Boeing Confirms Discussions About Acquiring Spirit AeroSystems

The aircraft giant is looking into acquiring its contract parts manufacturer.

Meg Godlewski

Monday, March 04, 2024 at 06:42 PM ET

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Spirit AeroSystems supplies components for Boeing aircraft including the fuselage for the 737 line. [Courtesy: Boeing]

Key Takeaways:

Boeing is in preliminary discussions to reacquire Spirit AeroSystems, its former subsidiary and key supplier of 737 fuselages and other components.
This potential reintegration aims to strengthen aviation safety and improve quality control over manufacturing operations.
The discussions follow the January 5 incident where a door plug, part of a fuselage built by Spirit and reinstalled by Boeing without necessary bolts, blew off a 737 Max 9 mid-flight, highlighting critical quality issues.

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Boeing is in discussions to acquire Spirit AeroSystems, the Wichita, Kansas-based manufacturer of fuselages for the Boeing 737 and other components.

Spirit AeroSystems was part of Boeing until 2005, when the company was split off and sold to private equity investors. Spirit continued its relationship with Boeing as a contractor, making components for aircraft that include the fuselage of the 737 line. According to investigators, Spirit AeroSystems built the fuselage with the door plug that failed in flight on January 5, resulting in an explosive decompression and a worldwide temporary grounding of the 737 Max 9 fleet.