Airbus completes purchase of six Spirit AeroSystems centers that manufacture parts for its commercial aircraft

Airbus has completed the purchase of six factories from Spirit AeroSystems, a company acquired by Boeing, which carry out tasks related to the European manufacturer’s commercial aircraft. With the closure of this operation, Airbus adds more than 4,000 workers and six … facilities where activities of “critical importance” to commercial airliners are carried out Airbusas Airbus’ Vice President of Commercial Aircraft Segment Operations stated, Florent Massou.

In this way, the plant Kinston (United States), where parts of the fuselage of the A350joined as Airbus Aerosystems Kinston; the Saint-Nazaire factory (France) – A350 fuselage – joined as Airbus Atlantic Cadréan; the plant Casablanca (Morocco) – components of A321 and the A220- will be incorporated as Airbus Atlantic Maroc Aero; the production of the wings and central fuselage of the A220 in Belfast (Northern Ireland) will be renamed Airbus Belfast; the production of wing components for the A320 and A350 in Prestwick (Scotland) will become a subsidiary called Prestwick Aerosystems; and the production of the A220 pylons will be moved from Wichita (USA), at the factory Saint-Éloi (France).

In addition, Airbus received compensation of $439 million (376 million euros) and certain other amounts to settle its debts under the provisions of the purchase contracts, EP reports.

Boeing’s acquisition of Spirit was approved by the European Commission last October on the condition that the part of the business where parts for its planes are manufactured be sold to Airbus.

The operation, valued at around $4.7 billion (4.372 million euros), raised fears in Brussels that competition would be reduced in the aerostructures and large commercial aircraft markets, in addition to harming the European manufacturer’s supply and that Boeing would have access to sensitive Airbus information.