Spirit AeroSystems remains interested in acquiring Belgian aircraft component maker Asco despite further delays stemming from a cyber attack against Asco's systems.
Speaking during the company's second quarter earnings call on 31 July, Spirit chief executive Tom Gentile says Asco "remains a compelling" target for Spirit.
He notes Asco will bring into Spirit's portfolio more work manufacturing parts for Airbus and military aircraft.
Spirit intends to acquire Asco for $604 million, but the deal has been delayed, first by regulatory concerns and then by a June cyber attack.
"Asco experienced a cyberattack leading to the shutdown of its facilities in Belgium, Germany, the US and Canada. Asco is working to restore its operations and systems back to full capacity," says Spirit in a 31 July earnings release.
Due to that attack, Spirit earlier this month announced it had pushed back the date on which its agreement to acquire Asco expires, from 15 July to 29 October.
Spirit says the attack hindered Asco's ability to complete a data segregation effort that European regulators required as part of their agreement to approve the Spirit-Asco deal.
The data relates to Asco's involvement in a Belgian aerospace consortium called Belairbus, Spirit's Gentile has said.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
