Boeing has submitted new commitments to the EU Commission for its acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems on September 22, 2025. These remedies are part of its efforts to secure regulatory approval for the merger.
As a result of the new commitments submitted, the European Commission has extended the review deadline to October 14, 2025.
The European Commission confirmed the commitments had been submitted, but declined to comment further. Boeing has been contacted for comment.
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority cleared Boeing's planned acquisition of its former subsidiary and current fuselage supplier in August. The two companies reached a definitive merger agreement in July last year, and the deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year.
Last week, on September 12, FAA proposed $3.1 million in fines against Boeing, relating to the Flight 1282 incident, where a door plug blew out shortly after takeoff on an Alaska Airlines' 737 MAX flight in January 2024, and also in relation to “interference with safety officials' independence”.
“The FAA identified hundreds of quality system violations at Boeing's 737 factory in Renton, Washington, and Boeing subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems' 737 factory in Wichita, Kansas,” the FAA said in a statement. “Additionally, Boeing presented two unairworthy aircraft to the FAA for airworthiness certificates and failed to follow its quality system.”
The statement added that a non-organisation designation authorisation (ODA) Boeing employee had pressured an ODA Boeing employee to sign off a 737 MAX aircraft in order to meet its delivery schedule. The ODA member had determined that the aircraft failed to meet standards. The ODA programme allows the FAA to grant authority to qualified companies to carry out FAA airworthiness functions.
Boeing was given 30 days on the date of the penalty notice to respond to the FAA. US Senator Richard Blumenthal said in a letter to the FAA today that the proposed fine was “inadequate”.
The US OEM has made progress since the Alaska Airlines incident, with new CEO Kelly Ortberg taking the lead in August 2024, spearheading the company's commitment to safety and quality assurance.