Georgia will join dozens of states and foreign governments in the bidding war to convince Boeing to build all or part of its next-generation 777X jetliner in the Peach State, Gov. Nathan Deal told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday.
Once a forgone conclusion that Washington state would win the business, Boeing recently put work on the 777X up for grabs after a dispute with its machinists union.
Now lawmakers across the U.S. and likely in other countries are clamoring to get the coveted jobs. The incentives price tag could be steep.
“We have received Boeing’s (request for proposals) and we intend to make a proposal,” Deal said. “The description of the RFP is very broad and very general but there’s some indication that Boeing is willing to do the project in phases. So we are going to submit the proposal and hopefully we are going to be hearing something soon. We are very encouraged.”
Deal didn’t talk about specifics. He said the proposal is due Tuesday and state officials were working furiously to meet it.
Boeing debuted two 777X models at the recent Dubai Air Show, and racked up more than 200 orders for the aircraft, which is expected to begin service in 2020.
Building assembly or parts plants in Georgia would put Boeing near the world’s busiest airport in Hartsfield-Jackson International and the headquarters of one of the world’s largest airlines in Atlanta-based Delta, a major Boeing customer.
Georgia boasts about 500 aerospace-related companies, including a Lockheed Martin manufacturing center in Marietta, and business jet giant Gulfstream employs about 9,000 people between its headquarters in Savannah and in Brunswick.
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