company’s broader strategy to right-size its workforce amid financial and economic challenges. Despite the reductions, India remains a critical hub for Boeing’s global operations, with the potential for future growth and hiring as the company stabilizes and ramps up production. The careful implementation of these layoffs ensures that Boeing’s core operations, safety standards, and customer commitments remain unaffected, positioning the company for a stronger future.