The airplane maker on Friday blamed the cutback on reduced need for workers on its newest jet programs, the 787 Dreamliner and 747-8 jumbo jet.

Boeing spokesman Doug Alder said that other reductions will be made through attrition so that the total number of positions cut this year will be between 2,000 and 2,300.

Alder said that the cuts are not related to the current grounding of the 787 due to problems with its battery system.

The cuts will come chiefly among employees who work on refurbishing and doing modifications on jets that have rolled off the assembly line in need of rework, he said.