The deal in which Boeing will re-acquire Spirit Aerosystems is moving forward, but with last minute regulatory “remedies” as the EU has not yet approved the deal, which has already cleared approvals to move forward in the US and UK. The EU website mentions the additional remedies, and a decision date of 14 October on whether to approve the deal or open a full-scale competition investigation that would delay the transaction another 4 months.  This transaction was agreed on in 2024, and in a worst case may not close until early 2026.
Complexity abounds in this transaction, as portions of Spirit Aerosystems will be spun off to the customers for whom it is building parts, including Airbus activities in Prestwick Scotland, and Subang Malaysia that will go to Airbus, plus ex-Bombardier activities in Belfast, Northern Ireland with some parts to Airbus and a portion to Bombardier. Â With a total value of $4.3 billion, this is not a small acquisition, and will see facilities on multiple continents change ownership.
Near-Term Impacts
Airbus will take on Spirit Aerosystems European-focused activities when the Boeing deal closes, but until then, the Spirit Aeroystems operations supplying Airbus remain as part of the supply chain. An independent suppliers is quite different than a wholly-owned subsidiary when it comes to management control. While Boeing and Airbus likely have staff in place to oversee the operations that will be split, it is often not until a deal is closed for full control to transfer. Boeing and Airbus will breathe a sigh of relief when the transaction finally closes.
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