Boeing completes acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems, anticipates more production, jobs

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Boeing announced on Monday that it has completed its acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems. Boeing Wichita will mark that official announcement on Thursday with a sign unveiling.

Boeing’s acquisition includes all of Spirit’s Boeing-related commercial operations, including fuselages for the 737 program and major structures for the 767, 777 and 787 Dreamliner. It also includes commercially procured fuselages for the P-8 and KC-46.

Last year, the FAA capped Boeing airplane production after a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines flight. Two months ago, the FAA announced that the production cap could be raised from 38 to 42 planes per month.

On Monday, Kansas Senator Jerry Moran said he expects that cap to be lifted, which means more production and potentially more jobs in Wichita.

“Certainly we know with Boeing the demand for their aircraft is there and that they need to produce more...Certainly I think that there’s some efficiencies that come from this acquisition but over the intermediate term, I think it means more hiring,” Moran said. “We actually saw Spirit announcing new jobs, additional jobs, returning jobs in Wichita over the last six months and I would expect that to continue.”

Sen. Moran said that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has accepted an invitation to visit Boeing Wichita. This would be an opportunity for the secretary to see the manufacturing process and what it would take to continue increasing production in Wichita, including the 737 program.

With production ramping up, the transaction also brings Boeing’s largest supplier of spare parts in house, expands Boeing’s global maintenance, repair and overhaul services footprint and adds to Boeing’s rotable, lease, and exchange portfolio with Spirit’s aftermarket businesses.

Spirit AeroSystems’ commercial and aftermarket operations in Wichita, Dallas, and Oklahoma, as well as Spirit’s Aerospace Innovation Center in Prestwick, Scotland, will begin to integrate into Boeing.

Approximately 15,000 workers across the five sites are becoming a part of Boeing.

In addition, portions of Spirit’s operations in Belfast, Northern Ireland, have been acquired by Boeing, and the Belfast site will operate as an independent subsidiary branded as Short Brothers, a Boeing Company.

Spirit will continue to be an independent supplier to the defense industry.

It will act as a non-integrated subsidiary of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, aligning for financial reporting and some enterprise functional and site support, but maintaining independent governance and operations.