Boeing Co. is seeking permits to expand its South Carolina plant, one of several being considered for an assembly line for its new 787 wide-body jetliners in which several Connecticut companies have a business stake, a company spokesman said today.
Fairfield-based General Electric Co. as designed fuel-efficient engines to power the 787. Bristol-based Barnes Group Inc.‘s aerospace division also is producing high-tech components for the airliner made from lightweight composites.
Boeing spokesman Russ Young said the company is notifying South Carolina and city of Charleston officials about applying for permits at the North Charleston plant, but noted there will be no decision on where to locate a second line until year’s end.
The Chicago-based company has been evaluating potential sites for a second assembly line for the 787, a next-generation aircraft built for fuel efficiency with lightweight carbon composite parts and its best-selling new model to date.
But production of the 787 has been hampered by problems stemming partly from Boeing’s reliance on global suppliers to build large sections of the aircraft. Those sections are later assembled at its commercial aircraft facilities in Everett, Wash.
The production glitches and an eight-week strike by union workers last fall have led to repeated delays of the 787’s first test flight and deliveries.
The troubles with the 787 program have cost Boeing credibility and billions of dollars in anticipated expenses and penalties. First deliveries are now about two years behind schedule. (AP)
