
Boeing set to acquire Spirit's Northern Ireland plant, spokesperson says
In April, European planemaker Airbus (AIR.PA), opens new tab finalized a deal to acquire several Spirit AeroSystems facilities tied to its aircraft programs.
Under the terms of the agreement Spirit reached with Airbus, the engineering programs for the A220 wing and A350 engineering program are expected to transfer to the European planemaker, Spirit Aero spokesperson Joe Buccino told Reuters.
"If a suitable third-party buyer is not secured for the remainder of the Belfast site, the A220 mid-fuselage program transfers to Airbus, with the remaining Belfast operations transferring to Boeing."
Last year, Boeing agreed to buy back Spirit in a $4.7 billion all-stock deal, aiming to streamline its operations and improving quality control, years after spinning off the key supplier.
With no buyer secured for the remaining Belfast operations, the facility is now expected to be transferred to Boeing, Buccino said.
A Boeing spokesperson told Reuters that the company "remains committed to its acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems" and that "taking ownership of Belfast is an outcome we've known was a possibility for some time."
The site also produces aerostructures components for Bombardier (BBDb.TO), opens new tab business jets. The Canadian planemaker is "very actively engaged with all parties to ensure continuity and quality," company spokesperson Mark Masluch told Reuters.
"We remain open to all solutions regarding the site's future," Masluch added, not fully ruling out a potential acquisition.
The news was first reported by the Financial Times earlier in the day.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Sun
13 minutes ago
- The Sun
AliExpress is selling a tiny home with bathroom AND kitchen for just £1.4k & it's delivered in a week
BUYING a home may seem like a far off goal these days, but AliExpress could have a cheap solution. The online retailer is selling a 20ft tiny home for just £1,400, and it includes a bathroom, bedroom and kitchen. 3 3 The small but stylish home offers floor to ceiling windows, meaning you could feel at one with nature working from home with natural lighting. There is only a £197.66 delivery fee, and your home could arrive next week. According to the listing: ' CDPH apple cabin is a modular dwelling constructed off-site and delivered to the location as a complete unit. 'The compact design, inspired by apple crates, features a rustic aesthetic and can accommodate several people. 'It comes equipped with a kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area, making it an ideal option for minimalist living or weekend getaways.' Forget having to apply for a mortgage and battle a dreading house chain, the home could be yours with a click of a button. Pictures show the home with curved edges and a wooden slatted design for the interior. The bathroom is contained privately inside, with the kitchen built into the living space. While it isn't huge, it could provide the perfect excuse to live more simply, and keep belongings and expenses low. It also said the colour can be "customised", meaning you could tweak it if you weren't a fan of the white exterior on the listing. Amazon is selling an 'insulated' tiny home for just $9,350 – it comes with 2 bedrooms and an 'enclosed' hall Given the national average house price in the UK was reported at £264,500 in 2024, it could be an affordable alternative. Of course, you could use the home to earn some extra cash, if you rent it out, or it could be an extra bedroom for friends and family. Alternatively it could be used as an office or gym in your garden. 3 Tiny homes in the UK have boomed in popularity in recent years and typically range from 100 to 400 square feet in size. Prices vary, but a basic tiny home can cost between £5,000 and £80,000, depending on size, materials, and whether it's custom-built. If a tiny home is on wheels, it may be classified as a caravan under UK law, meaning it might not require traditional planning permission. Are tiny homes legal in the UK? TINY houses can be in the UK regardless of whether they are on a trailer base or not. The legality of tiny houses is all to do with where it is and what you use it for. According to Planning Geek, constructing a granny annexe in your garden usually means you'll need planning permission, especially if it has a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. This is because it's seen as a separate living space rather than just an extension of your main home. However, if you're thinking about converting an existing outbuilding, like a garage, into a granny annexe or a tiny home, you might not need planning permission. That said, it's important to make sure the space doesn't end up being a fully self-contained unit – for instance, if the converted area doesn't include cooking facilities, it might not be classified as a separate dwelling. It's also worth noting that, while certain small outbuildings can be constructed under permitted development rights, the NAPC points out that this usually applies to structures like sheds or garages, rather than self-contained annexes. According to The Tiny Housing, a tiny home on wheels must not exceed 2.55 meters in width to be road-legal in the UK. Also, with a standard car licence, the length cannot be more than seven meters. While tiny homes offer an alternative living solution, they must comply with local planning and building regulations. Always check with your local council to ensure compliance with all regulations.


