The Boeing Company
Company History
Boeing History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 1916 in Seattle, United States
When was Boeing founded?
Boeing was founded in 1916 in Seattle, United States by William E. Boeing and George Conrad Westervelt, making it 110 years old.
- Founded
- 1916
- Founding place
- Seattle, United States
- Founders
- William E. Boeing and George Conrad Westervelt
- Headquarters today
- Arlington, Virginia
- Milestones documented
- 14 (1916–2026)
- Current CEO
- Kelly Ortberg
- Acquisitions
- 7
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1916 | Pacific Aero Products Company Incorporated |
| 1917 | Renamed The Boeing Airplane Company; First Military Contract |
| 1927 | Boeing Air Transport Wins San Francisco-Chicago Airmail Route |
| 1933 | Boeing 247 Introduced as the First Modern Airliner |
| 1954 | Dash 80 Jet Prototype First Flies |
| 1969 | Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet Makes First Flight |
| 1994 | Boeing 777 First Flight |
| 1997 | Boeing Merges with McDonnell Douglas |
| 2009 | Boeing 787 Dreamliner First Flight |
| 2019 | 737 MAX Grounded Worldwide Following Two Fatal Crashes |
| 2022 | Boeing Relocates Corporate Headquarters to Arlington, Virginia |
| 2024 | Door-Plug Blowout, Machinists Strike, and Leadership Transition |
| 2025 | F-47 Win, Strike in St. Louis, Spirit Buyback and a Return to Profit |
| 2026 | 737-7 Certified, F/A-XX Win and a 737-10 Setback |
- Where was Boeing founded?
- Boeing was founded in Seattle, United States in 1916. wikidata.org
- Who founded Boeing?
- Boeing was founded by William E. Boeing and George Conrad Westervelt.
- When did Boeing start?
- Boeing was founded in 1916.
- How old is Boeing?
- Boeing is 110 years old as of 2026.
- How did Boeing start?
- Founded in 1916 by William Boeing, a timber merchant fascinated by airplanes, the company became a military mainstay in World War II with the B-17 and B-29 bombers.
Founding Story
William Boeing, a wealthy Seattle timber merchant, took a ride in a seaplane and decided he could build a better one. With Navy engineer George Conrad Westervelt he designed the B&W seaplane, which first flew over Lake Union on June 15, 1916. A month later, on July 15, 1916, he incorporated Pacific Aero Products Co., renamed Boeing Airplane Company in 1917. Westervelt had been posted back east by the Navy, and a U.S. Navy order for Model C seaplane trainers during World War I gave the young company its first real business.
Founders
William E. Boeing
The Boeing Company was founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing, a wealthy timber merchant, and George Conrad Westervelt, an US Navy engineer. The founding of the company occurred in Seattle, Washington, a location chosen not for its proximity to industrial centers, but for its proximity to forests, because the first airplanes were built primarily from spruce wood and canvas. William Boeing was fascinated by early aviation. In 1914, he took his first airplane ride and was convinced that he could build a better machine than the primitive, fragile aircraft of the era. Utilizing his wealth from the timber industry and his deep knowledge of wood structures, he partnered with Westervelt to design the B&W Seaplane (named after their initials). In July 1916, Boeing officially incorporated the Pacific Aero Products Co. which was renamed the Boeing Airplane Company a year later. The foundational breakthrough that ensured the survival of the early company occurred during World War I. When the United States entered the war in 1917, Boeing sent two of his new Model C seaplanes to the Navy for testing in Florida. The Navy was impressed with the engineering quality and ordered 50 aircraft, providing the sustained capital injection required to scale the business. Following the war, when military contracts evaporated, Boeing survived by pivoting into the nascent commercial airmail business, winning government contracts. William Boeing eventually built an integrated aviation empire (United Aircraft and Transport Corporation) that included airlines and manufacturers, which the US government forcibly broke up via antitrust legislation in 1934, leading a bitter William Boeing to resign and sell his stock. However, the culture of rigorous, reliable engineering he established allowed his namesake company to eventually dominate the global aerospace industry for a century. Education: Yale School of Engineering and Applied Science; Sheffield Scientific School. William E. Boeing was born in 1881.
