Boeing and Airbus are facing the same problem: they can’t get Nuts.
Not engines. Not avionics. Nuts and bolts the smallest, least glamorous components of an aircraft have become the rarest commodity in aerospace.
Here’s how a single event set off a global chain reaction.
🔥 The Spark
On 20 February, a five-alarm fire tore through SPS Technologies’ forge in Northeast Philadelphia.
No lives were lost, but the plant which held a quiet monopoly on 40 aerospace-grade fasteners for the 737 MAX was reduced to twisted steel.
- 👷 250 machinists were laid off within a week
- 🚚 A single truckload of titanium bolts escaped before the roof collapsed
- 💰 Those bolts remain locked in a bonded warehouse after someone filed a lien, claiming “Acts of God” voided the old pricing
In short: The bolts survived the fire, but a legal dispute may keep them off production lines.
🧩 The Dominoes
Within two days, every tier-1 Boeing supplier received the same urgent email:
“Please confirm by COB whether you source ANY fastener from SPS P/Ns attached. If yes, provide mitigation plan.”
It was the supply-chain equivalent of JFK asking the day after Pearl Harbor, “Does anyone know where the Pacific Fleet is?” a basic question that came far too late.
Suppliers’ responses: GE Aerospace, Safran Landing Systems, Spirit AeroSystems, Mitsubishi “Yes, and a lot of them.”
- 🕒 Nine months is the fastest possible timeline to re-qualify a new supplier
- ⚙️ Metallurgy, heat-treating, fatigue testing, FAA paperwork — none of it can be skipped
- 📈 The spot price for an Inconel 718 engine-bay bolt has already tripled
💸 The Tariff Throttle
While the industry was watching the fire, tariffs kept shifting:
- 🇺🇸 The US raised Section 301 duties on Chinese titanium mill products
- 🇪🇺 Brussels responded with counter-tariffs on US-built wide-bodies
Every change alters the landed cost of replacement fasteners, forcing airlines to re-price contracts signed years ago.
Boeing has quietly added a “Force Majeure + Tariff Pass-through” clause to new MAX purchase agreements.
Ryanair noticed.
🇨🇳 Enter the Chinese
COMAC’s C919 isn’t a perfect competitor its range is shorter, and dispatch reliability is still in the high-90s but it is available now.
- 🛫 EASA joint flight tests start in October in Toulouse; certification is penciled in for 2027
- 💲 List price: about US $99 million vs. US $128 million for an A320neo
- 🏦 Bank of China offers 2.3% fixed loans; Ex-Im Bank is quoting ~7%
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary told the Financial Times:
“If Boeing wants to add tariff surcharges, we will cancel the 300 737-10s on order. We’ll fly C919s. I don’t care if they’re made in Shanghai or Seattle as long as they leave on time.”
When a US congressman demanded he appear before a hearing, O’Leary replied:
“Ryanair is an Irish airline. We do not operate in the United States. Have a nice day.”
📊 What Happens Next
Four things to watch:
- 🪛 Fastener qualification – PCC, LISI, Stanley and a few Japanese firms are ramping up production. First shipments expected Q2 2026
- 📄 Ryanair’s contract – Contains a clause allowing either side to cancel if new US/EU trade measures materially change pricing. That condition has now been met
- 🛫 EASA certification – If the C919 gains European approval before Boeing fixes its fastener shortage, the order book could shift
- 👷 Labor – The 250 SPS machinists now work in HVAC manufacturing. Once skilled labor leaves aerospace, it rarely comes back
