(Reuters) - European planemaker Airbus is poised to take over all or part of the operations of four Spirit AeroSystems (NYSE:SPR) plants as part of an impending deal involving rival Boeing (NYSE:BA), Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing industry sources.
The two main plants involved in the transfer to Airbus are Kinston, North Carolina, where Spirit makes a crucial part of the A350 fuselage known as Section 15, and a plant in Northern Ireland that makes carbon wings for the A220.
Spirit was spun off from Boeing in 2005 and has since become a supplier to Airbus. The European planemaker now accounts for roughly one-fifth of Spirit's revenue, with Boeing making up the majority.
Here are details of Spirit's key plants that supply to commercial and business aircraft programs:
LOCATION COMPONENT MANUFACTURED APPROXIMATE
NUMBER OF
EMPLOYEES
Wichita, USA - Fuselage, pylon, wing leading 12,590
edges, thrust reverser and engine
nacelle of Boeing 737 built in
Wichita, Kansas, where Spirit has
its headquarters. Area spans 150
buildings covering 12.7 mln sq ft.
- Composite forward fuselage and
engine pylons for Boeing 787
Dreamliner also built in Wichita.
Tulsa, USA - Wing fixed leading edge and wing 1,110
movable leading edge for Boeing 787
Dreamliner built in Tulsa,
Oklahoma, and Subang, Malaysia.
- Tulsa facility consists of 1.7
mln square feet of building space
set on 147 acres.
Kinston, USA - Central section panels of Airbus 590
A350 built in Kinston, North
Carolina.
Belfast, - Design and manufacture of 3,400
Northern advanced composite wings for Airbus
Ireland A220 commercial jet family.
- Manufacture of center fuselage of
Bombardier (OTC:BDRBF) Challenger 350 business
jet and Bombardier Challenger 650
business jet.
- Manufacture of forward fuselage
and other components for
Bombardier Global 5500 and 6500
business jets.
- Manufacture of composite
horizontal stabilizer for
Bombardier Global 7500 business
jet.
Casablanca, - Casablanca site assembles 220
Morocco emergency doors for Bombardier
Challenger 350 business jet.
- Assembles floors of Bombardier
Global 5500 and 6500 business jets.
- Casablanca site is set on 7 acres
and totals 312,000 sq ft with
access to Moroccan aeronautical
hub.
Prestwick, - Company builds wing leading and 1,120
Scotland trailing edge elements of all
Airbus A320 family of aircraft at
Prestwick plant.
- Prestwick facility consists of
988,000 sq ft of building space set
on 93 acres.
Saint-Nazaire - After central section panels of 135
, France Airbus A350 are built in Kinston,
they are incorporated into the
fuselage in Saint-Nazaire and
transported to Airbus.
- Saint-Nazaire facility set on 9
acres and totals 75,000 sq ft.
Subang, - Wing fixed leading edge and wing 1,000
Malaysia movable leading edge for Boeing 787
Dreamliner built in Tulsa,
Oklahoma, and Subang, Malaysia.
- The 411,000 sq ft Subang facility
is 34% owned by Spirit and set on
45 leased acres.
Source - Company website, SEC filings