Boeing South Carolina Starts Building Its First 787-9

Workers at Boeing’s plant in North Charleston, South Carolina, have started final assembly of that location’s first 787-9 Dreamliner, the company announced on Monday. The team began joining large fuselage sections of the newest 787 on schedule, on November 22, reflecting what Boeing characterizes as another sign of stability for the program.  

Start of final assembly of North Charleston’s first 787-9 comes roughly a year-and-a-half after production of the first 787-9 got under way at Boeing’s factory in Everett, Washington. Schedules call for United Airlines to take delivery of the first South Carolina-built 787-9. Boeing, however, would not specify the expected delivery date.

Boeing advertises the 787-9 as a complement to the smaller 787-8, allowing airlines to develop routes opened with the 787-8. Twenty feet longer than the 787-8, the 787-9 generally carries some 40 more passengers, depending on seating configurations, and operates to a range of 8,500 nm—some 450 nm farther than its smaller sibling.

Boeing delivered the first 787-9 to All Nippon Airways on July 29. As of the end of October, four airlines—Air New Zealand, ANA, United and Virgin Atlantic—had taken delivery of seven Everett-built 787-9s.