Report: Boeing may assemble extended Dreamliners in North Charleston

Boeing South Carolina will assemble extended Dreamliners known as 787-9s in addition to the 787-8s it’s been putting together since last year, an aircraft leasing company executive told The Wall Street Journal today.

Air Lease Corp. CEO Steve Udvar-Házy also said Boeing had told him the 787-9s Air Lease had ordered could be made in North Charleston as well as Everett, Wash., according to the report.

Boeing had previously said the North Charleston aft- and mid-body factories would make fuselage pieces for the 787-9. But if Udvar-Házy is correct, the local planemaking plant would also assemble and deliver the final product.

The extended Dreamliner would seat about 40 more passengers — 250 to 290 versus the 787-8’s 210 to 250 — and have a longer flying range.

A Boeing South Carolina spokeswoman did not immediately return a call for comment.

The news came amid a busy first day at the Farnborough International Airshow outside London, which included plane orders and a Dreamliner flying display. Air Lease ordered 75 of Boeing’s new 737 MAX single-aisle jets today.