As talks reportedly near their end, Boeing has proposed using mostly company stock to purchase supplier Spirit AeroSystems instead of cash, according to Bloomberg.
The last-minute strategy change by Boeing values Spirit AeroSystems around $35 per share according to sources familiar with the process that spoke with Bloomberg.
It had been expected that Boeing would make an all-cash offer of more than $4 billion for two-thirds of Spirit AeroSystems, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Under the yet to be finalized agreement the segment of Spirit that makes parts for Airbus in Northern Ireland and North Carolina would be sold to the European planemaker.
Boeing’s change in approach to financing the deal is thought to be connected to concerns about how much cash the company has used this year following a slowdown in plane production.
Following an incident on January 5, 2024, when a door plug separated from an Alaska Airlines 737-8 shortly after takeoff, Boeing has faced one of its biggest ever crises as it struggles to regain confidence in the industry.
A Federal Aviaton Administration (FAA) audit following the accident in January 2024, identified “non-compliance issues” across Boeing’s manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control.
In recent months, a series of revelations by whistleblowers have compounded Boeing’s safety record and in June 2024, the firm’s CEO Dave Calhoun appeared in front of senators to answer questions about its failures.
Boeing is also still waiting to hear what punishment it will face from the Department of Justice for violating its 2021 deferred prosecution agreement put in place following the 737 MAX fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019.
Boeing has denied it has violated the 2021 deferred prosecution agreement.