SEATTLE, WA – A $96 billion deal with Qatar Airways will give Boeing its largest order ever for South Carolina-made planes, the White House announced Wednesday.
The order of up to 210 jumbo jets is part of $244 billion worth of economic deals between the U.S. and Qatar agreed to while President Donald Trump is visiting the country, according to a White House fact sheet.
The Boeing agreement is for 130 of the 787 Dreamliners made in Charleston County, South Carolina and 30 of the 777 planes built in Washington state, with an option for an additional 50 planes of some combination of the two, according to a Boeing news release.
The order breaks three records for Boeing, the company said: It is the largest ever for its “widebody jets,” generally meaning jets with two aisles that can carry lots of passengers on long flights. It is the largest for the 787 Dreamliners made in North Charleston. And it is Qatar Airways’ largest-ever order.
“A major victory for Boeing, North Charleston, and all of South Carolina,” Gov. Henry McMaster wrote on X. “Thank you to President Trump for making this investment possible and for continuing to put American manufacturing first.”
Boeing employs about 8,200 people in South Carolina, most of them in Charleston County.
“We are deeply honored that Qatar Airways has placed this record-breaking order with Boeing, one that solidifies their future fleet with our market-leading widebody airplane family at its center,” Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said in the company’s release.
The purchase will make Qatar Airways the largest operator of 787 Dreamliners in the Middle East.
The airline already operates more than 150 Boeing airplanes, including 777 and 787 passenger jets and 777 Freighters, according to Boeing.
Since 2014, Qatar Airways has ordered 94 777X planes and 30 Dreamliners, according to data from Boeing.
The aircraft will be powered by American-made engines from GE Aerospace.
Producing and delivering the planes will support 154,000 domestic jobs annually and more than a million positions over the course of production, according to the White House.
The company’s CEO, Kelley Ortberg, joined Trump and other officials in Doha, the capital of Qatar, for the announcement.
“The landmark deals celebrated today will drive innovation and prosperity for generations, bolster American manufacturing and technological leadership, and put America on the path to a new Golden Age,” the White House said.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham emphasized that this was Boeing’s largest ever widebody and 787 order, dubbing the deal a “game changer” for the company and South Carolina.
“Qatar Airways’ purchase will ensure the Charleston plant has work for many years to come and it is a validation of the work product coming from the Charleston Boeing facility,” Graham said in a statement. “The Boeing workforce in South Carolina has a lot to be proud of – they consistently work hard and provide great airplanes.”
The first of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners built in South Carolina rolled off the North Charleston assembly line in April 2012, about 2 ½ years after the company chose the site, lured by hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of incentives approved by state lawmakers and county officials.
In exchange, the company promised in fall 2009 to invest at least $750 million and create more than 3,800 full-time jobs.
Boeing has expanded its South Carolina operations multiple times since. In 2013, the Legislature provided $120 million more in incentives after the company pledged to invest an additional $1 billion and add 2,000 jobs.
In December, Boeing pledged to invest another $1 billion and add 500 new jobs over five years.
This article was first published by SC Daily Gazette, part of States Newsroom.
