will the boeing factory tour reopen

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Boeing to reopen popular everett factory tours.

The Everett factory first broke ground over 55 years ago in 1966.

• Boeing's famous factory in Everett, Washington is reopening its tours after being shut down since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Visitors can expect enhancements to the tours, including a new route through the factory and updated visual components.
• The factory is globally known for producing various Boeing aircraft, with the next generation Boeing 777X set to join the production line after certification.

On September 28, Boeing announced it would reopen tours for its famous factory in Everett, Washington. The factory is well-known for producing various Boeing aircraft over the years. Boeing revealed that tickets are now on sale for factory tours beginning on October 5.

Famous factory tours

The Everett factory has seen over six million visitors since it began offering tours in 1968. However, the tours have been shut down since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with the tours beginning again, visitors will see various enhancements from the typical tours that visitors have seen in the past. This includes a brand-new route through the factory and updated visual components.

The Boeing Future of Flight General Manager, Christi Medlyn, spoke about opening tours. Medlyn said in a statement,

"We are thrilled to reopen our factory tour experience to visitors who want to see how Boeing airplanes are assembled and learn about the company’s role as a global leader in aviation, With the rebound in travel and tourism, we are pleased to once again share this exclusive look into one of the world’s most interesting factories."

A typical tour of the factory lasts around 80 minutes. Visitors can walk through the famous factory and get a behind-the-scenes look at the production line as well as learn about the history of the production site in Everett. The tour begins in the Boeing Future of Flight Museum, which showcases the various aerospace attractions, Boeing products, and the company's commitment to advancing the aviation industry. Visitors can then walk through the factory's network of underground tunnels and visit the observation balcony to see the production line in action, which is currently producing the Boeing 777 .

Globally known factory

The factory, which sits at the Northeast corner of Paine Field, is known across the world for producing a wide range of Boeing aircraft. Since its groundbreaking in 1966, the factory has produced the 747, 767, 777, and the 787 Dreamliner.

The factory is also recognized as the largest building in the world by volume. It takes up 98.3 acres and has a 98 million cubic feet footprint.

Discover more aviation news with Simple Flying.

Everett producing the 777X

After the Boeing 777X completes the certification process, it will join the Everett factory production line. The next generation widebody aircraft is hoping to begin deliveries in 2025 after the certification process has experienced significant delays. However, Boeing has already received several orders for the next-generation aircraft.

The aircraft's launch customer is Lufthansa , which ordered 27 Boeing 777-9s. The airline is set to replace some of its aging aircraft, such as the Boeing 747, with the new aircraft.

The largest order of 777Xs is by Emirates . The airline ordered a total of 115 aircraft, set to replace some of the older 777 variants. The airline also famously only operates 777s and Airbus A380s, although it is set to receive Airbus A350s in the future.

Other global airlines such as Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Air India, and British Airways among others have also ordered the aircraft.

Have you ever taken a tour of Boeing's Everett factory? Let us know your stories in the comments.

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Go behind the scenes at boeing: factory tours are back.

Boeing's Everett factory, renowned as the largest building in the world by volume, once again opened its doors to the public on October 5

by Enrique Perrella

November 1, 2023

Photo: Courtesy of Boeing Commercial Airplanes

After a lengthy hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Boeing Factory Tours are back, offering aviation enthusiasts and curious minds a chance to witness the magic of aircraft production.

For years, the Boeing Factory Tour has been a sought-after experience, attracting more than six million visitors from around the globe since its inception in 1968. The tour provides a glimpse into the fascinating world of aviation, with a behind-the-scenes look at the assembly line of iconic Boeing aircraft, which included the 747, 767, 777, and 787 Dreamliner.

Christi Medlyn, Boeing Future of Flight general manager, shared the excitement surrounding the reopening with Business Traveler USA .

“We’ve been closed for the tour portion of the experience for three and a half years. In the meantime, we invested in this space to give people a great brand experience for Boeing. It’s not just about airplane manufacturing; it’s about the full enterprise,” she explained.

A Renewed Factory Tour

Boeing’s Future of Flight location has undergone a transformation over the past few years to complement the factory tour. It now offers an immersive experience that covers various aspects of Boeing’s operations, including sustainable fuels, autonomous flight, and satellite technology.

In addition, hands-on activities and STEM learning opportunities have been introduced, allowing visitors to engage with drones and robots.

