The Boeing Company is synonymous with American aviation, and a symbol of US innovation, aerospace dominance, and advanced manufacturing know-how.

Since it was founded in 1916, just thirteen years after the Wright Brothers’ flight at Kitty Hawk, Boeing has been at the forefront of the aerospace industry. Today they develop commercial aircraft, fighter planes and attack helicopters, satellites and spacecraft. Boeing employs 137,000 people in all 50 states and is the nation’s single largest exporter, sending its aircraft all over the globe.

Among the most famous aircraft recently developed is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a new type of widebody long-haul commercial airplane that is revolutionary for its use of lightweight composite materials. The 787 is manufactured at Boeing’s Everett Factory, the largest building in the world by volume, in Everett, Washington.

While the completed 787 rolls off the assembly line in Everett, large portions of the plane are not made nor even assembled in Washington State or even in the US. In fact, 35 percent of the 787 is built in Nagoya, Japan.

Where else do parts come from? Everywhere. At least nine countries and half a dozen states on four continents. Fasten your seatbelts and put your tray tables and seat back in the upright and locked position-let’s take a journey through the Boeing supply chain.

Scroll down to learn more!

• # of parts: 0
• # of locations: 0

Source: CSIS & Boeing

Starting with the nose, the forward fuselage is constructed in Wichita, Kansas. But the forward landing gear underneath the cockpit is constructed in Gloucester… the one in the UK that is, not Massachusetts.

Those forward cargo doors your luggage goes through to the lower hold? Those are made by Saab in Linköping, Sweden. The doors you enter through though? Those come from Toulouse, France.

Moving aft, the mid-forward fuselage is constructed in Nagoya, along with the center wing box directly behind it. But the center fuselage above and behind the wing box comes from the opposite side of the planet, from a small town in the bootheel of Italy called Grottaglie. Along the side of the center wing box are pieces called wing-to-body fairings, basically the parts that link the straight wings to the round fuselage. Those-along with the landing gear doors-are made by Boeing, but in Winnipeg, Canada.

The wings themselves are made up of several parts. Most of the wing is made by Mitsubishi in Nagoya. But when taking off or coming in for landing, you may notice the edges of the wings have parts that move. The fixed and moveable leading (front) edge is made in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Spirit AeroSystems. The tailing (back) edge of the wing is different. The moveable tailing edge (wing flap) is made by Boeing in Melbourne, Australia, while the fixed tailing edge is made by Kawasaki in Nagoya. Underneath the wing are supports for the flaps. Those are made in Busan, South Korea by KAL-ASD, who also make the wing tips.

Hanging down from the wings are, obviously, the engines. But the engine units are made up of separate parts themselves. The nacelles house the engine and connect the whole apparatus to the wing. They are produced by Goodrich in Chula Vista, CA, just outside San Diego. Then inserted into the nacelles are the engines. Airlines don’t all use the same engines. Some choose to use General Electric engines, which are manufactured in the Cincinnati suburb of Evendale, Ohio. Others decide to use Rolls-Royce Holdings engines (different company than the one that makes fancy cars for Her Majesty, the Queen). Rolls-Royce makes its engines in Derby, UK in the East Midlands of England. If you’re not keeping track, just the wings and engines alone come from up to five countries on four separate continents.

Underpinning the center fuselage and wings are the massive set of landing gear and wheels. Those are made in Gloucester, UK as already stated. But their housing, where they fold up during flight, is made in Nagoya.

Finally, we reach the tail end of the aircraft. The main portion of the aft fuselage is constructed by Boeing in Charleston, SC, with the next portion of the cone coming from Busan, South Korea. The final tip, the tail cone comes from Boeing’s Auburn, WA factory.

Lastly are the tail and the horizontal stabilizers. The tail fin is built by Boeing in Frederickson, WA but the rudder, the moveable part of the tail, comes from Chengdu Aircraft Industrial in Chengdu, China. The horizontal stabilizers (the smaller aft wings) come from either two sources: Foggia, Italy where they are made by Finmeccanica, or Salt Lake City, UT where they are made by Boeing.

Many pieces are constructed into larger single section offsite. For instance, the entire wing assembly (wing, tailing and leading edges, supports, etc.) is assembled into one section. Then they need to get to Everett, WA for final assembly. For that, Boeing designed specially modified 747s with a cargo hold large enough to transport the fuselage and wings called the Boeing Dreamlifter. The Dreamlifter ferries these subsections from around the globe to the U.S., where they are assembled like a puzzle into a final, unified product: the Boeing 787. Source: CSIS & Boeing

All this, however, just covers the empty shell of the aircraft. Additional fittings-the software that runs the computer systems, the lights, the seats, the overhead storage bins, the air-conditioning systems, and the power systems-all come from dozens of different manufacturers also spread around the globe.

So, while Boeing may be emblematic of the spirit of American flight, the processes and parts that allow flight are sourced globally, through complex and intricately timed supply chains. Any disruption to those supply chains-whether from tariffs or the weather-can wreak havoc on Boeing’s delivery timetables to airlines. Delayed deliveries mean delayed payments or even cancelled orders, which ultimately affect the jobs of the 137,000 people Boeing employs in the United States. Next time you sit back, relax, and enjoy your flight remember that these wonderous machines are truly an international effort.