Spirit Aero reviews furlough contingency plans amid Boeing strike

(Reuters) -Spirit AeroSystems is reviewing its contingency plans regarding furloughs, a company spokesperson said on Thursday, adding that the key supplier of Boeing (NYSE:BA) has not yet made a decision.

The planning by the financially struggling Wichita, Kansas-based aerostructures giant follows a strike by more than 32,000 U.S. West Coast Boeing workers that is now spilling over into the planemaker’s supply chain.

Boeing and its largest union will resume contract talks on Friday in a bid to end a strike that has throttled plane production and hammered the finances of the aerospace giant.

Boeing workers in the Seattle area and Portland, Oregon, walked off the job on Sept. 13 in the union’s first strike since 2008, halting production of airplane models including Boeing’s best-selling 737 MAX. Spirit produces the fuselage for Boeing’s MAX.

“We’re reviewing our contingency plans regarding furloughs. No decisions have been made at this time,” Spirit spokesperson Joe Buccino said.

Buccino added that Spirit was evaluating “a variety of possible actions all aimed at protecting the future of our company.”

The Financial Times reported on Wednesday that Spirit would begin furloughs in three weeks if the strike continues.