As expected, 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 historic plant in Northern Ireland
that makes carbon wings for the A220.
Additionally, Airbus is expected to absorb activities at a
plant in the aerospace cluster in Casablanca, Morocco, where Spirit does some
fuselage work for the A220 and produces some engine nacelles or housings for
the A320, they said.
Also expected to be involved is Spirit's plant in
Saint-Nazaire in western France, which receives the A350 sections built in
Kinston and partially assembles them to be sent on to Airbus in Toulouse where
the wide-body jets are made.
Other Spirit plants include Wichita, Kansas, where it
carries out its main Boeing operations, as well as Prestwick in Scotland,
Subang in Malaysia and Tulsa, Oklahama.
Airbus and Spirit declined comment on the details of any
impending deal.