Revealed: Boeing gets largest ever order of South Carolina-made planes during Trump’s Qatar visit

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 an estimated $1.2 trillion economic trade deal between the U.S. and Qatar agreed to while President Donald Trump is visiting the country, according to a White House fact sheet.

The agreement is for 130 of the 787 Dreamliners made in Charleston County 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.

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 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 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.

Deals like the Boeing agreement will help “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.

A Boeing spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The company’s CEO Kelley Ortberg joined President Donald Trump and other officials in Doha for the announcement.

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.”

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