Plans for the factory were first announced in 1966 for it to be the site of the construction of the 747 after Boeing was awarded a contract worth US$525 million from Pan American World Airways to build 25 747s. It purchased north of the then little-used Paine Field, which was operated by the US Army in World War II. Boeing has had an Everett presence since 1943. Boeing began offering factory tours with the first roll out of the 747 in 1968, and over 150,000 people visit the Everett site each year. The factory includes a Boeing Employees' Credit Union branch and several cafés. Across the airport to the west is The Boeing Store, a theater, and a Future of Flight Aviation Center, which runs the factory tour. The Boeing Everett campus is big enough to encompass Disneyland with left over for parking. As of 2020, the Everett Factory employs over 30,000 people, including its own fire department, security team, daycare center, coffee shop, and fitness center.
Aircraft in production
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a large-size, long-range wide-body four-engine jet airliner. The 747-8I, the current passenger variant in production, is capable of carrying 467 passengers in a typical three-class configuration, has a range of and a cruising speed Mach 0.855. The Boeing 747 was one of the first wide-body aircraft to be produced and was the first jet to use a wide-body configuration for carrying passengers. Because of the vast size of the 747, the Boeing Everett Factory was designed and built to accommodate the assembly of these large planes as there was not enough room at the Boeing facilities in Seattle. Production of this aircraft began in 1967 and continues to this day. The only 747 variant currently in production is the Boeing 747-8.
Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid- to large-size, long-range wide-body twin-engine jet airliner. The 767-300ER, the current passenger variant in production, is capable of carrying 218 passengers in a typical three-class configuration, has a range of and a cruising speed Mach 0.80. Production of this plane began in 1979. These are the 767 variants currently in production:
The Boeing 777 is a large-size, long-range wide-body twin-engine jet airliner. The 777-300ER, the current passenger variant in production, is capable of carrying 386 passengers in a typical three-class configuration, has a range of and a cruising speed Mach 0.84. Production of this plane began in 1993. These are the 777 variants currently in production:
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a mid-size, long-range wide-body twin-engine jet airliner. The current passenger variants in production, are capable of carrying 242–290 passengers in a typical two-class configuration, have a range of and a cruising speed of Mach 0.85. Production of this plane began in 2006. In February 2011, Boeing announced that some 787 work was being moved to a plant in North Charleston, South Carolina in order to relieve overcrowding of 787s at Everett caused by large volumes of 787 orders. In July 2014, Boeing announced that the 787-10 variant, the longest variant of the 787, would be produced exclusively in South Carolina as the fuselage pieces for that variant are too large for the Dreamlifter to fit for transport to Everett. These are the 787 variants currently in production in Everett:
