UPDATE 1-Boeing nominates former UN ambassador Haley to join its board

U.S. aerospace manufacturer Boeing Co said on Tuesday it has nominated Nikki Haley, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, to join its board of directors at the company's annual shareholders meeting on April 29.

Viewed as a rising Republican Party star, Haley has often been mentioned as a future presidential candidate. Her counterparts at the United Nations saw her as a voice of clarity in the Trump administration. If elected by Boeing shareholders, she would help guide the future of the largest U.S. exporter, with a network of suppliers across the United States and the world.

Haley's nomination comes as Boeing grapples with a major decision: whether to launch an all-new jetliner known as NMA, a mid-sized plane that would serve a niche market falling between narrow- and wide-body aircraft. Boeing has said it would make a final launch decision in 2020 on the new program, which is expected to reshape competition with arch rival Airbus SE.

Haley, 47, is the first female governor of South Carolina, and a three-term legislator in the South Carolina House of Representatives. (Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru and Tracy Rucinski in Dallas; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Jeffrey Benkoe)