Spirit Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on November 18 after selling or leasing multiple planes. Even yet, the company’s short-term plans included significant capacity cuts, which were made possible in part by the sale of some of its assets, notably airplanes.
Selling Airbus A320s and A321s.
On October 24, Spirit Airlines signed a contract with GA Telesis to sell 23 Airbus A320ceo and A321ceo aircraft, which were delivered between 2014 and 2019. GA Telesis stated that it will market the aircraft to its global customer base for sustained commercial airline operations. The transaction will increase the company’s liquidity.
Spirit Airlines reported a sale price of $519 million for 23 aircraft, including 15 A320ceos and eight A321ceos, with an estimated liquidity improvement of $225 million by the end of 2025.
The airplane was progressively transferred to Phoenix Goodyear Airport (GYR). The US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York filings released the manufacturer serial numbers (MSNs) of the A320ceo family aircraft, allowing for cross-checking with the jets’ registrations using ch-aviation data.
According to Ch-aviation and Flightradar24 data, 18 of the 23 A320ceo and A321ceos had been relocated to Phoenix-Goodyear as of this writing. On January 7, the remaining five aircraft (two A320ceos and three A321ceos) were flying.
Storing A320neos
One A320neo, registered as N952NK, was relocated to Phoenix-Goodyear on January 2, after its last commercial flight the day before. According to Ch-aviation statistics, SMBC Aviation Capital owns the airframe.
The A320neo joined 25 other aircraft of the same kind at the Arizonian airport, where Spirit Airlines has 43 Airbus aircraft, accounting for 20% of its 215-strong jet fleet. Five more have been parked in airports around the US, including Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).
According to Ch-aviation records, the 26 A320neos were kept between December 2022 and November 2024, though not necessarily at Phoenix-Goodyear. They were transported to the airport at some time during their storage term.
RTX, the parent company of Pratt & Whitney, reported issues with the PW1100G engine in July 2023. The PW1100G engine, commonly known as the Geared Turbofan (GTF), requires hurried removal and examination due to an uncommon problem in powder metal used for its construction.
17 fewer planes.
Spirit Airlines began 2024 with the greatest fleet number ever, with 232 aircraft. However, the current year began with 215 jets, with the carrier loosing 17 A319ceos from the previous year. The latter figure currently does not include the aircraft sold to GA Telesis.
According to Cirium’s Diio Mi airline planning technology, Spirit Airlines scheduled 914 fewer weekly flights in January, resulting in a 17.6% YoY decline. As a result, the carrier’s network will have 16.4% fewer weekly seats than it did last year.
The Diio Mi airline planning system revealed that Spirit Airlines scheduled 914 fewer weekly flights in January, a 17.6% decrease year on year (YoY). As a result, the carrier’s network will have 16.4% fewer weekly seats than it did last year.