Boeing Defuses Feud With Top Supplier as GE Alumni Reach Deal
- Spirit AeroSystems surges after tentative deal with planemaker
- 737 Max, 787 Dreamliner jets had been biggest sticking points
The engine of a Boeing Co. 737 Max 9.
Photographer: David Ryder/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Two former General Electric Co. colleagues turned sparring partners are close to unraveling aerospace’s Gordian knot: a sprawling, four-year industrial dispute that touches every Boeing Co. commercial jet.
Now on opposing sides, Kevin McAllister and Tom Gentile spearheaded talks that over the past few days broke a contract deadlock pitting Boeing against Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc., a supplier that used to be part of the Chicago-based planemaker. Spirit surged to a record on news of the tentative pact, which may lead to an even closer tie between the companies.