Boeing buys more S.C. land

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Boeing will pay $12.5 million for about 320 acres of land near its current 787 Dreamliner final assembly plant in North Charleston, S.C. The company doesn't have specific plans, but the purchase will provide land for possible future use. Boeing South Carolina does final assembly for the 787 Dreamliner. The facility also makes aft and mid-body sections for the 787. A deal signed in December provides Boeing the option to buy 750 more acres in several parcels, including the 260 acres it sits on, now leased for $1 a year from the Charleston airport. If it exercises the option, by 2025 Boeing could own almost 1,100 acres. (Source: Reuters, 03/21/13) Gulf Coast note: Boeing's chief rival, Airbus, is building an A320 final assembly plant in Mobile, Ala.