Boeing (Chicago) yesterday (April 27) as planned rolled out the first 787 Dreamliner at the North Charleston plant located at Charleston International Airport (CHS). The first Boeing 787 Dreamliner rolled out of final assembly to great fanfare from the crowd of nearly 7,000 Boeing employees and invited guests. The festival-like atmosphere, featuring aerial displays, music and entertainment, was a fitting celebration to commemorate assembly completion of the first 787.

The airplane’s rollout marks the first time that a Boeing commercial airplane has been produced in the Southeastern United States.

Boeing announced that it had selected North Charleston, S.C., as the location for the second 787 final assembly line on October 28, 2009, and broke ground on the site in November of that year. The South Carolina final assembly facility was completed in June 2011, and production began later that same month.

The airplane next goes to the flight line, where it will go through systems checks and engine runs in advance of taxi testing and first flight. The airplane remains on schedule for delivery to Air India in mid-2012.

Boeing South Carolina also has responsibility for fabrication, integration and assembly of the 787’s midbody and aft body fuselage sections. Once complete, the fuselage sections are either delivered to the South Carolina Final Assembly facility, or transported via the Dreamlifter to Final Assembly in Everett, Washington.

Copyright Photo: Boeing.