Boeing Plan to Buy Spirit Complicated by Airbus-Linked Factories

Boeing Co.’s plan to buy back supplier Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc. has become mired in protracted discussions over pricing for factories that make components for Airbus SE, complicating the US planemaker’s efforts to gain tighter control over manufacturing quality.

Since Boeing first confirmed its intention in early March to re-integrate Spirit, talks have only progressed slowly and don’t appear anywhere close to completion, according to people close to the matter. Untangling Spirit is complicated because the company makes parts not just for Boeing, but also for arch-rival Airbus as well as manufacturers including Northrop Grumman Corp., said the people, who asked to not be identified as the negotiations are confidential.