WICHITA, Kansas (KWCH) – Kelly Ortberg, the new CEO of Boeing, accompanied by U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, visited Spirit Aerosystems in Wichita.
Ortberg, who has been in office for just five days, has several items on his to-do list. His top priority is to restore confidence in the face of heightened scrutiny from U.S. regulators and Boeing’s $4.7 billion acquisition of Spirit.
Ortberg and CEO Steven Mollenkopf also toured the National Center for Aviation Training (NCAT) at WSU Tech.
Wichita State President Dr. Rick Muma said the visit was aimed at showcasing Wichita’s capabilities in workforce development and research.
“These Boeing executives weren’t here 20 years ago, so they don’t know what we can offer here,” Muma said.
Although there were no official comments from Boeing management, Senator Moran said they were very impressed with the workforce and reiterated Boeing’s commitment to staying in Wichita.
“Today we said, ‘Welcome, let’s get to work making good things happen.’ And we’re keeping all the jobs we have here at Spirit in Wichita and Kansas,” Moran said.
Spirit Aerosystems is Boeing’s primary supplier and the largest private employer in Kansas. Kansas’ elected officials continue to watch what’s going on.
“Is Boeing interested in getting out of the defense business?” Moran asked. “The answer was, ‘No, we want to do everything we do today at Spirit, or everything Spirit does today, we want to continue as Boeing in the future.'”
Senator Moran said he has spoken to employees who have been positive about Boeing’s acquisition of Spirit, but he stressed the importance of Boeing’s commitment to building trust in Kansas.
“It’s early in the reorganization and acquisition period and a new CEO, but everything we’ve heard today has been positive about investing in this community and in aerospace in Kansas,” he said.
Boeing’s acquisition of Spirit is expected to be completed by mid-2025, subject to federal approval.
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