By Scott Hamilton
July 16, 2025, © Leeham News: Boeing is considering boosting the production of its 787 widebody jet to 16/mo, LNA has learned. This record rate would be at its Charleston (SC) plant and would exceed the previous high of 14/mo split evenly between its Everett (WA) facility and Charleston.
Boeing 787-9. Credit: Boeing.
The Charleston plant currently has enough space to produce 12 787s per month, a 2020 analysis by LNA concluded.
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Boeing expanding Charleston plant
In December last year, Boeing and the South Carolina governor announced that Boeing will spend $1bn to upgrade and expand the plant. Neither revealed what the expansion was for. Now, information obtained by LNA from the supply chain reveals that Boeing is studying the record production rate by the end of this decade.
Boeing declined to comment, citing the quiet period before officers discuss the 2Q2025 earnings on July 29. At a Bernstein investors conference on May 29, CEO Kelly Ortberg said that Charleston needed to be expanded to produce more than 10 787s a month. Boeing currently is producing 7/mo.
In 2006, Boeing pondered rate 16. However, it peaked at 14/mo in 2018-19. Once the COVID pandemic hit in March 2020, Boeing sharply reduced the rate to as low as one-half 787 a month.
Through June, Boeing had 1,001 787s in backlog: 33 787-8s (3.2%), 696 787-9s (69.5%) and 272 787-10s (27%).
Production slots currently are sold out to about 2030. Largely because of the pandemic and resulting supply chain disruptions, which continue, there is a significant shortage of supply from Boeing and Airbus for widebody (and narrowbody) airplanes in the coming decade.
777-9 Entry-into-Service
Separately, the certification of Boeing’s largest aircraft, the 777-9, is anticipated by the end of this year. According to the supply chain, entry-into-service is targeted for June next year.
There are about 30 777-9s in inventory at Paine Field, where its widebody plant is located. Most await engines. The first has been stored since 2019. All need to be brought up to date with any system, software or other changes that were developed since 2019.
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