Yesterday, Boeing agreed to acquire Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita for 4.7 billion dollars, ending months of talks over a deal the U. S. plane maker hopes will help ease a spiraling safety crisis. Senator Jerry Moran says with Wichita being the air capital of the world, and he has worked with Spirit the past several years and they have landed new defense contracts on some of the military’s most elite and innovative programs. He says he has been in contact with the Department of Defense to advocate for Wichita’s diverse capabilities so the defense work is not lost as a result of the Boeing’s acquisition. He adds that he has told Boeing executives that they have to earn the trust and respect of its employees and the community.
Boeing is trying to move past a year of difficulties sparked by a January 5 mid-air blowout of a door plug on a new 737 Max 9 jet that exposed a myriad of safety and quality problems. Those issues have led to a substantial slowdown in output at Boeing – rippling across the global commercial aviation industry. Spirit manufactures those door plugs.