Visitors will notice several enhancements to the Boeing Factory Tour experience. The new route through the factory offers a unique perspective, taking guests from the Boeing Future of Flight Museum to the massive Everett factory, where tens of thousands of employees support airplane production.

The tour also includes access to the site’s underground system of factory tunnels and an observation balcony providing an exclusive, sweeping view of the current 777 assembly line where Boeing’s future flagship, the 777X, will also be manufactured. Lufthansa and Emirates are the first two airlines expecting to take delivery of the new variant of the Triple Seven.

Photo: Boeing 777X. Courtesy of Boeing Commercial Airplanes

Furthermore, visitors are treated to a comfortable bus tour that takes them through various sections of the airport tarmac. The journey starts from the area where new planes are fueled for the first time and continues to where Boeing 737 fuselages arrive on train wagons from Wichita, Kansas.

Sometimes, brand-new Boeing 777s without engines can be spotted, and other rare planes like Boeing 767 military tankers can be seen as they are prepared for delivery. During every portion of the tour, a knowledgeable guide provides detailed explanations of every aspect and responds to any questions from curious visitors.

However, the tour isn’t the only attraction. Boeing Future of Flight features the Boeing Gallery, showcasing nearly 150 past, current, and future Boeing products and services, including the intriguing Passenger Air Vehicle (PAV) or personal flying car.

The Above and Beyond exhibit offers immersive simulations, and visitors can snap selfies with the Destiny Module from the International Space Station.

The open-air Sky Deck provides breathtaking views of Paine Field, the factory, and the enchanting North Cascade Mountains in the distance. It’s not unusual to spot brand-new planes parked on the deck, preparing for their journey into the skies.

And for those looking to take home a piece of aviation memorabilia, the Boeing store offers a wide range of souvenirs, from sweatshirts to scale model jets, coffee mugs, and vintage Boeing pilot jackets for kids and adults.

Overwhelming Response

The reopening of the Boeing Factory Tours has been met with overwhelming demand. Visitors have expressed their excitement and appreciation for the improved experience.

“It has been overwhelmingly positive, as we have been sold out every day. The pent-up demand and excitement around our product has been contagious. We are pleased with the positive visitor reviews received so far,” Christi Medlyn said.

“We’ve invested in every aspect of the experience, from the script to the exhibit content. We’ve added new elements and updated the storytelling.”

“Even though the experience is a bit different from the last time, we have made significant investments in every aspect. You will see the difference even while walking down the booth hallways,” Medlyn added.

Focus on the Boeing 777

While the tour has shifted its focus from the 747 to the 777 experience, it continues to captivate visitors, old and new, with its rich history and innovations in the world of aviation.

With the entire assembly line for the 787 Dreamliner now operational at Boeing’s South Carolina plant, the facility at Paine Field is exclusively dedicated to the Triple Seven family of planes. This includes the present 777 Freighter, along with the new 777X, along with the occasional 767 Freighter.

“After the 747 and the 787 were no longer being manufactured in Paine Field, we had to alter our route,” Medlyn explained. “As a result, we are now focusing on improving the 777 experience while incorporating new elements that highlight the entire family of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. We aim to discuss sustainability and introduce fresh perspectives to our storytelling.”

“So, we looked at everything from the script to the exhibit content. We added a little bit of Boeing history that you’ll see in the theater experience through a video at the beginning of the tour.”

Whether you’re a seasoned aviation enthusiast or just curious about the marvels of flight, the Boeing Factory Tours are ready to deliver an unforgettable experience you’ll be eager to share with your friends for months to come.

So, mark your calendars, aviation fans, because this is a rare opportunity to step inside the world of Boeing, where dreams of flight become reality. The Everett factory, Boeing’s crown jewel, is ready to inspire and educate once again.

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Boeing’s iconic Everett factory tour to resume in October

After a three-year hiatus, tours of the Boeing Company’s enormous jet assembly plant are back at Paine Field.

