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Airbus is set to take over significant assets from Spirit AeroSystems, securing nearly 3,000 UK aerospace jobs at plants in Belfast (Northern Ireland) and Prestwick (Scotland), as reported by Business Matters. The agreement, announced in early December 2025, comes as part of a complex carve-out tied to 
Boeing’s previously announced acquisition of Spirit. The move aims to safeguard vital industrial capacity and guarantee continuity of production for Airbus programs.
Why does this deal matter? The deal ends months of uncertainty for Spirit’s UK workforce, which had been operating under short-term arrangements while negotiations between Airbus and Boeing unfolded. For the UK aerospace sector, the outcome represents a timely win, by preserving legacy manufacturing sites with deep heritage, including the Belfast facility originally linked to Short Brothers Aerospace Company.
What’s The Deal Between Airbus And Boeing?
Airbus will formally take on approximately 1,550 staff at the Belfast site and around 1,200 at the Prestwick plant in Scotland. As stated on the Airbus website, the Belfast site is known for producing wings for the A220 program, while Prestwick manufactures leading and trailing wing-edge components for A320 and A350 aircraft. Some sources, including those from Investing.com, also estimate that Boeing could take on the 2,000 staff at Belfast not taken on by Airbus.
To compensate Airbus for assuming these loss-making operations, Spirit AeroSystems (under its broader takeover by Boeing) will pay a financial consideration of USD 439 million — revised from earlier estimates as the transaction parameters were adjusted. The transfer is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, with a major update regarding the deal to be announced as early as Monday. As per Airbus,
“With this operation, Airbus aims to ensure stability of supply for its commercial aircraft programmes through a more sustainable way forward, both operationally and financially,”
The Acquisition Background
The carve-out arose because Spirit AeroSystems had long supplied critical aeronautical structures to both Boeing and Airbus. When Boeing moved to re-acquire Spirit in 2024, which it had previously spun off in 2005 for $4.7 billion, regulatory and strategic pressures necessitated that Airbus retain the operations tied to its own programs to avoid supply-chain disruption. It is a very important strategic move, given that Airbus and Boeing are fierce competitors.
For Belfast, historically linked to the legendary Short Brothers factory, this signals a revival under new ownership. The addition of these operations will increase Airbus’s UK workforce (civil aerospace + defense) to around 14,000. The plan also foresees investment and potential expansion of the wing plant, reinforcing the UK’s role as a center of excellence for wing manufacturing.
This coordinated transition between Airbus and Boeing shows how large aerospace manufacturers can reorganize complex supply chains to preserve essential manufacturing capacity, even amid major corporate reshuffling. It may also serve as a blueprint for future carve-outs when large suppliers are acquired or restructured.
Delayed: Boeing’s Spirit AeroSystems Acquisition Now Expected To Close By Year’s End
The hold-up is with European regulators as they review the split of Spirit between Boeing and Airbus.
Beyond the UK, Airbus’s acquisition of Spirit assets covers sites worldwide, including facilities in the US (Kinston, North Carolina; Wichita, Kansas), France (St. Nazaire), and Morocco (Casablanca). The Casablanca plant, for example, builds A321 and A220 components and recently ramped up production, which is a sign of Airbus’s global consolidation strategy.
Furthermore, as part of the deal, Airbus has committed to providing Spirit AeroSystems with non-interest-bearing lines of credit totaling US$200 million to support ongoing Airbus programs during the transition period.
Spirit AeroSystems Post-Acquisition Ownership Chart:
|
Owning Company After Deal |
Facilities / Sites / Activities |
|---|---|
|
Boeing |
– Wichita, Kansas, USA – Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA – Dallas, Texas, USA (Aftermarket) – Biddeford, Maine, USA – Woonsocket, Rhode Island, USA – Belfast, Northern Ireland — non-Airbus programs / non-Airbus assets |
|
Airbus |
– Belfast, Northern Ireland — A220 wings (and, unless sold to third party, A220 mid-fuselage) – Prestwick, Scotland — A320 / A350 wing components – Casablanca, Morocco — A321 / A220 components – Kinston, North Carolina, USA — A350 fuselage sections – St. Nazaire, France — A350 fuselage sections – Wichita, Kansas, USA — A220 pylons – (Also potentially: Subang, Malaysia — Airbus-related assets, if no third-party buyer is found) |
|
Other |
Sites (or portions) for which no buyer has yet been identified — Spirit says it is “evaluating options for sites that Boeing or Airbus may not acquire.” |
Source: Spirit AeroSystems
While this deal secures thousands of jobs and strengthens Airbus’s supply chain resilience, it also marks the effective end, or better, leads to a transformation of Spirit AeroSystems as a standalone, independent global supplier in its current form. The carve-up underscores broader industry pressures, including regulatory scrutiny, supply-chain stability, and the balancing act between competition and collaboration in aerospace manufacturing.
