Boeing Completes Acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems, Vowing Enhanced Safety and Stability

Boeing has announced it has completed the acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems, its crucial aerostructures supplier. The transaction, effective today, aims to underscore Boeing's commitment to aviation safety and airplane quality while significantly strengthening commercial production and supply chain stability.

The purchase involves the reintegration of critical operations that had been outsourced years ago. Kelly Ortberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Boeing Company, called the moment "pivotal" for the company's future.

The acquisition includes all of Spirit's Boeing-related commercial operations, notably the production of the 737 fuselages in Wichita, Kansas, as well as major structures for the 767, 777, and the 787 Dreamliner. It also includes the aftermarket parts business, integrating Boeing's largest spare parts supplier and expanding its global maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) footprint.

Preserving Defense and the Belfast Legacy

To ensure uninterrupted support for U.S. defense and space programs, Spirit Defense has been established. It will operate as a non-integrated subsidiary of Boeing Defense, Space & Security.

Additionally, Spirit's operations in Belfast, Northern Ireland, will become an independent Boeing subsidiary branded as Short Brothers, a tribute to the historic aviation company.

Approximately 15,000 teammates from Spirit sites in Wichita, Dallas, and Tulsa, along with the Aerospace Innovation Center in Prestwick, Scotland, will begin integrating into Boeing.

Political leaders in Kansas celebrated the announcement, emphasizing the importance of the local workforce. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall, along with U.S. Congressman Ron Estes, highlighted that this move solidifies the "Air Capital of the World" as a vital hub for world-class aerospace innovation and manufacturing.