Boeing Breaks Ground on $1B Expansion, 1,000 Jobs for North Charleston

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — Boeing broke ground Friday on a $1 billion expansion of its 787 Dreamliner facilities at its South Carolina campus near Charleston International Airport, a move set to create more than 1,000 permanent jobs over five years while employing 2,500 construction workers during the build. The project adds over 1 million square feet, including a new 1.2 million-square-foot final assembly building, parts preparation facilities, vertical fin painting operations, expanded flight line stalls and upgrades to the Interiors Responsibility Center. HITT Contracting and BE&K Building Group lead construction, projecting over 6.2 million labor hours.

The expansion supports Boeing's goal to boost 787 production to 10 aircraft per month by 2026, addressing a backlog of nearly 1,000 Dreamliners and a market demand for 7,800 new widebody planes over 20 years. First announced in late 2024, the upgrades span the main North Charleston site and a secondary campus, building on operations that began in 2009. Boeing now employs more than 8,200 workers across North Charleston and Orangeburg, producing key 787 components like aft and mid-fuselage sections, and partners with nearly 200 South Carolina suppliers.

Gov. Henry McMaster praised the investment, saying it "will strengthen our position as a global leader in aerospace and advanced manufacturing." U.S. Sens. Tim Scott and Rep. James Clyburn joined the ceremony alongside Boeing officials and local leaders like Scott Bessent, underscoring the project's role in the Lowcountry's economic growth. As South Carolina's aerospace sector expands, the initiative cements the state's status as a manufacturing powerhouse.