Spirit AeroSystems emerges as leading bidder to acquire Bombardier’s facility in Morocco

The world's largest first-tier aerostructures manufacturer Spirit AeroSystems has emergedas leading bidder to acquire Bombardier’s units in Morocco and Northern Ireland, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Months after the Montreal-based firm announced that it is selling its facilities in both Morocco and Belfast, well-informed sources said that Bombardier has not concluded yet an agreement with Spirit. The two companies, however, held private negotiations.

According to the same source, other potential buyers, including «Europe’s Airbus SE, Spain’s Aernnova and GKN Aerospace», are interested in the two facilities.

In May, Bombardier said that it is selling its Morocco and Northern Ireland facility in an attempt to consolidate its aerospace business into a single hub.

For the record, Morocco’s Bombardier manufacturing hub, located in Nouaceur near Casablanca, has been operating since 2014. It is a low-cost aerospace manufacturing unit that produces aerostructures. In 2011, the Canadian company said that the Morocco facility was expected to employ 850 workers by 2020.