EVERETT - Boeing officially rolled out its 1,000th 767 on Wednesday.
As part of its plan to win the Air Force tanker contract and to accomodate more space for 787 Dreamliner production in Everett, the footprint to build the 767 is now 44 percent smaller than it was before, and Boeing estimates that boosts efficiency 20 to 30 percent. It's also the first time an airplane will leave through the north side of the factory, through a new set of gigantic doors.
The modifications are to try and shave costs to the point where Boeing can beat EADS, the parent company of Airbus, for the $35 billion U.S. Air Force Tanker contract for 179 aerial refueling planes.
The tanker deal doesn't not appear to be done yet, as Boeing has not yet submitted its last best and final offer to the Air Force. Company executives just met with Air Force officials Monday at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. That submittal will be made in the next few weeks.
"I would say March, we ought to hear," said Jim Albaugh, the President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Albaugh also believes any decision the Air Force makes will be closely reviewed by the Government Accountability Office and other oversight agencies and congress for any unfairness after an Air Force mishap that sent Boeing data to Airbus and Airbus data to Boeing.
An Air Force computer forensics investigation concluded that Boeing did not open any files on the disk, but an employee with EADS/Airbus looked at a file for at lest 15 seconds, possibily longer. After the problem was discovered, the Air Force shared the data with both companies.
But Boeing again stated that whether it wins the tanker or not, it still wants to keep building 767s for airlines. There are currently 50 planes on the order books, about three years worth of work.
Albaugh says discussions with airlines for more orders continue. There is also a shortage of factories to build the expected demand for some 7,000 wide-bodied twin-aisle jets over the next 20 years, and with U.S. airlines now expected to come calling for new planes, that could be a shot in the arm for the 767. Boeing claims the 767 is the most effiecient airplane in its class.
"Yes, I think we're going to sell more of these commercially," said Albaugh. "We're going to test the market with this new airplane, in this new manufacturing facility with a new price point. We'll see how we do."
