SEATTLE, 18 March 2014. Boeing (NYSE:BA) officials have begun the expansion of the company’s 737 Commercial Delivery Center (CDC) at Boeing Field in Seattle. The project will more than double the space available for customers and groups supporting increased 737 deliveries.
"Our customers expect and deserve a first-class facility when they come to pick up their airplanes, and we think these improvements will take their experience to the next level," says Beverly Wyse, 737 vice president and general manager, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "A larger, more capable facility is essential as we continue to increase our rates and get ready for the introduction of the new 737 MAX."
The expanded CDC will encompass more than 90,000 square feet and a new three-story building, as well as new delivery and departure areas with three covered jetways. The open, airy design has large windows overlooking the Boeing Field flight line. The CDC expansion is the latest of many investments Boeing is making across the Puget Sound region and in the future of the 737 program, officials affirm.
Production of the 737 is set to increase to 42 airplanes per month in April and to 47 airplanes per month in 2017, an increase in output of nearly 50 percent since 2010. Deliveries of the 737 MAX, with the latest technology CFM International LEAP-1B engines and other efficiency enhancements like Advanced Technology winglets, will also begin in 2017 at the upgraded facility.
Plans are in place to ensure seamless deliveries to 737 customers during construction, which includes the demolition of one building. The CDC expansion is scheduled for completion in mid-2015.
"I founded the King County Aerospace Alliance to foster the continued growth and global competitiveness of our region's aerospace industry, and this expansion is great economic news for the county and our airport," says King County Executive Dow Constantine. "This is a significant investment by Boeing in our region, securing our partnership for generations to come."
"The continued investment Boeing is making to build this facility at Boeing Field demonstrates the company's long-term commitment to Washington and the Seattle region, home to the best aerospace workers in the world," Seattle Mayor Ed Murray notes.
