Boeing, Washington made right call on 7E7

All Nippon Airways’ order for 50 Boeing 7E7 Dreamliners, making it the airplane’s launch customer, carried little in the way of surprise. But it meant plenty in the way of affirmation.

More airlines are reportedly on the brink of placing their own orders for the roomy, fuel-efficient jetliner, affirming Boeing’s decision to design and build it. Airlines are buying into the notion that customers will prefer flying directly to their destinations in a more spacious interior than cramming into Airbus’ 550-passenger A380 and connecting through major hubs.

Interest is bubbling up from points across the globe, supporting Boeing’s strategy of involving other nations in building the 7E7’s components.

And locally, it is one more vindication of the state’s aggressive effort to have the Dreamliner assembled here, a success that will pay dividends for years to come.

One example may prove to be the design of a new 747 model, dubbed the 747 Advanced, which would use 7E7 engines and cockpit technologies, along with new aluminum alloys. That plane, if built, could keep Everett’s 747 line in operation for an additional decade. That’s just what was at stake in the bidding for the 7E7 assembly site — Boeing’s long-term future here and the jobs the company and its suppliers can provide.

With sales of the 7E7 taking off, that future looks bright.

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