Boeing 747 Nears End of the Line as Storied Factory Shuts Down
- Planemaker will soon face choice on future of Queen of Skies
- Plant-equipment auction begins as supplier winds down output
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The Southern California factory that has churned out fuselages for every Boeing Co. 747 jumbo jetliner is being sold for parts, potentially hastening the demise of the iconic aircraft.
Triumph Group Inc., the largest supplier to the 747-8 program, is starting to clear out a storied plant with an online auction of manufacturing gear that began Wednesday afternoon. Located on Jack Northrop Avenue in Hawthorne, the factory was commissioned to build frames for the hump-backed aircraft after Pan American World Airways placed the initial order in 1966.