Spirit Aerosystems

By Michael Bruno
The Wichita company pledged to conduct the layoffs “in as compassionate a manner as possible.”
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
Boeing’s planned acquisition of supplier Spirit AeroSystems has raised some concerns on Capitol Hill and among major defense companies.
Supply Chain

By Michael Bruno, Sean Broderick
Prosecutors said Boeing breached obligations under the agreement, failing to design and enforce compliance to ward off future violations of U.S. fraud laws.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Michael Bruno
A lack of negotiations with Airbus over repricing shipsets for the European OEM—if not also a sale of related business units—is proving more harmful.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
A composite, single piece main wing was among the advances developed by Spirit AeroSystems as part of the UK’s now-canceled Mosquito.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Sean Broderick, Michael Bruno
Supply chain problems with different root causes will keep output below previous forecasts for much of 2024, as 737 challenges draw more scrutiny.
Manufacturing & Supply Chain

By Michael Bruno
COVID-19 wiped out six years of growth and hundreds of billions of dollars in economic value.
Manufacturing & Supply Chain

By Jens Flottau
Airbus is raising production of its A350 widebody further to 12 aircraft per month despite the current supply chain constraints that show no signs of easing.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Michael Bruno
Boeing ended the first quarter of 2024 owing consolidated net debt worth $40.4 billion, up from the $36.3 billion it owed at the end of 2023.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Sean Broderick
Nearly flawless fuselages and a sufficient supply of heat exchangers are the two key pacing items determining Boeing’s monthly output of 737s and 787s.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Michael Bruno
Hexcel reported first-quarter 2024 results including net sales of $472 million and adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.44 per share.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Michael Bruno
A reckoning in Renton, Washington, and Wichita is triggering jitters over a potential earthquake across the supply chain.
Manufacturing & Supply Chain

By Guy Norris, Sean Broderick
Progress on 787 quality problems is challenged by whistleblower claims of long-term fleet safety risks.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Sean Broderick
Boeing is working to validate recommendations for inspections on 787 forward pressure bulkheads to identify potential problems in the critical subassemblies.
Manufacturing & Supply Chain

By Michael Bruno
Tom Gentile succeeds Chairman, CEO and President Nick Stanage, “who worked closely with the board on his desire to retire at the end of the year,” Hexcel says.
Manufacturing & Supply Chain

By Tony Osborne
A new Royal Air Force strategy lays out plans for the introduction of larger systems after having developed small, swarming platforms.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Sean Broderick, Michael Bruno, Steve Trimble, Irene Klotz, Guy Norris
Boeing’s new leadership in Commercial Airplanes and at the top are likely just the beginning of major changes at the manufacturing giant.
Manufacturing & Supply Chain

By Sean Broderick, Michael Bruno
A revamped master supplier schedule is one sign the company may be serious about addressing years of problematic quality.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Graham Warwick
Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Michael Bruno
CFO Brian West told a Bank of America investor conference that Boeing would buy back Spirit using cash and debt; Boeing ended 2023 with almost $16 billion.
Manufacturing & Supply Chain

By Sean Broderick
The company is working on changing long-established priorities that valued speed over quality.
Manufacturing & Supply Chain

By Steve Trimble
Spirit AeroSystems will build and test a large, experimental wing to support high-speed aircraft applications under a new DARPA program.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Michael Bruno
General Electric is dead—long live GE Aerospace. Behold the newest pure-play aerospace and defense giant.
Manufacturing & Supply Chain

By Michael Bruno, Sean Broderick, Steve Trimble
Can a second marriage born of a shotgun wedding be successful? Boeing and Spirit talk merger.
Manufacturing & Supply Chain

By Joe Anselmo, Michael Bruno, Jens Flottau, Steve Trimble
Talks to acquire troubled aerostructures supplier Spirit Aerosystems hold big implications for Boeing—and Airbus. Our editors break it down.
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