After rumors surfaced in the media, Boeing acknowledged they and Spirit were in the initial discussions that could result in Boeing acquiring the troubled supplier.
If they end up going ahead with the deal, Boeing will face significant challenges. Among other things, Spirit produces major structures for Airbus (fuselage upper panels for A350 in Kinston, South Carolina and wings for the A220 in Belfast) who likely will want a say prior to novating contracts to Boeing. Boeing and Spirit also both have major quality issues to address within their respective shops. In addition, Boeing has problems within their defense business to address. While it sounds on paper like just bringing Boeing’s Wichita operation back, it is much, much tougher than that and at a time when Boeing has yet to successfully address their own internal challenges.
