Boeing’s $4.7B Spirit Deal Runs Into Turbulence As UK Antitrust Watchdog Launches Investigation

Boeing Co.’s (BA) $4.7 billion deal to acquire Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc. will face antitrust scrutiny in the U.K., according to the country’s competition watchdog.

Boeing’s stock was down 1.5% at the time of writing. Retail sentiment on Stocktwits over the past week has been in the ‘bearish’ territory.

In its merger inquiry of the Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems deal, the CMA stated that it is investigating whether the agreement would result in a lessening of competition in the U.K. aviation sector.

The authority stated that it is inviting comments from any party interested in this transaction. While it will attempt to close its investigation as soon as possible, the statutory deadline may be extended if necessary.

The CMA has set Aug. 28, 2025, as the deadline for Phase 1 of its investigation, and interested parties can provide their comments until July 15.

Boeing announced the Spirit deal last year that carved up the world’s largest aerostructures company between itself and Airbus.

At the time, Boeing stated that it would assume substantially all Boeing-related commercial operations, as well as other commercial, defense, and aftermarket operations.

Airbus would take over Spirit facilities that manufactured the A350 fuselage sections. The deal would also see Airbus take over A220 parts manufacturing facilities across Northern Ireland and Morocco.

This came after Boeing spun off Spirit in 2005 as it prioritized cost-cutting over quality, according to critics of the aerospace giant.

This deal brings back Spirit, a key supplier of the Boeing 737, 787 Dreamliner, and other commercial jets, into Boeing’s fold at a time when the company is looking to improve its quality controls.

The aircraft manufacturer recently entered into a $1.1 billion deal with the Justice Department to avoid criminal prosecution over two 737 Max crashes that killed 346 people.

Boeing’s stock is up more than 19% year-to-date and over 13% in the last 12 months.

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