Aviation: Airbus takes over plants of its supplier Spirit Aero Systems

The opportunity to extend the lead would be more favorable than ever. Competitor Boeing is only gradually emerging from its ongoing crisis, and demand for aircraft remains unbroken for the time being despite Trump's tariffs. But aircraft manufacturer Airbus has recently been unable to capitalize on these favorable circumstances, primarily because chaos in its own supply chain has hampered faster growth.

The move to acquire virtually all Airbus-related parts of the American supplier group Spirit AeroSystems is now expected to provide a breakthrough. Airbus announced on Monday that it has signed a binding purchase agreement for several Spirit sites, with the transaction expected to close in the third quarter. Airbus will not only receive the plants, but also a $439 million cash injection to restructure the unprofitable factories.

Spirit was part of Boeing until 2005 and primarily built the fuselage of the 737 series in Wichita, Kansas. However, Boeing decided to sell the plant at that time, and Spirit subsequently attempted to diversify. Among other things, the company took over orders from Airbus: Spirit builds the center fuselage of the Airbus A350 and A220, as well as the wings of Airbus' smallest jet.

During the coronavirus pandemic and also due to the Boeing crisis – production of the 737 was partially halted due to the flight grounding – Spirit's financial situation deteriorated dramatically. Recently, the company had to rely on bridge loans from its two main customers, Boeing and Airbus, to avoid bankruptcy. Last year, Boeing announced that it intended to buy back Spirit as part of its restructuring. This put Airbus under pressure, as it absolutely did not want to become dependent on Boeing as the owner of a supplier responsible for key structural components. Boeing, too, had no interest in this part of Spirit's business. In July 2024, Spirit and Airbus agreed in principle to sell the Airbus operations.

The terms now stipulate that Airbus will take over Spirit sites in Kinston, North Carolina; Wichita, Kansas; St. Nazaire, Casablanca; Belfast; and Prestwick. Beyond the originally agreed framework, Airbus will also acquire the production of wing parts for the A320 in Belfast and the A350 in Prestwick. This also means that Spirit's contribution, which Airbus intends to use to finance the restructuring, will be smaller. Airbus will pay a nominal price of one dollar and will now receive $439 million instead of the originally planned $559 million.

Spirit is one of the main reasons why Airbus hasn't been able to ramp up production of the A220 and A350 as planned. But time is running out: 14 A220 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered monthly in 2026, which is also a prerequisite for the program to finally generate profits. In 2024, the average was just over six. The A350 is scheduled to be increased from approximately five to twelve aircraft per month over the next three years, but Spirit is also causing delays here.