Airbus (OTCPK:EADSY) (OTCPK:EADSF) Chief Executive Guillaume Faury described the possibility that the European aircraft maker would acquire two factories from Spirit AeroSystems (SPR) as “not unlikely,” Reuters reported Thursday. The acquisitions may be a condition for rival plane maker Boeing (BA) to take control of Spirit (SPR) amid an effort to improve its product quality.
Faury said Airbus (OTCPK:EADSY) (OTCPK:EADSF) would weigh in on any decision by Boeing (BA) to buy Spirit (SPR), which makes fuselages for the rival aviation giants. Spirit (SPR) was spun out of Boeing (BA) into a separate company in 2005 as part of a cost-cutting plan.
Spirit (SPR) has factories in North Carolina and Northern Ireland that make parts for Airbus (OTCPK:EADSY) (OTCPK:EADSF).
Boeing (BA) is in talks to buy Spirit (SPR), which is at the center of manufacturing problems with 737 Max jets. The companies last month confirmed the negotiations.
“We believe that the reintegration of Boeing (BA) and Spirit AeroSystems’ (BA) manufacturing operations would further strengthen aviation safety, improve quality and serve the interests of our customers, employees, and shareholders,” Boeing (BA) said in a statement.
Spirit (SPR) last fall replaced its chief executive officer with a former Boeing (BA) executive. Boeing (BA) makes up about two-thirds of Spirit’s (SPR) revenue, while the remainder comes from Airbus (OTCPK:EADSY) (OTCPK:EADSF) and defense companies.
Boeing (BA) and Spirit (SPR) have faced greater scrutiny from airline customers and federal authorities to improve quality after a near-catastrophe on a Boeing (BA) 737 Max 9 flown by Alaska Airlines (ALK) on January 5.
