Boeing Everett Factory
The Boeing Everett Factory in 2008
Built1967[1]
LocationEverett, Washington, U.S.
Coordinates47°55′32″N 122°16′19″W / 47.92556°N 122.27194°W / 47.92556; -122.27194 (Boeing Everett Factory)
IndustryAerospace
ProductsAirplane assembly
Employees30,000[2]
ArchitectBoeing
StyleIndustrial
Area399,480 square meters (4,300,000 sq ft)
Volume13,385,378 cubic metres (472,700,200 cu ft), See List of largest buildings
Owner(s)Boeing Commercial Airplanes

The Boeing Everett Factory is an airplane assembly facility built by Boeing in Everett, Washington, United States. It sits at the northeast corner of Paine Field and includes the largest building in the world by volume at 13,385,378 m3 (472,370,319 cu ft) and covers 98.7 acres (39.9 ha). The entire complex spans both sides of State Route 526 (named the Boeing Freeway). The factory was built in 1967 for the Boeing 747 and has since been expanded several times to accommodate new airliners, including the 767, 777, and 787 programs.

History and operations

Boeing has had a presence in Everett since 1943. In 1966, plans for a factory in the area for the construction of the 747 were first announced after Boeing was awarded a contract worth US$525 million (equivalent to $4.7 billion in 2022) from Pan American World Airways to build 25 of the aircraft. The company purchased 780 acres (320 ha) north of the then little-used Paine Field, which was operated by the U.S. Army during World War II. The factory was officially opened on May 1, 1967, four months after the first workers had arrived to start construction of the 747.[3]

Boeing began offering factory tours with the first rollout of the 747 in 1968.[4][2] As of 2020 over 150,000 people come each year to visit the factory, which employs over 30,000 people and has its own fire department, security team, daycare, gym, Boeing Employees' Credit Union branch, coffee shop, and several cafés.[2] Across the airport to the west is The Boeing Store, a theater, and the Future of Flight Aviation Center, which runs the factory tour and has a gift shop, café, and other food options. The Boeing Everett campus is big enough to contain Disneyland with 12 acres (4.9 ha) left over for parking.

To accommodate the Dreamlifter, a converted 747-400 which delivered 787 sections to the plant, a base was constructed on the western edge of Paine Field's runway. Opening in October 2013, the 17-acre (69,000 m2) base, called the Dreamlifter Operations Center, was funded by Snohomish County with $35 million in bonds; it is owned by the county via the airport, with Boeing originally leasing the site and servicing the bonds.[5] Following Boeing’s decision to shutter the 787 production line in Everett and consolidate 787 production in South Carolina, the lease on the Dreamlifter Operations Center was transferred to FedEx for use as a cargo base. [6]

Current production aircraft

Boeing 767

The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body, twin-engine, jet airliner. First introduced in 1979 to complement the larger 747, the aircraft was capable of carrying 218 passengers in a typical three-class configuration over a range of 5,990 nautical miles (6,890 mi; 11,090 km) and a cruising speed of Mach 0.80 (530 mph, 851 km/h, 470 kn).

Production of passenger variants ended in 2017 after its successor, the 787 Dreamliner, entered service in 2011. Freighter and military variants remain in limited production.

These are the 767 variants currently in production as of 2023:

Boeing 777

A Boeing 777 Freighter before a test flight

The Boeing 777 is a large-size, wide-body, twin-engine, jet airliner. Production of this plane began in 1993. As of November 2023, the factory is being retooled to produce the 777X, the next-generation of the aircraft. The 777-9 provides seating for 426 passengers and a range of over 7,285 nmi (13,492 km; 8,383 mi).

These are the 777 variants currently in production as of 2023:

Boeing 737 MAX

The Boeing 737 MAX is a mid-size, narrow-body, twin-engine, jet airliner. Production of the aircraft is expected to begin in the second-half of 2024. This will be the fourth production line for the Boeing 737 MAX and will be the first 737 model not produced at the Boeing Renton Factory. The line will replace the discontinued Boeing 787 line at the factory.[8][9]

Former production aircraft

Boeing 747

Boeing's Everett facility. The main production building is seen in the background to the left.

