Airbus SE has entered into a definitive agreement with Spirit AeroSystems to acquire industrial facilities dedicated to its commercial aircraft programmes. The acquisition is intended to help Airbus ensure stability of supply for its commercial aircraft programmes, both operationally and financially, for key Airbus work packages.
As part of the agreement, Airbus will take ownership of the following Spirit AeroSystems sites and assets:
- Kinston, North Carolina, USA: A350 fuselage sections
- St. Nazaire, France: A350 fuselage sections
- Casablanca, Morocco: A321 and A220 components
- Wichita, Kansas, USA: Production of A220 pylons
- Belfast, Northern Ireland: Production of A220 wings
- Belfast, Northern Ireland: Production of the A220 mid-fuselage (unless Spirit AeroSystems identifies a suitable buyer for the part of the site where these activities are located).
- Prestwick, Scotland: Production of wing components for A320 and A350
Spirit AeroSystems also intends to sell the site of Subang, Malaysia to a third-party owner.
The compensation amount has been adjusted to reflect this revised transaction perimeter, in line with the provisions of the binding term sheet agreement announced on 1 July 2024. Airbus will be compensated by payment of US$439 million from Spirit AeroSystems, subject to certain adjustments at closing.
Closing of the transaction and the official transfer of operations is planned in the third quarter of 2025, subject to regulatory and other customary approvals.
Airbus has also entered into a memorandum of agreement with Spirit AeroSystems, under which Airbus has agreed to, among other things, provide Spirit AeroSystems non-interest bearing lines of credit in an aggregate amount of US$200 million, which will be used by Spirit AeroSystems to support Airbus programmes.
