Published: Monday, March 8, 2010
Boeing contract loss upsets Evergreen
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Michael O’Leary / The Herald
A Boeing 747 Dramlifter heads in for a landing at Paine Field recently, loaded with Dreamliner parts.
MCMINNVILLE, Ore. — Officials at Evergreen International Aviation Inc. are shocked and disappointed to lose a contract to operate Boeing Co.’s “Dreamlifter” super freighters, the chairman of the McMinnville-based aviation services company said.
The converted 747 jumbo jets fly components for Boeing’s new 787 jetliners to its assembly plant in Everett. Chicago-based Boeing announced last week that when its five-year agreement with Evergreen ends in September, it will shift the contract to Evergreen archrival Atlas Air.
Evergreen Chairman Tim Wahlberg said the company was given no reason, no advance notice and no opportunity to submit a rival bid.
“It really puts us in a bad position,” Wahlberg said. “And we’re really disappointed that Boeing hasn’t come clean on what the deal is. It kind of hurts our reputation.”
Boeing has four Dreamlifters, 747s that have been modified by greatly expanding the fuselage to hold large subassemblies of 787s made by other companies.
Evergreen was elated when it submitted the winning bid to operate the planes in 2005. Wahlberg said the work was expected to run about 35 years, with the contract subject to renewal every five years. He said Evergreen had been given no reason to think a contract review would be anything but routine.
Boeing regularly praised the company for its work, Wahlberg said, with no reports of problems. “We were on time all the time. We ran a perfect operation,” he said, and will continue to do so.
Boeing spokesman Dean Tougas said Sunday that the company does not comment on how it analyzes agreements with outside companies and makes business decisions.
The converted 747 jumbo jets fly components for Boeing’s new 787 jetliners to its assembly plant in Everett. Chicago-based Boeing announced last week that when its five-year agreement with Evergreen ends in September, it will shift the contract to Evergreen archrival Atlas Air.
Evergreen Chairman Tim Wahlberg said the company was given no reason, no advance notice and no opportunity to submit a rival bid.
“It really puts us in a bad position,” Wahlberg said. “And we’re really disappointed that Boeing hasn’t come clean on what the deal is. It kind of hurts our reputation.”
Boeing has four Dreamlifters, 747s that have been modified by greatly expanding the fuselage to hold large subassemblies of 787s made by other companies.
Evergreen was elated when it submitted the winning bid to operate the planes in 2005. Wahlberg said the work was expected to run about 35 years, with the contract subject to renewal every five years. He said Evergreen had been given no reason to think a contract review would be anything but routine.
Boeing regularly praised the company for its work, Wahlberg said, with no reports of problems. “We were on time all the time. We ran a perfect operation,” he said, and will continue to do so.
Boeing spokesman Dean Tougas said Sunday that the company does not comment on how it analyzes agreements with outside companies and makes business decisions.
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