Wichita ? Boeing Wichita will delay some job cuts by a couple of months because the work it expects this year is growing.

Boeing does not yet know how many layoffs would be delayed, said spokesman Dick Ziegler, because the Wichita plant has not finalized a first-quarter update to its business plan. He said the layoffs likely would be in engineering and engineering support-type jobs.

Boeing last year announced plans to reduce its commercial aircraft division employment in Wichita by 5,000. It cut about 2,000 of those jobs late last year and planned to cut an additional 3,000 by the middle of this year. Now it will be August before Boeing makes all the cuts, Ziegler said.

In an internal memo to employees, the Wichita plant’s chief engineer, Bob Waner, said that some of the growth in work in Wichita includes the “preimplementation of the 737-900X and 747-400XQLR through April of this year. In addition, we have seen an increase in interdivisional work.”

The company has not launched either of the programs but will get a “head start” on them, said spokesman Fred Solis.

“In the event that they’ve got some customers interested, they’ll be able to offer an acceptable delivery date”, he said. “The only way they can do that is they get started in advance.”

Boeing is talking to customers about the 737-900X plane that would carry more passengers and offer more range. The planemaker also is looking at the next stages of 747 products.

Waner, in his memo, said that “we are keeping our fingers crossed that the two programs will get a go-ahead.”

Meanwhile, the plant is working to place as many people as possible who are slated for layoff in other jobs.