• Thursday, September 28, 2023 1:05pm
• Local News Aviation and space Mukilteo Paine Field

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Boeing workers in the Boeing factory at Paine Field in Everett, Washington. (Andy Bronson / The Herald) Boeing workers in the Boeing factory at Paine Field in Everett, Washington. (Andy Bronson / The Herald file)

Patrons view the 787 exhibition at the Boeing Future of Flight Museum at Paine Field on October 8, 2020. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

As a call to line up for the Boeing Assembly plant is called out, a tourist runs past a display of Boeing airplanes at the Future of Flight Museum in Everett, Washington. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

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Purchase General Admission or Boeing Everett Factory Tour tickets online or on-site today! Ticket inventory is updated as it becomes available.

General Admission

Includes Gallery & Sky Deck

• Regular $12
• Youth (6–15)* $6
• Child (5 & Under)* Free
• Senior (65+ w/ ID) $10
• Military (w/ ID) $10
• Boeing Employee (w/ ID)** $6

Boeing Everett Factory Tour

Includes General Admission

• Regular $38
• Youth (6–15)* $28
• Senior (65+ w/ ID) $33
• Military (w/ ID) $33
• Boeing Employee (w/ ID)** $20

Ticket Types

• Youth (6–15)*
• Child (5 & Under)*
• Senior (65+ w/ ID)
• Military (w/ ID)
• Boeing Employee (w/ ID)**

*Children/Youth must be at least 4 feet (122cm) tall to go on the tour. **Boeing employees may purchase up to 4 additional tickets at the employee rate. Limit 5.

What can I expect on the Boeing Everett Factory Tour?

Please view the Know Before You Go section on our Tour page for more information on safety requirements, restricted items, refunds and restrictions, and more.

Where is Boeing Future of Flight located?

Get Directions

Please visit our Visit page for more detailed directions and Boeing Future of Flight information.

What's the difference between Boeing Future of Flight and the Museum of Flight?

Boeing Future of Flight is not affiliated with the Museum of Flight, which is located south of Seattle, in Tukwila.

What are your hours?

Our most up-to-date Hours of Operation can be found on our Visit page.

How do I reserve a Group Tour?

To schedule a group reservation (15+ tickets), please reach out to our Customer Service Team at +1 (800) 464-1476 .

I didn’t purchase my tickets online. Do you accept walk-up entry?

Yes, we do! While we encourage guests to purchase their tickets in advance, we accept walk-up purchases at our ticketing desk.

We’re available Thursday–Monday by phone and email, 8:30am–5:30pm PST. We’ll respond to your message as soon as possible during business hours.

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Boeing Factory Tours to Resume

Washington state’s top attraction will be available to the public for the first time since 2020..

January, 2015: Boeing employees continue work building a Boeing 787 jets at its Everett factory. [Credit: Shutterstock]

The Boeing factory tour, part of the company’s Future of Flight experience in Mukilteo, Washington, will soon be back. The tour, put on hold in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, is set to resume next week. The tours give the visitors a look at Boeing from the inside out.

“Our Boeing tour guides are brand ambassadors and are a diverse group of employees who are knowledgeable and passionate,” said Norman Mah, Boeing spokesperson. “The guides provide the public an inside look at the airplane assembly process with opportunities to learn about The Boeing Company’s deep roots in the Puget Sound area.”

The tour begins at the Boeing Future of Flight Aviation Center with a short video on the history of the aircraft manufacturing giant and a safety briefing. Because it is a working factory, there are rules, such as no photography, including phones.

Visitors are bused to the factory and allowed to access a balcony that provides a bird’s-eye view of the famous assembly facility that has produced some of the most iconic aircraft in history, such as the Boeing 777, 787 Dreamliner, 767, and the 747 that revolutionized commercial air travel.

This is not the same tour that was done pre-pandemic, says Mah noting “The company has made enhancements including an updated route and accompanying visual components throughout the experience.”

The tour takes approximately 80 minutes and includes a bus tour of the Boeing campus. Mah recommends buying tickets early, as the tours often sell out weeks in advance.

The factory building itself is a modern marvel, owning the record for largest building in the world by volume at 98 million cubic feet. The structure spans some 98.3 acres.

The tours begin Thursday, October 5. It is recommended that tickets be purchased in advance as they are the No. 1 tourist attraction in Washington, drawing some 300,000 annually.

“We are thrilled to reopen our factory tour experience to pilots and enthusiasts who want to see how Boeing airplanes are assembled and learn about the company’s role as a global leader in aviation,” Mah said. 

Ticket prices vary, and there are discounts for Boeing employees and seniors over 65 with valid ID. 

