The Supplier Split That Reshaped Aviation
After months of negotiations, Boeing and Airbus have both finalized their acquisitions of Spirit AeroSystems assets, bringing to an end one of commercial aviation’s most awkward supplier relationships. The deal adds thousands of employees to each manufacturer and fundamentally reshapes how the world’s most important aircraft are built.
For Boeing, the acquisition closes a chapter that began with the door plug incident. For Airbus, it secures supply chain control for critical components. For the aviation industry, it marks a return to greater vertical integration.
The Split Explained
Spirit AeroSystems, spun off from Boeing in 2005, had grown to become a critical supplier for both major aircraft manufacturers. The company produced:
For Boeing:
- 737 fuselage sections (including the door plug area)
- 787 forward fuselage
- 777 fuselage components
For Airbus:
- A220 wing and center fuselage
- A320 fuselage sections
- A350 fuselage components
This created obvious competitive tension. Spirit was building critical components for fierce rivals, sharing facilities and sometimes workforce between programs.
Why Boeing Took Back Spirit
The door plug incident of January 2024 exposed quality control failures at Spirit’s Wichita facility. Missing bolts, inadequate documentation, and manufacturing defects all pointed to supplier problems that Boeing couldn’t fix from a distance.
By acquiring Spirit’s Boeing-related operations, Boeing gains:
- Direct quality control over critical fuselage production
- Elimination of the supplier interface where defects went undetected
- Cost savings from removing Spirit’s profit margin on components
- Ability to implement manufacturing changes faster
Why Airbus Took Its Share
Airbus didn’t want Spirit’s Boeing-focused problems, but it did want supply chain security. By acquiring Spirit’s Airbus-related facilities, the European manufacturer ensures continuity for A220 and A320 production.
The acquisition also prevents Boeing from potentially gaining control of facilities that make Airbus components – an awkward scenario neither manufacturer wanted.
Industry Implications
The Spirit split represents a broader trend toward vertical integration in aerospace. After decades of outsourcing, manufacturers are bringing critical operations back in-house.
This shift reflects lessons learned:
- Supplier quality problems become OEM quality problems
- Complex supply chains create communication gaps
- Critical components require direct control
- Cost savings from outsourcing can evaporate in crisis response
The Bottom Line
The Spirit AeroSystems split closes a chapter in aviation manufacturing history. The outsourcing experiment of the 2000s, which promised cost savings and efficiency, instead created quality control challenges that contributed to Boeing’s worst crisis in decades.
Both manufacturers now control their most critical components directly. Whether this vertical integration solves the underlying quality challenges remains to be seen – but at least Boeing and Airbus can no longer blame a supplier for their problems.
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