Boeing generates over 1.5M US manufacturing jobs

Dennis Muilenburg, chairman and CEO of Boeing (NYSE:BA) – the world’s largest plane maker – told FOX Business that U.S. suppliers have created more than 1.5 million manufacturing jobs in America.

“When you think about America’s aerospace business, we are a trade surplus sector and one of the biggest growth sectors in our country,” Muilenburg told Maria Bartiromo during an exclusive interview on “Mornings with Maria.”

Last year alone, Boeing played a major role in contributing to aerospace’s $80 billion surplus for the U.S.

“When you think about our 13,000 small and medium businesses in America that are part of our supply chain and that’s more than 1.5 million manufacturing jobs. So it’s a significant job generator. Every airplane sale overseas generates U.S. jobs. We have 90% of our jobs here in the U.S. and about 80% of what we build is exported. So it’s a great U.S. jobs manufacturing story,” he said.

In October, Boeing finalized a deal for Singapore Airlines to buy $13.8 billion worth of jets, which would effectively create 70,000 new jobs in the U.S., Muilenberg reaffirmed.

The deal came as the U.S. Commerce Department placed a 300% tariff on Canadian plane maker Bombardier after Boeing accused its rival of selling its C Series single-aisle jets at significantly lower prices in the U.S.

“I think it’s really important that we have a level playing field for global trade. We are more than happy to compete. We love to compete,” he said.