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Future of Flight public tour reaches 6 million guests

The tour in everett, washington, provides the only publicly available opportunity to see a commercial jet assembly plant in north america..

February 21, 2021 in Our-Community

The Boeing Future of Flight public tour, which provides the only publicly available opportunity to see a commercial jet assembly plant in North America, this week celebrated its 6 millionth factory tour visitor since opening in 1968 in Everett, Washington.

Trond Log of Norway received VIP treatment as the milestone guest, along with his wife, Else Tove-Birkeland, and daughters Emma Birkeland, and Tomine Birkeland-Log.

“I have been waiting 30 years to take the Boeing tour,” he said. “We were really looking forward to being here today.”

“We are just a normal family, very down to earth, and to be treated as VIPs has been the experience of a lifetime,” Tove-Birkeland added.

Jeff Klemann, vice president of 777/777X Programs and Everett Site was on hand to welcome the family to the facility.

“The Future of Flight is an excellent way for guests like Mr. Log and his family to discover and experience all that Boeing has to offer,” Klemann said. “The recent changes at the Future of Flight make it a worthwhile visit for anyone who has not visited in a while.”

Some of those changes include a gallery that features over a 150 products and services that Boeing has developed and supports.

Boeing expanded its engagement in the Future of Flight facility in late 2018. Located adjacent to Boeing’s widebody manufacturing plant and featuring a cafe, Boeing Store and Sky Deck, it opened in 2005 as a Snohomish County facility. Boeing moved its tour starting point there at that time. Previously, the tour was based in a triple-wide trailer in a parking lot outside the factory.

The Boeing Future of Flight and tour is the top tourist attraction in Snohomish County and one of the top attractions in the Seattle area, according to state tourism statistics. It averages more than 300,000 visitors a year. It took 39 years (2008) to reach 3 million visitors, but just 12 more years to reach 6 million.

On Tuesday, Log and his family were given a tour of the Everett site’s main assembly building by Greg Coe, a 10-year member of the Boeing tour team. Log said he was impressed by Coe’s knowledge of the carbon technology used in the 787 and 777 airplanes.

The employee team at the Future of Flight greeted family after their tour with cheers, gifts, and refreshments, which they enjoyed along with the rest of the tour group.

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• It’s now time to address the Boeing Problem or more turbulence awaits

Boeing doesn’t have the luxury of time to fix its problems, but the upcoming shareholders meeting offers the company an opportunity to make essential corrections.

On May 17, the company will hold its annual shareholders meeting, where the agenda includes electing directors, deciding executive compensation and voting on shareholder proposals.

In addition, as my colleague Lauren Rosenblatt reported, the Justice Department might decide whether it will seek criminal claims against Boeing because of two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019.

Later this month, the DOJ will decide if it will reopen a case as to whether the company followed a 2021 deferred-prosecution agreement that enabled Boeing to sidestep criminal charges if it achieved specific conditions until this year.

Meanwhile, the launch of the troubled Boeing Starliner astronaut ferry ship for its first piloted test flight Tuesday was scrubbed because of a valve problem. The new launch date is scheduled for the day of Boeing’s shareholder meeting. Given the past delays and troubles of this program — who knows if it will happen.

The Boeing Problem, which I first named in January , hasn’t been constructively addressed, much less solved. Indications are that it’s growing worse.

That column attempted to set the company’s blunders into so-called late-stage capitalism, a term coined by a German economist a century ago. It described the free market’s coming demise. Yet this still hasn’t happened.

Now, my effort is aimed at Boeing’s more recent troubles and some essential and other perhaps quixotic measures the company should undertake.

Earlier this brutal month, my colleague Dominic Gates reported on a Federal Aviation Administration investigation of the 787 Dreamliner. Employees at the North Charleston, S.C., assembly fudged inspection records on work done where the aircraft’s wings are attached to the fuselage. To be fair, Boeing informed the regulators of the lapse in April.

This is the same place that then-CEO James McNerney turned into a full-fledged assembly in 2010 ( aided by subsidies of between $800 million and $1 billion). The move was a blatant attack on the unionized workers in the Puget Sound region, with South Carolina being a so-called right-to-work state, and it cost jobs here.

In 2021, Boeing moved all Dreamliner work from Everett to North Charleston, with a devastating effect on Snohomish County’s economy and questions about the future of the enormous assembly building there.

