The Boeing Company logo hangs outside of the company's headquarters on May 5 in Chicago. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Boeing Co. announced Thursday that it would relocate its global headquarters from Chicago to Arlington, Virginia.
Driving the news: Boeing, one of the world's largest aerospace manufacturers, said it will develop a research and technology hub in the D.C.-area to "harness and attract engineering talent."
- The move puts the company closer to its "global customers and stakeholders," Boeing said in a separate tweet.
What they're saying: "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 president and CEO Dave Calhoun said.
- Boeing added the company would maintain a "significant presence" in Chicago.
Of note: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who the Washington Post reports had a prior business relationship with Calhoun, applauded the announcement Thursday.
- "Boeing is one of America’s great pioneering businesses & I am thrilled the company has decided to headquarter in VA & look forward to working with them to attract even more talent to VA," Youngkin said in a statement. "From day one, our goal has been to make VA the best place to live, work, & raise a family."
Between the lines: The move will also put Boeing in closer proximity to the Federal Aviation Administration, which certifies Boeing passenger and cargo planes, the Washington Post reports.
- Boeing has maintained a fractured relationship with the FAA after a series of crashes of Boeing's 737 MAX airplanes in 2018 and 2019.