Boeing won’t rush aircraft facility sale

WICHITA, Kan. — Boeing Co. told employees Thursday that several buyers have expressed interest in buying its commercial aircraft operations in Wichita and plants in Tulsa and McAlester, Okla.

“No decisions have been made,” the company said in a statement to employees. “Our next step is to exchange information with a selected group of them and conduct tours. You may see some of these visitors on site over the next several weeks.”

The company said it had prepared office space for buyers to use at the plants. It also told employees it had no timetable, but expected it to be a slow process.

Boeing said it would evaluate all proposals before making a determination to continue negotiations or terminate the process. The Chicago-based company told employees last month that selling the facilities is a possibility as it tries to focus more on design, sales and marketing.

“Remember, this is far from a ‘done deal’ at this time. No firm decision can be made or will be made until all the facts are in. We are following a very methodical approach to ensure we get all the facts we need to make a wise decision,” the statement said.

Some industry analysts consider the British firm GKN Aerospace Services as the most likely buyer of the commercial aircraft operations in Wichita. Efforts to obtain comment Thursday from GKN were not immediately successful.

One reason GKN would be interested in Boeing’s Wichita facility is that the plant will get much of the composite materials work on Boeing’s new 7E7 Dreamliner plane.

GKN, with more than 5,800 employees at 11 manufacturing centers worldwide, is a world leader in the production of composite assemblies for airframes and engines. It purchased Boeing’s Hazelwood, Mo., facility near St. Louis in 2001, and recently announced it planned to sell its interest in AgustaWestland, a helicopter manufacture — a move that could help raise capital for another acquisition.

Media rumors that GKN was not interested in buying the plant are most likely posturing by the company to negotiate a better deal, said William Alderman, president of Alderman and Co., a New York investment bank specializing in the aerospace industry.

“GKN is letting people know through different channels it is prepared to walk under the current transaction — and that is negotiating,” he said, adding that, “To say GKN has no interest — that is impossible.”