Boeing lost $355 million in the first quarter of this year , a situation exacerbated by the slowing of 737 MAX production following the midair blowout of a fuselage panel on an Alaska Airlines jet in January.

“There is a lot of work in front of us, but we remain fully confident in our future,” CEO Dave Calhoun wrote to employees. “We are using this period, as difficult as it is, to deliberately slow the system, stabilize the supply chain, fortify our factory operations and position Boeing to deliver with the predictability and quality our customers demand for the long term.”

This past month, Boeing engineer and whistleblower Sam Salehpour repeated his accusation that the company has hidden safety risks on the 787 Dreamliner and the 777 widebody jets in sworn testimony before the Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee.

The Boeing Problem is also having effects on airlines that depend on its planes. For example, United Airlines is encouraging pilots to take unpaid time this month because of slow Boeing deliveries, while Southwest — with its all-Boeing fleet — is putting a pause on hiring aviators and flight attendants.

Correcting the Boeing Problem will be a difficult task.

I’m not the first to say that the company’s headquarters should return to Seattle and return to its tradition of engineering excellence. That Boeing should reduce reliance on outsourcing, insist on accountability for the top executives and stop the bean-counter mentality that only looks to keep the stock price up and please Wall Street.

Strong and independent regulators are a must — something not guaranteed if Donald Trump is elected in November. “Lap dog” regulators are behind most of our calamities, from the banksters who caused the Great Recession to years of looking the other way as Boeing went astray. So-called self-regulation doesn’t work.

And, of course, purge the Jack Welch-style management of intimidation that influenced his acolytes that migrated from General Electric such as McNerney.

Breaking up Boeing would be another constructive step. Too big to fail is the prescription for corruption. How about separate commercial airliner, space and defense companies that stand alone with separate headquarters locations?

Boeing’s focus can’t be solely on the bottom line, as important as this is. It must include employees, suppliers and communities.

This is a principle articulated in a report by the Institute of Internal Auditors : “Key stakeholders are those who have a material impact on corporate operations, or on whom the corporate operations have a material impact.”

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Put a union member on the board of directors. Most of Boeing’s directors are executives, bringing the same mindset that caused the Boeing Problem.

According to the AFL-CIO’s Executive Pay Watch, Calhoun’s compensation was 154 times higher than the median employee pay for the fiscal year ending in 2022. By contrast, Expedia’s ratio was 11, Starbucks’ was 31 and Amazon’s was 38.

The chair and chief executive officer positions should always be separate. And the next CEO should come from a different background and bring fresh ideas compared with his or her predecessors. Someone with engineering chops would be ideal.

As of December, Boeing employed 66,797 in Washington. Seattle may no longer be Jet City. But the Puget Sound region depends on the company righting itself. Boeing is not only the nation’s leading exporter, but also the leading source of merchandise exports from our state.

In 1997, Boeing merged with McDonnell Douglas, a company notorious for its focus on the bottom line. Local wags said McDonnell Douglas bought Boeing using Boeing’s money. But the problem slightly predates this event.

Phil Condit took over as chief executive the previous year and was noted for moving the headquarters from Seattle to Chicago, moving beyond Boeing’s airliner manufacturing roots, overseeing slumping orders compared with Airbus and aggressively pursing contracts from the Department of Defense. He was forced out in 2003.

By contrast, many observers argue that Alan Mulally, who joined the company in 1969 as an engineer and became president of the Commercial Airplanes division in 1998, might have saved Boeing. Instead, he was passed over and went on to a successful career as chief executive of Ford Motor.

The Boeing Problem is years in the making.

As a result, it won’t be corrected quickly. But the annual meeting will tell us if the company is serious or planning to maintain its bad habits and hope for the best.

The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.

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Boeing To Resume Tours Of Factory In Everett, Washington

September 28, 2023

Events in Everett , Everett

Today the Boeing Company announced that beginning October 5th they will resume tours of their factory in Everett, Washington. Tours were suspended during the Pandemic in 2020. Here are all the details courtesy of Boeing.

Visitors will once again be able to see the work being done inside the factory. Photo Credit: Boeing Media

Over the past 50 years, the tour has attracted more than 6 million visitors from around the world and is ready to inspire, educate and captivate many more. Since the tour was paused in 2020 due to the pandemic, the company has made enhancements including an updated route and accompanying visual components throughout the experience.

