The U.S. Federal Trade Commission approved Boeing’s $8.3 billion acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems on December 3 2025, but only after ordering the divestiture of a substantial portion of Spirit’s assets that overlap with Boeing’s commercial aircraft programs. The order requires Spirit to sell all businesses that supply aerostructures to Airbus, as well as its Subang, Malaysia facility that serves both Boeing and Airbus. The divestitures will be transferred to Airbus and to Composites Technology Research Malaysia Sdn. Bhd (CTRM), respectively.
The FTC’s consent agreement includes a 30‑day public comment period, after which Boeing and Spirit must complete the divestitures. The merger, originally slated to close in mid‑2025, is now expected to conclude in the fourth quarter of 2025 at the earliest, reflecting the additional regulatory steps and the need to identify suitable buyers for the divested assets.
Boeing’s purchase of Spirit, announced in July 2024, is intended to restore industrial stability, improve quality control, and bring key fuselage and wing‑section production back in‑house. The parallel transaction with Airbus, which acquires the Airbus‑related Spirit businesses, was designed to mitigate antitrust concerns by ensuring that Boeing does not gain exclusive control over critical inputs for its main competitor.
Investors viewed the FTC’s conditional approval as a positive development for Spirit, while Boeing faced concerns over the required asset sales. The decision moves the merger closer to completion but introduces additional integration complexity and potential cost implications for Boeing.
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