Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc., based in Wichita, Kansas, is the world's largest first-tier aerostructures manufacturer. The company builds several important pieces of Boeing aircraft, including the fuselage of the

737 737 most commonly refers to: * Boeing 737, an American narrow-body passenger airplane ** Boeing 737 Classic ** Boeing 737 MAX ** Boeing 737 Next Generation * AD 737, a year in the common era * 737 BC, a year * 737 (number), a number 737 may als ...

, portions of the 787 fuselage, and the cockpit section of the fuselage (referred to as "Section 41" by Boeing) of nearly all of its airliners. Spirit also produces fuselage sections and front wing spars for the Airbus A350. Spirit's main competition comes from Triumph Aerostructures - Vought Aircraft Division,

Collins Aerospace Collins Aerospace is an American technology corporation that is one of the world's largest suppliers of aerospace and defense products. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, it is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. History On No ...

Leonardo Leonardo is a masculine given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese equivalent of the English, German, and Dutch name, Leonard Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname. The given name and surname originate ...

, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

History

Boeing-Whichata B-29 Assembly Line - 1944

Spirit was formed when

Boeing Commercial Airplanes Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) is a division of The Boeing Company. It designs, assembles, markets, and sells jet airliners and business jets ( Boeing Business Jets), and also provides product-related maintenance and training to customers wor ...

sold its Wichita division to investment firm Onex. Boeing Defense, Space & Security retained its military business in Wichita, which lay on neighboring land, until Boeing sold most of those properties to Air Capital Flight Line. The Wichita division was responsible for construction of many important aircraft in Boeing's history, including the B-29 Superfortress, B-47 Stratojet, and

B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...

. Spirit can trace its legacy back even further to Stearman Aircraft, which was founded on the same site; Stearman later became part of Boeing. Spirit also includes

North American Aviation North American Aviation (NAA) was a major American aerospace manufacturer that designed and built several notable aircraft and spacecraft. Its products included: the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F ...

's former Tulsa and McAlester facilities (both in

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

), as well as additional facilities in Kinston, NC, Prestwick, Scotland, Saint-Nazaire, France, and Subang, Malaysia. In June 2016, it was announced that Tom Gentile was named CEO, replacing Larry Lawson.

Acquisitions

On January 31, 2006,

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues. ...

announced it had agreed to sell its aerostructures business, based at Glasgow Prestwick Airport and Samlesbury Aerodrome, to Spirit.Onex' Spirit AeroSystems To Acquire BAE Systems Aerostructures
" Official press release. The BAE unit, which was renamed Spirit AeroSystems (Europe) Ltd., is a major supplier to Raytheon (5%), Airbus (80%), and Boeing (15%). The transaction was completed on April 1, 2006. Spirit paid GBP 80 million for the business. On October 31, 2019, Spirit acquired Bombardier Aviation's aerostructures activities and aftermarket services operations in Northern Ireland ( Short Brothers) and Morocco, and its aerostructures maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Dallas. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2020 subject to regulatory approval. The deal gives Spirit a bigger place in Airbus' supply chain, in particular with the wings for the Airbus A220 that are produced in the Belfast plant.

Spirit AeroSystems

In 2010, 96% of Spirit's revenue came from its two largest customers: 85% of sales were from Boeing, 11% from Airbus. In 2009 these two customers represented 96% of sales for Spirit as well."https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1364885/000095012311016606/d78727e10vk.htm After planning to take Spirit public,Spirit AeroSystems Planning Initial Public Offering
" '' The Wall Street Journal''. June 30, 2006. at initial public offering on November 21, 2006, the firm's stock rose 10% on the first day.UPDATE: Spirit Aero, AerCap Lift Off Post-IPO >SPR AER
" '' The Wall Street Journal''. November 21, 2006. In November 2006, Onex owned 58% of Spirit, which resulted in 92% of voting power, as its shares conferred "supervoting" power. The chief architect of the Onex purchase of Spirit was Nigel S. Wright, who was later Chief of Staff for the Canadian Prime Minister until his resignation as part of an expense scandal. In August 2014 the Onex Group sold all of its remaining shares of Spirit. Over the course of the nine-year investment, the Onex Group received aggregate proceeds of approximately $3.2 billion on its initial $375 million investment. Former

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

Majority Leader Richard Gephardt ( D- MO) serves as a labor consultant for Spirit and sits on its board of directors."Richard A. Gephardt Joins Onex Team"
Spirit Aero news release 2005-04-29 (PDF)

Facilities

;United States * Wichita, Kansas (headquarters & manufacturing plant) (ex-

Stearman Stearman is a surname. Notable people with the name include: * Lloyd Stearman (1898–1975), American aviation pioneer * Richard Stearman (born 1987), English footballer * William Stearman (1813–1846) English cricketer * William L. Stearman (b ...

/Boeing) * Tulsa, Oklahoma (ex-North American/Rockwell/Boeing) * Kinston, North Carolina (manufacturing plant at Global TransPark) ;United Kingdom * Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom ( Short Brothers, ex- Bombardier) * Samlesbury, England, United Kingdom (small office on BAE Systems site) * Prestwick, Scotland, United Kingdom (ex- Scottish Aviation/ BAe/BAE) ;France *

Saint-Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; Gallo: ''Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer'') is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean ...

, France (manufacturing plant) ; Malaysia * Subang, Malaysia (manufacturing plant) ; Russia * Moscow, Russia (joint venture)

References

External links

*
"Spirit gets first shot at non-Boeing job"
'' Wichita Business Journal'', October 16, 2005
"Spirit plans mega project with $1 billion investment and 1,000 more jobs in Wichita"
''

The Wichita Eagle ''The Wichita Eagle'' is a daily newspaper published in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company and is the largest newspaper in Wichita and the surrounding area. History Origins In 1870, ''The Vidette'' was the fi ...

'', December 6, 2017 {{Authority control 2005 establishments in Kansas Aircraft manufacturers of the United States American companies established in 2005 Companies based in Wichita, Kansas Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange Manufacturing companies based in Kansas Manufacturing companies established in 2005 Onex Corporation