SEATTLE, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Boeing Co. (BA) on Tuesday said it had no plans to invest in Brazilian flag carrier Varig (VAGV4), denying a press report that helped the airline's shares rise 33 percent earlier in the day. "It's a false report. We are definitely not planning to invest either now or in the near future," said Mike Tull, a spokesman for Boeing, the world's biggest plane maker. Tull noted that a contract announced in December, in which Boeing would buy six Boeing jets leased to Varig by Wilmington Trust Corp. (WL), included a clause saying the manufacturer would consider investing in the airline. "We told them in the future we could consider investing in them, but the fact is we are not," Tull said. "Three years later or five years later, I don't know, you can never say never. But there is no investment planned now." Varig spokespersons did not immediately comment on the matter. A press report on Tuesday said Boeing and General Electric Co. (GE), which makes jet engines and owns hundreds of jets on lease through its GE Capital subsidiary, might invest $1 billion in Varig, eliminating an onerous $830 million debt load. In return Varig would agree to buy only Boeing jets, presumably equipped with GE engines. Latin America's largest airline, Varig flies to 20 countries outside Brazil. Hit by slow ticket sales and rising operating costs since the Sept. 11 attacks along with most other airlines, Varig has announced it would cut 10 percent of its 17,500 workers and roll back fleet growth plans. Boeing on Dec. 18 said it would buy four MD-11s and two 737-300s leased by Varig and eliminate a rent-to-own provision in the contract with Wilmington Trust, trimming the airline's debt by $370 million.