Boeing officials have confirmed media reports on Friday that said it is in talks to acquire Spirit Aerosystems, which makes fuselages for Boeing aircraft.

The news boosted Spirit’s stock by 16 percent, while Boeing shares were about 1 percent lower.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Spirit has hired bankers to look at options and has had early discussions with Boeing.  A statement was issued later by Boeing officials saying that preliminary discussions are underway, and bringing Spirit back into the company would improve plane quality and safety.

Spirit was created in 2005 when Boeing sold its Wichita operations along with its operations in Oklahoma.   Both companies have been under heavy scrutiny after a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 plane on a flight in January.   The FAA has been auditing Boeing’s production line, and the agency is giving Boeing 90 days to fix its quality and safety issues.