Boeing will move its headquarters from Chicago to the Washington, D.C., area to be closer to key federal government officials, the company announced.
“The region makes strategic sense for our global headquarters given its proximity to our customers and stakeholders, and its access to world-class engineering and technical talent,” Boeing CEO David Calhoun said.
The aircraft manufacturer said it will use its campus in Arlington, Virginia, as the new headquarters, and it plans to develop a research and technology hub in the area. Boeing will maintain a significant presence in Chicago.
Now, company executives will be closer to the Federal Aviation Administration. Boing is working on the strained relationship with the FAA, after lasting investigations on deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019.
Boeing is a major defense contractor and the move will put executives close to Pentagon leaders. Competitors like General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman are already based in the D.C. area.
Boeing had 142,000 employees at the end of 2021, including 12% based outside the U.S. The aircraft manufacturer moved its headquarters to Chicago in 2001, leaving its Seattle home after 85 years.
The Chicago headquarters are located in a $200 million riverfront skyscraper. The building has been under the spotlight by the company in their reducing costs policies.
