As the future of Spirit AeroSystems’ UK operations nears clarification, Airbus has established a new entity in Belfast, while Boeing could ultimately become a supplier to Bombardier’s business jet production.
Spirit operates the Short Brothers facility in Belfast – acquired from Bombardier in 2020 – which produces wings for the Airbus A220 programme as well as aerostructures for Bombardier executive jets.
It also has a separate aerostructures plant in Prestwick, acquired from BAE Systems in 2006, which provides wing components to programmes including the Airbus A350, A320 and the Boeing 767.
Boeing is set to take over Spirit AeroSystems, a decision which has forced Airbus to protect its Spirit supply line through the planned acquisition of several work packages – including A220 wing production at Belfast.
Airbus incorporated a new entity, Airbus Belfast, at the end of March this year. Company documents list its directors as Jerome Blandin and Thorsten Fischer, two senior vice-presidents at the manufacturer.
The airframer declines to comment on the registration, or other preparatory legal structures, pointing out that discussions relating to Spirit AeroSystems have not been finalised.
While intentions for the major Airbus packages are clear, the fate of other activities at Belfast and Prestwick has yet to be decided.
Annual accounts for Short Brothers, newly disclosed by UK corporate registry Companies House, states that it expects to divest the A220 wing programme this year.
But if a third-party buyer for other activities has not been identified and agreed by the date of Boeing’s takeover of Spirit – provisionally expected around the beginning of July – Short Brothers will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boeing, the documents add.
This suggests that Boeing will effectively become an aerostructures supplier for Bombardier business jets. Short Brothers produces fuselage sections for several aircraft in the Challenger and Global families, and horizontal stabilisers for all Global jets.
Spirit AeroSystems Europe, its Prestwick operation, is in a similar situation. Its own newly released accounts point out that, while Airbus plans to absorb certain Spirit work packages, there is still “insufficient clarity” on the airframer’s specific intentions for the facility.
It adds that the term sheet for Boeing’s acquisition of Spirit includes a “fall-back arrangement” under which Airbus would assume control of the Prestwick arm in the event that a third-party sale is not achieved.
Unless the 767 work is split off, Airbus would end up supplying components to Boeing’s 767 freighter and KC-46 tanker programmes – the latter a direct competitor of the A330 MRTT. The Prestwick accounts mention that the 767 contract was extended, at the end of last year, and will run to 2030 – although it adds that the contract is expected to be loss-making.
Both the Belfast and Prestwick operations of Spirit are under financial pressure. Short Brothers turned in a 2023 full-year loss of $338 million, while Spirit AeroSystems Europe made a similar-sized loss of $334 million.
Going concern assessments conducted by the directors of Short Brothers warn of a cash shortfall of $220 million in the period to 30 June 2026. Should there be any delay to the divestment of the Airbus wing work or sale of the business, that shortfall would increase by an additional $107 million, the accounts add.
FlightGlobal has approached Spirit for comment.
