Staff Report
Published July 2, 2009

A spokesperson for Vought Aircraft Industries refused to respond to industry reports that the company’s plant in North Charleston might soon be acquired by Boeing Co.

Boeing is negotiating the purchase of the Vought plant, which is making fuselage sections for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner jet, The Wall Street Journal has reported.

But Vought officials are not commenting on the deal, if there is one.

“We don’t comment on rumors or speculation,” said Lynne Warne, spokeswoman for Vought.

Asked if talks of a purchase by Boeing were just “rumors and speculation,” Warne said yes.

The Wall Street Journal said Boeing is trying to better control the supply chain for its 787 program, and buying the Vought facility would be part of that effort. The newspaper named “a person familiar with the matter” as its source, along with reports on an aerospace-industry blog, FlightBlogger.

In June 2008 Boeing bought Vought’s share in Global Aeronautica, which also has a plant in North Charleston that works on the fuselage sections. Vought partnered with Alenia North America in 2004 to develop the site near Charleston International Airport.