The Federal Aviation Administration has given Boeing approval to let Oregon-based Evergreen International Airlines begin operating the fl eet of huge freighters that are delivering large pieces of the 787 jet to the fi nal assembly line.

Evergreen International Airlines, a unit of McMinnville, Ore.-based Evergreen International Aviation Inc, will run and maintain Boeing’s fl eet of Dreamlifters, modifi ed 747s that in April began ferrying fuselage sections, wings and other large chunks of the fi rst 787 Dreamliner from factories in Italy, Japan and South Carolina to Boeing’s widebody assembly plant here.

The FAA certifi ed Boeing’s Dreamlifter in June, but Evergreen had to prove it was capable of operating the aircraft. The company already has several Boeing 747s in its fl eet but needed 747-400 certifi cation.

Boeing already has two Dreamlifters fl ying and plans to add two more to its fl eet. The third is in the process of being modifi ed in Taipei, where the fourth is waiting its turn.