The Boeing 747 is a large-size, wide-body, four-engine, jet airliner. The 747-8I, the last passenger variant in production, is capable of carrying 467 passengers in a typical three-class configuration, has a range of 8,000 nmi (9,200 mi; 15,000 km) and a cruising speed Mach 0.855 (570 mph, 918 km/h, 495 kn). The Boeing 747 was one of the first wide-body aircraft to be produced and was the first jet to use a wide-body configuration for carrying passengers. Because of the vast size of the 747, the Boeing Everett Factory was designed and built to accommodate the assembly of these large planes as there was not enough room at the Boeing facilities in Seattle. Production of this aircraft began in 1967 and continued until 2022, with the last 747-8F (N863GT) rolling out in December for customer Atlas Air.[10][11][12]

Boeing 787

Jetstar's first 787 being built.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a mid-size, wide-body, twin-engine jet airliner. The current passenger variants in production, are capable of carrying 242–290 passengers in a typical two-class configuration, have a range of 7,355–7,635 nmi (8,464–8,786 mi; 13,621–14,140 km) and a cruising speed of Mach 0.85 (562 mph, 902 km/h, 487 kn). Production of this plane began in 2006.

In February 2011, Boeing announced that some 787 work was being moved to a plant in North Charleston, South Carolina in order to relieve overcrowding of 787s at Everett caused by large volumes of 787 orders.[13] In July 2014, Boeing announced that the 787-10 variant, the longest variant of the 787, would be produced exclusively in South Carolina as the fuselage pieces for that variant are too large for the Dreamlifter to fit for transport to Everett.[14][15]

Undertaking drastic cost-cutting measures in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting impact on aviation, Boeing announced in July 2020 that it would consider consolidating all of its 787 assembly in a single location; the company chose to move all production to South Carolina on October 1, causing backlash from the Washington state government.[16][17] The move was completed in February 2021; it was cemented with Boeing's agreement to transfer its lease of the Dreamlifter Operations Center to package courier FedEx in April 2021. FedEx, which takes over the lease on November 1, plans to use it for its cargo airline operations.[18]

The two 787 variants formerly produced in Everett were the 787-8 and the 787-9.

Airport

Aircraft are delivered as a whole from the Seattle Paine Field International Airport, adjacent to and south of the plant.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Boeing: Boeing in Everett, Wash
  2. 1 2 3 "Boeing in Everett, Wash". Boeing. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  3. ↑ Boeing’s history in Everett | HeraldNet.com
  4. ↑ "Boeing: Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour -- Fact Sheet". Archived from the original on May 19, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  5. ↑ Wilhelm, Steve (July 30, 2013). "Boeing Everett Dreamlifter center to open in October". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  6. ↑ Gates, Dominic (August 6, 2021). "FedEx takes over Boeing facility, will begin cargo operations out of Everett". Seattle Times. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Boeing Begins Assembling 3rd KC-46A Tanker Aircraft". Boeing. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  8. ↑ Ostrower, Jon (January 30, 2023). "Boeing to open 737 Max line at Everett plant". The Air Current. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  9. ↑ Gates, Dominic (January 30, 2023). "Boeing to set up a fourth 737 MAX assembly line in Everett". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Boeing receives last 747 order, ending production of the storied airliner". CNET. Red Ventures. January 12, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  11. ↑ "The very last 747 jumbo jet just rolled off Boeing's assembly line". CNN. Warner Brothers Discovery. December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  12. ↑ Chokshi, Niraj; Menghistab, Meron Tekie; Tamayo, Jovelle; Wasson, Lindsey (January 31, 2023). "The Last Boeing 747 Leaves the Factory". The New York Times. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Boeing looks to ease overcrowding at Paine Field". Retrieved February 27, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Boeing: Boeing in South Carolina". www.boeing.com. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  15. ↑ Yeo, Ghim-Lay (July 30, 2014). "Boeing to assemble 787-10 in South Carolina". Flightglobal.com. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  16. ↑ Tangel, Andrew; Cameron, Doug (September 30, 2020). "Boeing to Move All 787 Dreamliner Production to South Carolina". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  17. ↑ Gates, Dominic (October 1, 2020). "Boeing makes it official: Washington state will lose 787 production next year". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  18. ↑ Gates, Dominic (April 19, 2021). "FedEx close to a deal to operate out of Paine Field as Boeing abandons its 787 Dreamlifter center". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
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