iscover
Boeing has officially reabsorbed component supplier and former subsidiary Spirit AeroSystems, ending a rocky 20-year separation.
The US$8.3 billion deal, announced last year, brings Spirit back under Boeing’s control, and includes manufacturing of 737 fuselages; major structures for the 767, 777 and 787 Dreamliner programs; and commercially-procured P-8 and KC-46 fuselages.
This content is available exclusively to Australian Aviation members.
A monthly membership is only $5.99 or save with our annual plans.
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
- Access to the Australian Aviation app
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
- Daily news updates via our email bulletin
- Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
- Access to the Australian Aviation app
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
- Daily news updates via our email bulletin
“Spirit AeroSystems’ commercial and aftermarket operations in Wichita, Kansas; Dallas, Texas; and Tulsa, Oklahoma, as well as Spirit’s Aerospace Innovation Center in Prestwick, Scotland, will begin to integrate into Boeing,” the planemaker said in a press release.
“Approximately 15,000 teammates across the five sites are becoming a part of Boeing.”
Spirit manufactured fuselages and other components under contract for Boeing’s 737 aircraft, including the 737 MAX family, which came under increased scrutiny over safety issues following the mid-air blowout of a door plug on board a 737 MAX 9 in January last year.
Virgin Australia is the only Australian airline flying the 737 MAX family, with 14 of the aircraft now in its fleet, though upstart Koala Airlines has indicated plans to begin flying MAX 8s in late 2026.
Boeing is also establishing Spirit Defense, which it says will “continue to support its customers as an independent supplier to the defence industry”.
“This is a pivotal moment in Boeing’s history and future success as we begin to integrate Spirit AeroSystems’ commercial and aftermarket operations and establish Spirit Defense,” Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg said.
“As we welcome our new teammates and bring our two companies together, our focus is on maintaining stability so we can continue delivering high quality airplanes, differentiated services, and advanced defence capabilities for our customers and the industry.”
Additionally, Spirit sites which manufactured components for Airbus aircraft have been bought by Airbus, including in Kinston, North Carolina; Saint-Nazaire, France; Casablanca, Morocco; Belfast, Northern Ireland; and Prestwick, Scotland.
“We are proud to welcome over 4,000 new colleagues, with whom we will embark on a new chapter in our industrial operations by taking on activities of critical importance to our commercial aircraft programmes,” said Florent Massou, executive vice President Operations for the Commercial Aircraft business of Airbus.
Spirit was formerly the Boeing plant in Wichita before being spun off as a separate company in 2005.
