Boeing has finalized a deal to acquire Wichita-based Spirit Aerosystems.

The two companies confirmed weekend reports that they had agreed to a deal that would have Boeing purchasing Spirit for $37.25 per share in an all-stock deal that values the supplier at $4.3 billion.    The deal will lead to the breakup of Spirit, with some of the company’s assets going to AirBus.

Spirit, which builds fuselages for the Boeing 737 Max jetliner, recently announced layoffs for hundreds of its employees.

Kansas Senator Jerry Moran issued a statement after the news was announced:

“For the last several years, I have worked alongside Spirit AeroSystems and other aviation companies across Wichita to diversify the manufacturing industry. This has led to new defense contracts on some of the military’s most elite and innovative programs and new partnerships and jobs for our nation’s growing aerospace industry. I have been in contact with leaders in the Department of Defense and many of our defense and aerospace partners to advocate for Wichita’s diverse capabilities so that defense work is not lost as a result of Boeing’s acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems.  There is no doubt that Boeing has a fractured history in Wichita. I have spoken to Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun and Chairman of the Board Steven Mollenkopf and conveyed that Boeing must earn the trust and respect of its Wichita employees and the community.”

Kansas Senator Roger Marshall also responded to news of the Boeing-Spirit deal:

“Spirit AeroSystems’s success and reputation for a skilled workforce and premier products make them an excellent partner for Boeing.  I look forward to Boeing enhancing Spirit’s crucial role in Kansas’s aviation sector and investing in the Wichita facilities and workforce. This merger will reinforce Wichita’s position as the air capital of the world.”