“We are thrilled to reopen our factory tour experience to visitors who want to see how Boeing airplanes are assembled and learn about the company’s role as a global leader in aviation,” said Christi Medlyn, Boeing Future of Flight general manager. “With the rebound in travel and tourism, we are pleased to once again share this exclusive look into one of the world’s most interesting factories.”

Boeing tour guides are a diverse group of employees who are knowledgeable and passionate about the company’s role in aviation. The tour experience takes you from the Boeing Future of Flight Museum to the Everett factory, the largest building in the world where tens of thousands of employees support airplane production. You’ll see the site’s underground system of factory tunnels and visit an observation balcony with an exclusive, sweeping view of the 777 assembly line.

Open to the public, the Boeing Future of Flight museum tells Boeing’s 107-year story through interactive and immersive experiences, programs and tours with a mission to educate, connect and inspire adults and children alike. It is one of Washington State’s premier aerospace attractions, showcasing Boeing products, services and a commitment to advancing our world through technologies including sustainable fuels and autonomous aerial systems. Guests at the Boeing Future of Flight can also enjoy its Gallery, Sky Deck and flagship Boeing Store.

The Boeing Everett Factory has been at the forefront of aerospace manufacturing since its groundbreaking in 1966 to produce the 747 “Queen of the Skies.” The factory holds the Guinness World Record as the largest building in the world by volume, spanning 98.3 acres with a footprint of more than 98 million cubic feet. It has played a pivotal role in production of iconic Boeing aircraft, including the 747, 767, 777 and 787 Dreamliner.

Factory Tour tickets are available for purchase online today at BoeingFutureofFlight.com , in-person at Boeing Future of Flight and through the Call Center 1-800-464-1476. Advance ticket purchase is highly recommended as tours sell out weeks ahead of dates.

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Whistleblower at key Boeing supplier dies after sudden illness

By Michael Kaplan

May 2, 2024 / 1:34 PM EDT / CBS News

A whistleblower who identified engineering problems at the company that supplied Boeing with airliner fuselages died on Monday, CBS News has learned, after suffering from a fast-spreading infection. 

Joshua Dean was a quality inspector at Spirit AeroSystems, which builds the bulk of the 737 Max for Boeing. Dean raised concerns in October 2022 about misdrilled holes on a rear section of the plane that is necessary to maintain cabin pressure during flight. 

Attorneys for Dean confirmed his death. He was 45. 

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Josh and his family," said attorneys Brian Knowles and Rob Turkewitz in a statement. "Josh's passing is a loss to the aviation community and the flying public. He possessed tremendous courage to stand up for what he felt was true and right and raised quality and safety issues. Aviation companies should encourage and incentivize those that do raise these concerns. Otherwise, safety and quality are truly not these companies' top priorities."

Boeing acknowledged the misdrilled holes in August 2023, writing in a statement that while it was "not an immediate safety issue," the company would need to re-inspect and repair affected airplanes, delaying deliveries to airlines. The announcement caused Spirit's stock to drop more than 10% the following day.

Dean worked at Spirit from 2019, was laid off temporarily during the pandemic and returned until the company terminated him in April 2023.

Ongoing investigations by the FAA and NTSB suggest Spirit—originally spun off from Boeing—oversaw repairs to the door of the Alaska Airlines jet prior to the blow out. The quality control issues at Spirit deteriorated so much that Boeing is currently in talks to reacquire the company so it can improve its oversight of the troubled supplier. 

Prior to his death, Dean told CBS News he had been retaliated against for raising quality concerns.

"The enemy here is the culture of Spirit AeroSystems quality management and Boeing knows it," said Dean, who also filed a safety complaint with the FAA about the misdrilled holes and a complaint with the Department of Labor alleging retaliation.

In December, Spirit shareholders filed suit against the company alleging the company failed to disclose "severe and persistent" quality issues to investors. Dean provided a deposition in the suit, though he was not a plaintiff.

The Seattle Times first reported Dean's death. Dean's aunt told the publication that her nephew went to the hospital for breathing issues a few weeks ago, developed pneumonia, and then suffered a serious bacterial infection. 

