Paris, April 27 - Airbus, the European aerospace giant, is nearing the completion of a significant deal to acquire parts of Spirit AeroSystems, a key supplier in the global aerospace industry. This development, reported as of April 2025, marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing restructuring of Spirit AeroSystems’ operations, which are being divided between Airbus and its rival, Boeing. The negotiations, which have been underway since 2024, are part of a broader strategic maneuver involving Boeing’s planned reacquisition of Spirit AeroSystems, a former subsidiary, for $4.7 billion in an all-stock transaction expected to close by mid-2025. Airbus’s role in this complex deal focuses on taking over Spirit’s European operations and certain U.S.-based facilities that produce critical components for Airbus aircraft, particularly the A220 and A350 programs.
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The deal’s progression was highlighted during Airbus’s annual shareholders meeting in April 2025, where Chief Financial Officer Thomas Toepfer indicated that a transaction agreement with Spirit AeroSystems was finalized within the month, with the goal of closing the deal by mid-year, ideally by June 30. This timeline aligns with Airbus’s strategic need to secure its supply chain, especially for the A220 wings produced at Spirit’s Belfast facility in Northern Ireland and the A350 fuselage sections manufactured in Kinston, North Carolina, and Saint-Nazaire, France. Airbus’s acquisition is not without challenges, as Spirit’s operations have faced financial turbulence, reporting a $2.14 billion net loss in 2024 due to production slowdowns at Boeing and stagnant pricing on Airbus programs. To mitigate these losses, Airbus has provided Spirit with financial support, including a $107 million non-interest-bearing credit line in November 2024 and a $100 million credit facility to the Belfast operation in April 2025.
The Belfast facility, part of Short Brothers Plc, is a focal point of the deal. A financial filing from April 2025 revealed that Spirit is permitted to sell the non-Airbus-related portions of its Belfast business to third parties, with Boeing set to assume control if no buyer is found by the transaction’s expected mid-2025 closure. This potential breakup has raised concerns about the long-term viability of Belfast’s aerospace industry, as noted by Spirit’s UK operation chair, Sir Michael Ryan, who warned of the detrimental impact of dismantling the business. Airbus’s acquisition includes a nominal payment of $1 to Spirit, offset by $559 million in compensation for taking on loss-making operations, reflecting the financial complexities of integrating Spirit’s assets.
The deal’s intricacies extend to intellectual property disputes and supply chain disruptions, which have delayed Airbus’s A350F freighter and impacted A220 production. Despite these hurdles, Airbus remains committed to enhancing its production capabilities, targeting 820 aircraft deliveries in 2025. The acquisition of Spirit’s assets is a strategic move to stabilize its supply chain, ensuring the continued production of critical components for its flagship aircraft programs. As the aerospace industry navigates these changes, the Airbus-Spirit deal underscores the delicate balance of competition and cooperation between Airbus and Boeing, with far-reaching implications for global aerospace manufacturing.