Watch out, Everett: Spokane wants Boeing’s 797 assembly line

Published 1:30 am Saturday, December 23, 2017

Associated Press

SPOKANE — Business leaders in Spokane will make a pitch to attract the design, production and final assembly of Boeing’s new midsize airplane.

Greater Spokane Incorporated, the region’s chamber of commerce, along with Spokane International Airport say they are forming a task force to attract the project.

Boeing’s proposed new airplane is informally dubbed the 797, and the company plans to announce the launch of the project in 2018.

Spokane business leaders said Friday they want Boeing to continue to manufacture airplanes in the Pacific Northwest. They touted the 240 aerospace manufacturers in the Inland Northwest, along with the region’s lack of congestion and affordable housing prices.

Boeing today makes the 737 model in Renton and the 747, 767, 777 and 787 models in Everett. There is also a 787 assembly line in North Charleston, South Carolina.