Dean's death comes weeks after another Boeing whistleblower, John Barnett, a former quality manager for the company, died in what the coroner said was apparent suicide . Barnett was in Charleston, South Carolina, at the time of his death, giving testimony about the factory that builds the 787 Dreamliner. He resigned from the company in 2017, citing job-related stress.

In the 2022 Netflix documentary "Downfall: The Case Against Boeing," Barnett claimed his managers retaliated against him for speaking up. Boeing said it addressed the issues he had raised before he left the company. 

In March, John Barnett's family spoke to CBS News . When asked if they place some of the blame for his death on Boeing, his mother Vicky Stokes said "if this hadn't gone on so long, I'd still have my son, and my sons would have their brother and we wouldn't be sitting here. So in that respect, I do."

Michael Kaplan is an award-winning reporter and producer for the CBS News investigative unit. He specializes in securing scoops and crafting long-form television investigations. His work has appeared on "60 Minutes," CNN and in the New York Times.

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Sylvia Pfeifer in London and Jude Webber in Dublin

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The head of Spirit AeroSystems UK has warned the potential break-up of its Northern Ireland operations in the event of a sale would be “extremely detrimental” to their future and the region’s aerospace industry. 

The fate of Spirit’s Belfast operations is unknown after Boeing said in March it was in talks to buy the troubled US aerospace supplier it spun off nearly 20 years ago. 

Sir Michael Ryan, who chairs Spirit’s UK subsidiary, wrote to local stakeholders that “any dismantling of the business would be extremely detrimental to the long-term future of the Belfast business, and by extension, the region’s aerospace industry”.

“We firmly believe maintaining the Northern Ireland operations as a single entity is the best option in any proposed acquisition,” Ryan added in the letter, which was sent at the end of April, a copy of which has been seen by the Financial Times.

Boeing is under pressure to shift more of its production in-house after the fuselage section of one of its aircraft blew out in mid-air. Spirit supplies Boeing with the fuselages for its 737 Max aircraft and both manufacturers are undergoing an audit by America’s aviation safety regulator. 

The talks have become complicated, however, as Spirit seeks to offload the work it does for Boeing’s European rival Airbus, notably at Belfast but also at a site in Scotland and in the US.

Guillaume Faury, Airbus chief executive, said last month the company was in early-stage talks with Spirit about the work it does for the plane maker. 

“We would not want our important work packages to be procured from our main and almost sole competitor,” said Faury. 

Spirit’s Belfast operations — which span six sites — build the wings and mid-fuselage sections for the Airbus A220 aircraft programme. But they also manufacture fuselage sections and other critical components for a range of business jets built by Canada’s Bombardier.

The operations, which employ more than 3,000 people, are integral to the region’s thriving aerospace industry. The Belfast facilities, which are part of the historic Short Brothers factory, also do maintenance and repair work for other aviation customers. 

Talks between Spirit and Airbus are progressing in the right direction, according to people familiar with the situation. Analysts have said the European group will be focused on ringfencing the work for the A220 at Belfast and securing the associated jobs.

However, in his letter, Ryan stated that while the separation of physical buildings was possible, the company’s structure and ecosystem is “integrally linked” and gave it “economies of scale, providing technological synergies, skills and flexibility”. 

He warned that Northern Ireland’s ability to compete in a global environment would be put at risk if the operations were dismantled for the “optimisation of particular customers or other buyers”. By comparison, taking on the entire operation would be a “much less risky and complex exercise, particularly for an experienced and proficient strategic owner”. 

Union representatives echoed his concerns. Alan Perry, a senior organiser at the GMB union, said the “main concern for GMB is that the Belfast sites remain as a single entity and they don’t get broken up”. 

“Given the history of the site and the fact they employ nearly 3,000 employees any sale could have huge implications on the local economy.”

Spirit in Belfast declined to comment on the letter but said: “As commercial negotiations continue many options remain possible.”

Northern Ireland’s economy ministry said: “The potential acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems is a commercial discussion between two companies. The economy minister is being kept informed of the ongoing discussions. It would not be appropriate to comment as these discussions continue.”

Airbus said it was “in early-stage discussions on a variety of options, including acquiring from Spirit AeroSystems some of the activities that they carry out for us”. 

Bombardier said it would “not comment on Spirit’s activities” but added “we expect our supply contracts to be maintained to the highest standards of quality and performance in any outcome”.

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