Representatives from Air India took delivery on Friday of the first Boeing Co 787 Dreamliner made in South Carolina and the first manufactured outside Boeing Commercial Airplane’s headquarters in Washington state.
The delivery marks another milestone in Boeing’s efforts to broaden its production base beyond Washington, where all of its other jets have been built. The 787 is largely outsourced to other countries, with wings and other parts shipped in for final assembly to Boeing facilities in Washington and now, South Carolina. Boeing’s corporate headquarters are in Chicago.
“Airplane built, airplane completed, airplane flown and now today, airplane delivered,” said Jack Jones, chief executive of Boeing South Carolina whose $750 million final assembly plant in North Charleston was started in fall 2009. Production began in the summer of 2011. The first plane was completed in April.
For the complete story by Reuters’ Harriet McLeod, click here.
