Spirit AeroSystems celebrates maiden flight of Airbus A350 XWB

WICHITA, Kan., June 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Spirit AeroSystems, Inc., [NYSE: SPR] today with Airbus celebrated the first flight of the Airbus A350 XWB, with the airplane making its maiden voyage on June 14, 2013.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130515/CG13652LOGO)

"We are proud to be on board the A350 XWB program with its new technology and design," said John Pilla, Spirit AeroSystems senior vice president and general manager, Airbus and A350 program management. "We have built a solid relationship with Airbus on the A350 program, and we're excited to be a close and valued collaborator on this airplane in the future."

Spirit AeroSystems has both fuselage and wing work responsibilities on the A350 XWB. Spirit designs and builds the composite center fuselage section (Section 15), along with the composite front wing spar, at its facility in Kinston, N.C. Fuselage panels are assembled into a single shipset at Spirit's facility in Saint-Nazaire, France, then delivered to Airbus. Spirit also designs and builds the fixed leading edges of the aircraft wings, work it performs at its facility in Prestwick, Scotland.

"We have supported the A350 XWB program with six units delivered to Airbus to date, while striving to exceed the demands and expectations of our customer," Pilla said. "We continue to collaborate with Airbus on the development and early production phase for the A350 XWB. Our purpose is to work closely alongside Airbus to deliver an excellent and exciting aircraft to the airline customer and the flying public."

On the web: www.spiritaero.com
On Twitter: @SpiritAero

About Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.
Spirit AeroSystems, with headquarters in Wichita, Kan., USA, is one of the world's largest non-OEM designers and manufacturers of aerostructures for commercial aircraft. In addition to its Wichita and Chanute facilities in Kansas, Spirit has locations in Tulsa and McAlester, Okla.; Kinston, N.C.; Nashville, Tenn.; Prestwick, Scotland; Preston, England; Subang, Malaysia; and Saint-Nazaire, France. In the U.S., Spirit's core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components. Additionally, Spirit provides aftermarket customer support services, including spare parts, maintenance/repair/overhaul, and fleet support services in North America, Europe and Asia. Spirit Europe produces wing components for a host of customers, including Airbus.

SOURCE Spirit AeroSystems