Boeing To Close Wichita Plant With 2,160 Jobs

By Roxana Hegeman

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) -- The Boeing Co., for decades the brand that helped support Wichita's claim as the aviation capital of the world, announced Wednesday it will shut down facilities in the city by the end of 2013 and send work to plants in three other states as it deals with defense spending cutbacks.

The closure will cost 2,160 workers their jobs and end the firm's presence in an area where it has been a major employer for generations.