After adopting a new strategy for long-term growth and recovery, Boeing said it would consolidate the production of its 787 aircraft at the North Charleston facility starting mid-2021.
“As our customers manage through the unprecedented global pandemic, to ensure the long-term success of the 787 program, we are consolidating 787 production in South Carolina,” the company’s CEO Stan Deal said, adding that the Everett team will continue its focus on Boeing’s 737, 747, 767 and 777 aircraft models.
According to the statement, Everett will continue to produce the 787-8s and 787-9s until the program transitions to the production rate of six jets a month in 2021. After that, the smaller jets’ production will join the North Charleston facility, which was initially set up for the larger 787-10s.
The Dreamliner production system was adjusted to accommodate the current market environment with plans to ramp up production when air travel recovers, the company said in a statement on October 1, 2020.
The company said it took this decision after an “in-depth study into the feasibility of producing 787s at a single location.” The research has reportedly yielded compelling enough results for the entire 787 production line to move into a consolidated facility of North Charleston.
Boeing’s CEO Stan Deal expressed his gratitude for the team of engineers in Everett but said it was time to focus on the company’s future. He also believes that the consolidation will “refine the 787 production and enhance the airplane’s value proposition” in the long run.