Being believes the 7E7 will prove very popular

It is the US giant's first major hiring move since the 9/11 attacks rocked the airline industry. Most of the jobs will be at its main manufacturing base in Seattle, Washington State.

They will include more engineers to work on the company's forthcoming new mid-sized 7E7 Dreamliner jet.

Boeing's workforce peaked at 238,600 in 1998, falling to 157,054 this year.It does not expect to reach former levels.

"We are going about this increase in a disciplined and responsible manner," said Boeing spokesman Peter Conte.

"We don't expect commercial airplane employment to reach the peaks of the past and we're hoping to smooth out the gains."

Boeing, which moved its headquarters from Seattle to Chicago in 2001, currently has 62 orders for the 7E7, which is timetabled to start flying commercially in 2008.

Mr Conte added: "If the improvement in the commercial airplane industry continues, we could see measured increases in employment in 2005."

While the US giant sees the future of air travel being based around mid-sized aircraft such as the 7E7, its fierce rival, the pan-European Airbus is putting its faith in the market needing ever-larger passenger jets.

Airbus' forthcoming double-decker A380 will have two full-length floors of seating and hold 555 passengers, making it the world's biggest passenger aircraft.