Wichita-based Spirit AeroSystems and Boeing say Boeing’s plan to buy Spirit could be final by the end of the year.
That’s according to new reports from the Wall Street Journal and Reuters.
The Federal Trade Commission has ruled the deal may move forward as long as Boeing divests portions of Spirit AeroSystems that do business with Boeing’s rival European-based company, Airbus.
The FTC has expressed concerns that the merger would allow Boeing to unfairly control their competitor’s supply chain.
This means that Spirit’s plants in North Carolina, Northern Ireland, and Malaysia will most likely be divested.
It’s been more than a year since Boeing announced plans to buy Spirit AeroSystems for $4.7 billion, a deal originally hoped to have been complete earlier this year.