Boeing's third 777X aircraft departing on a test flight. Boeing Boeing expects staff numbers to fall to 130,000 by the end of 2021, which would be a near 20% drop in head count from the start of the year. The company recorded a $466 million loss in the quarter to September, making it the fourth straight quarterly loss for the aircraft giant. Its defense, space, and security division fared much better than its commercial aircraft sales as airlines continue to struggle due to travel restrictions. The company "remain[s] confident in our long term future," said CEO, Dave Calhoun. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Aircraft giant Boeing reported its fourth straight quarterly loss and thousands of further expected job cuts on Wednesday as the coronavirus crisis and the 737 MAX jet grounding hurt sales.While the earnings results weren't good, they weren't as bad as many analysts were expecting.As flight numbers dropped during the pandemic, so have Boeing's staff numbers.Boeing previously announced it would be cutting 10% of its workforce – but now it expects its staff to drop to 130,000 by the end of 2021, it said in a staff note.