Boeing one step closer to making new 777X a reality

EVERETT -- Boeing began demolition work to make way for a new composite wing center for the new 777X airliner.  State lawmakers including, Gov. Jay Inslee and Sen. Maria Cantwell, were on hand Wednesday to celebrate the milestone.

Boeing Commercial Aircraft CEO Ray Conner said the new facility, slated to completed in 2016, represents the future of Boeing in the Puget Sound.

"These are not 20-year decisions, these are not 30-year decisions, these are 50-year decisions that we've made so we're going to be here for a long, long time," Conner said.



Inslee said the new center means job security for thousands in the state.

"It means decades of Washington state continuing to lead the world in aerospace, that's a pretty good day for all us," Inslee said.

Everett was chosen after several states competed to build the new composite wing.  State lawmakers pushed through a $8.7 billion tax break for Boeing to keep the work in the state.  The company chose to build the wings in the Puget Sound area after the Machinists union agreed to a new, eight-year contract that included concessions, especially on pensions.  Union members narrowly voted in favor of the contract.

The new facility will be operational in 2017, Boeing said.