Boeing Plans to End Production of 717 Jet

[Desperadoe]

CHICAGO (AP) -- Boeing Co. will end production of the 717 jet, its smallest passenger plane, next year, and plans to charge $615 million against earnings before taxes related to that and the loss of a $23 billion deal to supply refueling tankers to the U.S. Air Force.

The big Chicago-based airplane manufacturer said Friday the charge will work out to 48 cents a share for the fourth-quarter and full-year 2004 results, scheduled to be released on Feb. 2, 2005.

Boeing shares were down 20 cents at $50.43 in early trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

The company will take a charge amounting to about $340 million, or 27 cents per share, before taxes due to the end of the production of the 717 sometime in 2006.<snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Boeing-717.html