Michelle Dunlop Herald Writer
The Boeing Co. has a busy week ahead.
On Monday, key supplier Spirit AeroSystems is restarting production, after a tornado damaged Spirit’s Wichita facility on April 14.
Boeing hasn’t said yet how Spirit’s temporary shutdown will affect jet production, but
some analysts speculate it could affect how Boeing regards the high concentration of jet production here in the Puget Sound region.
The jet maker certainly will be asked about Spirit when Boeing reports first quarter earnings Wednesday. Analysts estimate earnings at 94 cents per share, reports Forbes.
On Friday, Boeing rolls out the first 787 to be built in South Carolina. Last week, billboards were popping up around the North Charleston area, marking the April 27th event.
This 787 is the first commercial aircraft that Boeing has built outside the Puget Sound region.
South Carolina officials say the rollout of this North Charleston-built 787 validates the bet Boeing made on the state, reports The Post and Courier.
However, Jack Jones, general manager of Boeing’s South Carolina site, knows better than to overhype a rollout.
Boeing’s first 787 didn’t make its maiden flight more than two years after an elaborate rollout in Everett in 2007. Jones has been telling his South Carolina team: “Don’t start spiking the football.”
