Boeing CEO says "center of our business will remain here"

Boeing Chief Executive Jim McNerney acknowledged Tuesday that development of the company's newest plane "has not gone without problems," but he praised the 787 team in Everett for overcoming the jet's delays and offered some reassurance about this area's role in the company's future.

"We all needed to see this innovation get in the air," he said in an interview immediately after the plane took off from Paine Field. We're all excited about it."

He added, "I'm proud of the team here."

Many employees and others in the state have been uneasy about the degree of outsourcing on the 787, a concern intensified by the company's plan to build a second assembly line in North Charleston, S.C., and to duplicate the production of various parts made here.

Though McNerney acknowledged he plans to make Charleston a separate center of Boeing plane-making, he asserted the Puget Sound region would remain pre-eminent, at least in the near to medium term.

"For the foreseeable future, the majority of (Boeing's) airplanes, the 787 and every other airplane we do, will be done right here," McNerney said.

Charleston "will become an independent site over time and will become an alternative site for airplanes in the decades to come," he said.

"But the center of our business will remain here."

Despite all the 787 program's troubles, on the day that the jet finally flew McNerney looked on the bright side.

He said the Dreamliner is still some three years ahead of the rival A350 from Airbus, even if "the margin is less than we originally had hoped for."

McNerney expressed confidence the 787 will meet the promised targets for weight, range and efficiency.

Dreamliner No. 1 and its five test-plane siblings are all heavier than the production models airlines will get, but McNerney said that's common.

"We have very solid plans to meet the mission with all our customers," he said. "That includes weight and other elements of performance."

"I just saw the All Nippon Airways guys," he said, speaking outside a tent set up for VIPs on the edge of the runway. "They are more than happy. They are delighted."

Dominic Gates: 206-464-2963 or dgates@seattletimes.com