WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Spirit AeroSystems will furlough about 900 hourly employees who work on the Boeing 737 program, the company said Wednesday.

Spirit will implement the 21-day furloughs beginning Monday through July 6, the Wichita Eagle reported.

The furloughs are needed because of the continued effect of COVID-19 on the airline industry and the uncertainty surrounding the return to service of the 737 Max, Spirit spokeswoman Keturah Austin said.

The company employs around 13,000 people full-time in the area.

"This difficult decision was made to help safeguard the financial health and stabili...