BBC News
16 minutes ago
- BBC News
Hull car park for 450 approved ahead of Drypool Bridge closure
Plans for a large temporary car park in Hull have been approved by the city council ahead of major work on a 454-space facility will be built on derelict land off Holderness Road, formerly the site of an Evans Halshaw car documents put forward by the council state that the car park will "alleviate the impact that the closure of Drypool Bridge would have on road users". Work to repair "significant damage" to the bridge, which crosses the River Hull, is due to start this month. A contraflow system will be introduced on 14 July, but a full closure is expected to be required later in the project. It is hoped that motorists will walk or take a bus from the car park into the city to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the site will have an entrance and exit from Holderness Road, along with a second exit on to Bright application means the car park could be operated until 30 June next year, or until the bridge permanently to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.


BBC News
16 minutes ago
- BBC News
Business support package on table after Holyhead port closure
The Welsh government is considering a package of support for businesses affected by the closure of Holyhead port was closed for more than a month in December after two ferries made contact with one of the berthing chair of the Senedd's economy committee, Andrew RT Davies, told Members of the Senedd (MSs) the incident involved two Irish port still has not fully reopened - with a further delay to the opening until at least 15 July - and concerns have been raised about the effect on local businesses. Rhun ap Iorwerth, Plaid Cymru leader and MS for Ynys Mon, called for an "urgent support package" and told members some businesses had reported a "90 percent drop in trade" with "one hotel operator alone losing out on almost £15,000 worth of bookings overnight".Ken Skates, secretary for transport and north Wales, said the local authority had submitted a funding request last week "for a package of support for Holyhead".He said this was "being appraised as swiftly as possible by the cabinet secretary for economy, who is considering the proposals and will respond very soon".Skates added the package contained two elements; "the potential of the cruise sector to benefit Holyhead" as well as "business support".He said it would involve "partnering with Business Wales, expanding the Smart Towns Cymru initiative, various initiatives around marketing, communications, place-making and capacity funding for the council".A committee report into the incident described the initial government response as "highly sluggish".During a Senedd debate, economy committee chairman Andrew RT Davies said the road haulage association had told them "the first contact they had had with Welsh government was an email on Christmas Eve", nearly two weeks after the he said was in "sharp contrast" to the response from the Scottish government, who contacted the road haulage association on 11 December "to inform them that Holyhead was shut". 'Concerns around accountability' In response, ap Iorwerth said "businesses and travellers were hearing from the Welsh government that the port would be back in operation in days, and, then, from the Irish government, who warned that the port wouldn't reopen before Christmas".Despite reports of the closure being due to bad weather, the damage that led to the closure occurred before Storm Darragh peaked, according to the port's owners, and Hannah Blythyn MS was critical of Irish Ferries for not engaging with the said the committee heard that two of the firm's vessels were involved in incidents at berth three of the port on 6 and 7 December, but "Irish Ferries did not provide evidence to the committee, nor did they actually respond to any correspondence from the chair"."This is, if I put it diplomatically, a matter of regret. I think, for me, that reluctance to engage raises concerns around accountability," she to the debate on behalf of the Welsh government, Skates said that "the actions that we took throughout the closure allowed for continuity as we worked together to find collective solutions".He added: "We got vessels diverted into different Welsh ports, we worked alongside the UK government departments to open additional routes, we ensured that no roadworks were taking place around the key Welsh roads leading up to the ports, and we ensured that there was plenty of train capacity into our port towns."