04:48 AM EDT, 04/01/2024 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with response from Airbus throughout.)

Airbus Chief Financial Officer Thomas Toepfer said the European aircraft maker hopes to maintain stable relations with parts supplier Spirit AeroSystems ( SPR ) , which is a potential acquisition target of rival Boeing ( BA ) , Reuters reported Thursday, citing an interview in Switzerland's Boersen-Zeitung newspaper.

"It is important that we have a stable relationship with this supplier," Toepfer told the newspaper, according to Reuters.

Asked if Airbus would be interested in buying Spirit's Northern Ireland plant, which makes wings for its narrow-body A220 plane, Toepfer said, "We are checking with Spirit what the best option is."

An Airbus spokesperson said the company is in discussions with Spirit AeroSystems ( SPR ) "to protect the sourcing of our programs and to define a more sustainable way forward, both operationally and financially, for the various Airbus work packages that Spirit AeroSystems ( SPR ) is responsible for today."

Airbus is "in early-stage discussions on a variety of options, including acquiring from Spirit AeroSystems ( SPR ) some of the activities that they carry out for us," the spokesman said, adding that the talks were confidential.

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