Belfast plane maker focus of complex deal between Boeing, Spirit, and Airbus 

focus 

Spirit AeroSystems completed the purchase of the Belfast plant from Bombardier about four years ago.

A plan by troubled Boeing to buy back supplier Spirit AeroSystems has become mired in protracted discussions over pricing for factories that make components for Airbus, including the Belfast plant, complicating the US plane maker’s efforts to get the deal done. 

Airbus appears to be in no rush to strike a quick deal for the sites, which would expand the holdings of its aero structures division, sources told Bloomberg. Among Airbus's concerns is that the Toulouse-based manufacturer would have to shoulder any operating losses at plants like Spirit’s composite wing factory in east Belfast, adding to the financial drain from the A220 programme.