But No Decision On Assembly Location Has Been Made

Boeing will reportedly be spreading the wealth around when it comes to designing the 777X airplane, placing the work at a number of cities around the United States.

In an internal memo confirmed by Boeing, design work on the new airplane will be conducted in Charleston, SC, Huntsville, AL, Long Beach, CA, Philadelphia, PA, and St. Louis, MO, according to a report from Reuters.

However, the memo also says that no decisions have been made about where the airplane will actually be assembled.

Washington State Governor Jay Inslee called the decision "disappointing," and said the state would "compete boldly and aggressively to win this work." He has reportedly proposed extending a tax incentive package to persuade Boeing to complete more of the design work in Seattle, and build the plane there.

The memo did not specify how much of the work would be moved out of the Puget Sound region. Moody analyst Russell Solomon said the decision "makes sense." adding that there is "some merit to some further diversification of production lines away from Washington State, and particularly into South Carolina." But he added that it was unlikely that the work would be as decentralized as that which was done on the Dreamliner.

Boeing said that the goal is to maximize engineering expertise across the country on a project as large as the 777X. The company says it expects orders for the new widebody airliner totaling as much as $50 billion "in the coming weeks."

FMI: www.boeing.com