The newest, longest version of Boeing Co.’s Dreamliner will be assembled exclusively in South Carolina.
The midsection of the Dreamliner 787-10 “is too long to be transported efficiently” to Chicago-based Boeing’s plants in Everett, Washington, where other Dreamliners undergo final assembly.
“We looked at all our options and found the most efficient and effective solution is to build the 787-10 at Boeing South Carolina,” Larry Loftis, vice president and general manager, 787 program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said in a news release.
The 787-10 will be 18 feet longer than the previous version. Final assembly is scheduled to begin in 2017.
It will be the first Boeing jet to be exclusively assembled in a nonunion factory, The Wall Street Journal reported. The company traditionally assembled jets at its union plants in Washington state and California.
Until now, most fuselages for 787s were put together in South Carolina from parts delivered from Italy and Japan, then flown to Everett, Washington, aboard a custom transport plan called the Dreamlifter, according to The Seattle Times.