George Conrad Westervelt
George Conrad Westervelt occupies an unusual position in aviation history: a co-founder of what became the world's largest aerospace company who departed before the company was officially incorporated and whose subsequent contributions to aviation, while distinguished, occurred entirely outside the enterprise he helped start. His name survived only in the W of the B&W Model 1, a small memorial to a partnership that lasted barely a year but launched one of the most consequential industrial enterprises of the 20th century. Westervelt was a trained engineer with the U.S. Navy's Construction Corps, a branch of the service responsible for the technical evaluation and management of naval vessels and, increasingly in the early aviation era, aircraft. His posting at Puget Sound Navy Yard in Bremerton, Washington, brought him into contact with William Boeing around 1915, and the two discovered a shared obsession with aircraft design. Westervelt provided the aeronautical engineering knowledge that Boeing lacked; Boeing provided the capital and commercial drive that Westervelt could not supply on a Navy officer's salary. Their collaboration produced the B&W Model 1 design, which Westervelt developed primarily from an aeronautical standpoint, calculating lift, drag, and structural requirements, while Boeing focused on materials procurement and manufacturing. The aircraft's successful first flight in June 1916 validated both men's work. Westervelt was recalled to active naval duty shortly thereafter, when the U.S. Entry into World War I made his engineering expertise urgently needed. He left Seattle before the formal company incorporation on July 15, 1916, and while Boeing apparently made some effort to maintain his involvement from a distance, the demands of wartime naval service made that impossible. Westervelt continued a distinguished Navy career, retiring as a rear admiral, and remained connected to the aviation industry through various advisory and consulting roles, but he never returned to the company his technical expertise had helped create. George Conrad Westervelt was born in 1879 in Corpus Christi. Education: United States Naval Academy; TMI — The Episcopal School of Texas.
Key Milestones
Pacific Aero Products Company Incorporated
William Boeing incorporates Pacific Aero Products Co. on July 15, 1916 in Seattle, a month after the B&W seaplane he built with George Conrad Westervelt first flew from Lake Union on June 15.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgRenamed The Boeing Airplane Company; First Military Contract
The company is renamed The Boeing Airplane Company in April 1917 following co-founder George Westervelt's return to active Navy duty, and secures its first meaningful military contract when the U.S. Navy orders the improved Model C floatplane. The United States' entry into World War I accelerates military aircraft procurement and provides Boeing with the orders needed to establish a sustainable manufacturing operation.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgBoeing Air Transport Wins San Francisco-Chicago Airmail Route
Boeing forms Boeing Air Transport and wins the U.S. Post Office airmail contract for the San Francisco to Chicago route, the most commercially valuable domestic airmail route, initiating Boeing's involvement in commercial aviation beyond manufacturing. Boeing Air Transport later merges with several carriers to become United Air Lines, a legacy connection to commercial aviation's origins.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgBoeing 247 Introduced as the First Modern Airliner
Boeing introduces the Model 247, widely recognized as the world's first modern commercial airliner, featuring all-metal construction, retractable landing gear, a cantilevered wing, and variable-pitch propellers. United Air Lines orders 60 aircraft, establishing the 247 as the dominant commercial transport of its era and triggering Douglas Aircraft to develop the competing DC-2 and DC-3.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgDash 80 Jet Prototype First Flies
The 367-80, or Dash 80, first flies on July 15, 1954, the company's 38th anniversary. Funded with about $16 million of Boeing's own money, it leads to the KC-135 tanker for the Air Force and the 707 airliner, which enters service with Pan Am in 1958.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgBoeing 747 Jumbo Jet Makes First Flight
The 747, the first wide-body jetliner, first flies on February 9, 1969 and enters service with Pan Am in January 1970. Its heavy development costs, combined with an aerospace downturn, nearly bankrupt Boeing, but it goes on to sell 1,574 units before production ends in 2023.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgBoeing 777 First Flight
The Boeing 777, the world's largest twin-engine commercial aircraft and the first airliner designed entirely using computer-aided design tools without physical mock-ups, makes its inaugural flight on June 12, 1994. The 777 program's influential design methodology and the working-together process between Boeing and launch customer United Airlines sets a new industry standard for aircraft development partnership.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgBoeing Merges with McDonnell Douglas
Boeing completes its $13.3 billion acquisition of McDonnell Douglas, creating a single dominant American aerospace and defense company and ending more than two decades of three-way commercial aircraft competition. The merger brings in McDonnell Douglas's management culture and defense programs but is later cited by analysts and former executives as a cultural inflection point that elevated financial optimization over engineering investment.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgBoeing 787 Dreamliner First Flight
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the first commercial aircraft built primarily from carbon-fiber composite materials, makes its first flight on December 15, 2009 more than two years behind its original 2007 schedule following extensive supply chain difficulties with its distributed manufacturing model. The aircraft eventually becomes Boeing's best-selling widebody jet and pioneers the composite airframe technology that defines modern commercial aircraft design.
Source: en.wikipedia.org737 MAX Grounded Worldwide Following Two Fatal Crashes
After the Lion Air Flight 610 crash in October 2018 and the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash in March 2019, which killed 346 people, regulators ground the 737 MAX worldwide. Both crashes involved the MCAS flight-control software acting on a single faulty sensor. The grounding lasts until November 2020 and costs Boeing more than $20 billion.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgBoeing Relocates Corporate Headquarters to Arlington, Virginia
Boeing formally moves its corporate headquarters from Chicago, Illinois, to Arlington, Virginia, placing its senior executive team adjacent to the Pentagon and within close proximity to Congress and the regulatory agencies that govern both its defense and commercial businesses. The move marks the completion of a decades-long physical separation of corporate leadership from the Seattle-area manufacturing operations where Boeing's aircraft are designed and built.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgDoor-Plug Blowout, Machinists Strike, and Leadership Transition
Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 experiences a door-plug blowout at 16,000 feet on January 5, triggering a FAA production cap on 737 MAX and a congressional investigation into Boeing's quality management. Kelly Ortberg becomes CEO in August, replacing Dave Calhoun. A 53-day machinists strike halts Pacific Northwest manufacturing from September through November, costing approximately $5 billion. Boeing raises approximately $24 billion in equity in October to shore up liquidity amid approximately $57 billion in debt.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgF-47 Win, Strike in St. Louis, Spirit Buyback and a Return to Profit
The Air Force selects Boeing's F-47 as its sixth-generation fighter in March. Boeing sells Jeppesen and other digital units to Thoma Bravo for $10.55 billion, the FAA raises the 737 cap to 42 a month in October, a 102-day strike at St. Louis defense plants ends in November, and Boeing closes the Spirit AeroSystems purchase on December 8. Revenue reaches $89.5 billion with 600 deliveries.
