Why Boeing and Airbus share Spirit AeroSystems

As a reminder, Spirit AeroSystems belonged to Boeing until 2005, when Boeing sold its Commercial Airplanes business in Wichita, Kansas, and sites in Oklahoma (Tulsa, McAlester) to the Canadian fund Onex.

The entity resulting from this sale took the name Spirit AeroSystems and operated as an independent supplier. In recent years, the company had experienced financial difficulties and quality and delay issues, which fuelled Boeing’s desire to regain control of the industrial chain.

A return to integration

For Boeing, the completion of the acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems is presented as a strategic move in favour of aviation safety and quality, with the explicit aim of strengthening the stability of commercial production and the supply chain. The manufacturer has announced that it will integrate Spirit’s commercial operations related to Boeing, including the production of 737 fuselages in Wichita, United States, as well as major structures for the 767, 777 and 787 programmes.

Spirit’s aftermarket business will also be taken over, with a view to expanding service, maintenance and parts support capabilities within Boeing. At the same time, Boeing is formalising the creation of Spirit Defence, which will maintain continuity of support for US defence and space programmes, while operating separately in terms of governance and operations.

Airbus, for its part, is completing a separate transaction involving former Spirit industrial assets dedicated to its commercial aircraft programmes, and has announced the integration of more than 4,000 new employees. The list of sites taken over shows a clear focus on primary structures: A350 fuselage sections in Kinston (North Carolina) and Saint-Nazaire (France), A321 and A220 components in Casablanca (Morocco), production of A220 wings and centre fuselage sections in Belfast (Ireland), A320 and A350 wing components in Prestwick (Scotland), with the parallel transfer of A220 pylon production to Saint-Eloi in Toulouse (France). Airbus states that it will receive compensation of $439 million, emphasising the highly industrial nature of a deal designed to consolidate the execution of key programmes.

Composites, a strategic variable

Spirit AeroSystems’ interest is not limited to square metres of factory space. It also lies in its mastery of processes, tools and skills that enable it to produce large-scale aerostructures, particularly when composite materials are used in increasingly structural parts.

When an aircraft manufacturer takes over a critical supplier or recovers sites dedicated to its programmes, it is purchasing the ability to reduce the risk of quality drift and protect production rates.

Spirit highlights its expertise in the manufacture of advanced composites, citing applications in fuselages, nacelles and wing structures. The company is positioned at the heart of modern aeronautical technology, manufacturing complex, lightweight and repeatable parts while meeting particularly strict quality requirements (non-destructive testing, material traceability, defect control and process stability).

For the industry, this is a clear signal, and the finalisation of the Boeing/Airbus deals involving Spirit confirms the status of composites not only as a choice of material, but also as a challenge in terms of industrial control and production continuity.