Europe
Airbus to Sign Deal with Spirit Aero
• Airbus CFO Thomas Toepfer predicts a deal to take over Spirit AeroSystems European operations in the next few weeks.
• Boeing plans to buy back its former subsidiary Spirit Aero for $4.7 billion in stock.
• Spirit Aero, a critical supplier to Boeing, also produces key parts for some Airbus jets.
• The deal is expected to close by mid-2025.
• Airbus will receive compensation as it will take on some loss-making operations.
• Talks have been complicated due to intellectual property division and the future of a Spirit Aero plant in Northern Ireland.
• The deal could exclude part of the Belfast factory that produces wings for the planemaker’s smallest A220 jet.
• Spirit Aero is critical for Boeing as it produces the fuselage for its 737 MAX jet.
