Boeing orders flowing in as airplane giant talks of moving work out



PARIS -- Boeing announced orders from three separate airlines at the Paris Air Show, amid reports that the company's new 787-10 would be built entirely in South Carolina instead of the Pacific Northwest.

The airline giant announced orders from GE Capital Aviation Services, Skymark Airlines and Qatar Airways at the airshow Monday.

GE Capital Aviation ordered 10 787-10X Dreamliners, the third and largest member of the 787 family. Skymark said it planned to replace its fleet with the Boeing 737 Max --one of the world's best-selling airplanes -- and Qatar Airways announced an agreement to purchase nine 777-300ERs.

However, news was not so bright for Puget Sound Boeing employees among murmers that manufacturing of the new 787 would take place away from the area. The Seattle Times reported Sunday that the new 787-10 airline may be built entirely in North Charleston, S.C.

According to the Times, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Ray Conner was "surprisingly noncommittal" Sunday when asked whether or not the plane would be built in Everett. State officials also said they worried whether Everett -- the previous location of some Boeing 787 construction -- would get the work.

The South Carolina manufacturing plant is big enough to fit four of the 787s nose-to-tail, the Times reported, much bigger than the Everett plant .

Even if the construction of the airplane moved away from Everett, the plant would still be responsible for manufacturing other models, the Times reported.