Feb 10 (Reuters) - Spirit AeroSystems ( SPR ) expects to

post higher-than-expected quarterly revenue, helped by

production restarting at its biggest customer Boeing ( BA )

after a crippling strike, the U.S. aerospace giant said on

Monday.

Spirit Aero also surprised in early results by saying it

generated $91 million in quarterly free cash flow, as opposed to

an expected usage, but company filings reveal challenges.

The Wichita, Kansas-based aerostructures giant said it

has total financial liquidity of $890 million but expects to

burn $650 million to $700 million in free cash during the first

half of 2025, without offering an explanation.

The company's financial strain has put pressure on Boeing ( BA )

to complete

its planned acquisition

of the former subsidiary it spun off 20 years ago by

mid-2025, in a complex deal involving its European rival Airbus

.

Boeing ( BA ) referred all questions to Spirit.

Spirit Aero said its management expects to make a

going-concern disclosure in its 2024 annual filing after a

weeks' long strike shuttered most Boeing ( BA ) jet output.

The supplier which produces the fuselage for Boeing's ( BA )

strongest-selling 737 MAX jet, first warned

in November

there was "substantial doubt" about its ability to continue

as a going concern, with the U.S. planemaker and Airbus coming

to its aid.

In an investor presentation, Spirit Aero said it expects

"operational improvement and higher delivery rates to drive

better results in 2025," as Boeing ( BA ) plans to bring MAX production

back to a rate of 38 a month.

Spirit's deliveries increased about 15% in the fourth

quarter, led by higher Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 shipsets. A

shipset refers to sets of structural fuselage components

produced or delivered for one aircraft.

Reuters reported last week that Spirit Aero increased

fuselage production to 31 a month, up from 21.

Spirit expects revenues of $1.66 billion in the quarter

ended on Dec. 31, 2024, surpassing analysts' average estimates

of $1.61 billion.

Spirit Aero expects to report a loss of $413 million, owing

in part to high labor and raw material costs as the aerospace

supply chain remains strained. It had posted a profit of $291

million a year ago.

Spirit Aero also said it is expecting forward losses due to

Boeing's ( BA ) widebody 787 program, along with Airbus's A220 and

A350.