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Statement from AIA President and CEO John W. Douglass on Boeing's decision to proceed with the 7E7

WASHINGTON, D.C., December 16-- The aerospace industry applauds The Boeing Company's decision to proceed with the 7E7 as the next great advance in commercial aviation. This will be a vibrant, far-reaching program that will take the world into the second century of powered flight.

With the 7E7, Boeing will field an aircraft that is faster, more economical to operate and more environmentally friendly than currently deployed designs. The 7E7 will be the first commercial plane to have a majority of its primary structure -- including the wing and fuselage -- made of composite materials. The initial version is expected to accommodate up to 250 passengers and have a range of 8,000 nautical miles, sufficient to provide non-stop service between any two points on the globe.

The 7E7 will involve suppliers in states all over the nation and some in Europe and Asia. The manufacture and assembly of this important new airliner will bring thousands of new jobs to the American aerospace industry. The 7E7 program will also help sustain the aerospace industrial base in the United States at a time when its workforce has been aging and shrinking. AIA welcomes Boeing's announcement to proceed with the "Dreamliner" as a far-sighted move that will break new ground for commercial air transportation, assuring U.S. leadership in civil aviation for many years.

P.A. Rel 2003-37

12.16.03

-AIA-

Contact: Matt Grimison, AIA
(703) 358-1076
matt.grimison@aia-aerospace.org