Boeing relocating simulators

SEATTLE – Boeing will move its Seattle-area flight-training operations to Miami, starting with two 787 flight simulators that aren’t getting much use because deliveries have been suspended.

All eight flight simulators now at the Longacres Boeing site in Renton will be relocated to the Miami facility, which can accommodate 20 but currently has only 11.

The move will affect about 100 jobs at the local Boeing Flight Services operation, which has more than 500 employees, said spokesman Jim Condelles.

The Renton simulators train pilots and maintenance personnel on the full range of Boeing planes now in production.

Boeing has 19 such flight-training centers around the world; Miami is the largest.

The company announced several years ago its plans to consolidate 787 training but never made the move, Condelles said.

The 787 simulators will be moved first because the grounding of the 787 Dreamliner fleet means Boeing can’t deliver any to customers.