Source: boeing.mediaroom.com737-7 Certified, F/A-XX Win and a 737-10 Setback
Backlog reaches a record $715 billion at June 30. The FAA certifies the 737-7 on August 3, then on September 28 holds 737-10 certification over a flight-management software issue. On September 29 the Navy selects Boeing to build the F/A-XX fighter.
Source: investors.boeing.comMajor Acquisitions
Spirit AeroSystems
2025Bring back in-house the Wichita fuselage and aerostructures business Boeing had sold in 2005, after quality escapes at Spirit, including on the Alaska Airlines door-plug jet, disrupted 737 and 787 production. Announced in July 2024 and closed on December 8, 2025 in an all-stock deal worth about $8.3 billion including debt.
Aurora Flight Sciences
2017Acquire autonomy and advanced-aircraft prototyping skills from the Manassas, Virginia company.
Aviall
2006Buy the largest independent distributor of aircraft parts to capture more aftermarket revenue from Boeing's installed fleet.
Jeppesen Sanderson
2000Acquire the leading supplier of flight navigation charts and data from Tribune Company.
Hughes Electronics (space and communications business)
2000Buy Hughes' satellite manufacturing business to become a leading satellite maker.
McDonnell Douglas
1997Merge with Boeing's main U.S. rival in commercial jets and defense, adding the F/A-18, F-15, C-17 and AH-64 Apache programs.
Rockwell International (aerospace and defense units)
1996Add Rockwell's space and defense businesses, including Space Shuttle orbiter work, rocket engines, GPS satellites and the B-1B bomber.
Keep researching Boeing
Boeing Company History FAQ
What are the defining historical eras in the evolution of The Boeing Company?
Boeing's history spans its 1916 founding, World War II bomber production (B-17, B-29), launching the Jet Age with the 707 (1958), the Apollo Moon landing and 747 jumbo jet (1969), the 1997 McDonnell Douglas mega-merger, the 787 composite revolution (2011), and the modern manufacturing quality transformation.
How did the Boeing 707 launch the commercial Jet Age in 1958?
Introduced into commercial service with Pan Am in October 1958, the Boeing 707 was the world's first commercially successful jet airliner, cutting transatlantic flight times from 14 hours to 7 hours and democratizing global passenger travel.
What was the significance of the Boeing 747 'Queen of the Skies' in 1969?
Developed under chief engineer Joe Sutter, the Boeing 747 made its maiden flight on February 9, 1969. As the world's first twin-aisle wide-body airliner, its major size and lower seat-mile costs made international air travel affordable to millions worldwide.
What role did Boeing play in the Apollo Moon landing?
Boeing built the S-IC first stage of the Saturn V rocket, a 138-foot stage whose five F-1 engines produced about $9.9 million (7.5 million pounds) of thrust and launched Apollo 11 toward the Moon in July 1969.
Was the Boeing 777 designed on computers?
Yes. The 777, which entered service with United Airlines in June 1995, was the first commercial airliner designed entirely with 3D computer-aided design (CATIA), without a full-scale physical mock-up.
When was the last Boeing 747 delivered?
Boeing delivered the 1,574th and final 747, a 747-8 Freighter, to Atlas Air on January 31, 2023 at its Everett factory, ending a 54-year production run.
When did Boeing move its headquarters away from Seattle?
Boeing moved its corporate headquarters from Seattle to Chicago in 2001 and from Chicago to Arlington, Virginia in 2022. Commercial airplane design and assembly remained in the Seattle area, where Boeing has built jets since 1916.
What has happened at Boeing since 2024?
After the January 2024 Alaska Airlines door-plug blowout, Boeing replaced CEO Dave Calhoun with Kelly Ortberg, survived a 53-day machinists' strike, raised about $24 billion of equity, bought back Spirit AeroSystems and sold Jeppesen. It returned to an annual profit in 2025 and won the U.S. Navy F/A-XX fighter contract in September 2026.
When was Boeing founded?
Boeing was founded in 1916 in Seattle by William E. Boeing. The company initially built seaplanes out of canvas and wood before becoming the absolute pioneer of modern commercial jetliners.
Related Strategic History
Compare founding milestones and corporate evolution
Explore Boeing
Core profile pages, founders and related research hubs for this company.