Spirit AeroSystems

Established 2005, Spirit AeroSystems designs and builds aerostructures for both commercial and defense customers. With headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, Spirit operates sites in North America, Europe and Asia. Their history traces back to 1927 as Stearman Aircraft Company which was acquired by Boeing in 1929.

In December 2025, Boeing completed the purchase of Spirit AeroSystems for $4.7 billion, bringing most of its operations (737 fuselages, key structures, maintenance, after-sales) back under its control. Spirit AeroSystems, a major aircraft structures supplier originally created by Boeing and later serving both Boeing and Airbus, was dismantled following safety and production crises linked to the Boeing 737 program. To regain control over its supply chain and restore credibility, Boeing reacquired key Spirit facilities, including those producing 737 fuselages in Wichita and other U.S. sites, as well as operations in Belfast and Scotland. Airbus, which had less interest in structural changes, nevertheless acquired selected Spirit assets producing Airbus components, including facilities in North Carolina, France, Morocco, and part of the Belfast plant focused on the A220. The breakup marked the end of Spirit as an independent company and a reversal of the outsourcing strategy that had led to its creation.