Boeing has hired investment banks Lazard and Evercore Inc to assess potential US government assistance or private sector loans, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The airframe maker asked last month for at least $60 billion in U.S. government loan guarantees for itself and other American aerospace manufacturers to help the embattled industry withstand a coronavirus-related cash drain.
Boeing has noted that typically 70% of its revenue flows to its 17,000 suppliers and has told lawmakers that without significant assistance the entire U.S. aviation manufacturing sector could collapse.
The US Congress set aside $17 billion in direct loans for national security related companies that could be tapped by Boeing. Boeing could also take part in a Treasury-backed Federal Reserve lending program.
This week, Boeing suspended production of its 787 airplane at its facilities in South Carolina and had indefinitely extended a halt in its production operations at its Washington state facilities.