Spirit to produce A350 XWB fuselage structure.

Spirit AeroSystems Inc., Wichita, Kan., has signed a contract with Airbus Industries to design and produce a major composite fuselage structure for the A350 XWB (Xtra Wide-Body) aircraft Spirit will design and manufacture the Section 15 center fuselage frame section, a composite structure that will be approximately 65 feet long and 20 feet wide, weighing nearly 9000 pounds.

Spirit and the State of North Carolina have reached an agreement to begin implementation of a multi-phased project to create a Composites Manufacturing Center for aircraft parts and assemblies in North Carolina. A new facility will be constructed in North Carolina's Global TransPark to accommodate new work packages, and will house both design and build processes. It will initially employ 500 people, with plans to grow employment to 1000 when all five phases are fully implemented. The project was facilitated by a package of state and local incentives.

Construction of the new facility in North Carolina will begin later this year, with operations expected to commence in 2010. Portions of work on the A350 XWB are also planned for Spirit Wichita and at the new Spirit Malaysia facility, which is expected to be operational in 2009. www. spiritaero.com