Spirit Airlines plans to cut Airbus fleet by half as carrier battles for profitability and long-term survival
October 8, 2025
Troubled US carrier Spirit Airlines has been announcing further cuts it plans to make to ensure its long-term survival. The company will be shedding around half of its all-Airbus fleet, as well as closing operations at several of its bases, as the airline undergoes a drastic downsizing to ensure longevity.
Spirit emerged from its first round of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March. With a revised business plan in place and a reshuffling of its top management, the airline had hoped that fortunes would turn in its favour.
However, with US demand remaining stagnant, cheap fares offered by competitors flooding its markets, and operating costs remaining high, the airline struggled to regain a stable footing.
With losses continuing to mount, Spirit filed for bankruptcy protection again in late August.
Now, with its survival far from assured, the airline has been announcing a raft of drastic changes that the carrier says will help it transform into a significantly smaller airline, operating a reduced schedule on fewer routes throughout the US.
At a hearing held before the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on 30 September, the airline reported “significant progress” in its Chapter 11 restructuring, with changes being made to its aircraft fleet commitments.
Deal with AerCap announced
Firstly, Spirit Airlines announced that it had successfully negotiated a new agreement with Irish aircraft lessor AerCap. The deal reached between the parties enabled Spirit to reject leases on 27 Airbus aircraft currently leased from AerCap.
This was seen as a necessity by the carrier to help it lower its overall cost base by returning aircraft that it is currently not utilising for scheduled flights.
The move will also allow Spirit to cut debt and stabilise its finances as the Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection process continues.
According to a Spirit Airlines statement, the revised deal with AerCap would “accelerate its fleet optimisation strategy.”
Under the terms agreed, AerCap will additionally pay Spirit $150 million, which will settle all outstanding claims and disputes between AerCap and Spirit over a deal covering 30 Airbus planes due for delivery to the airline between 2027 and 2028.
The agreement is subject to Court approval and will be considered at the next bankruptcy hearing scheduled for 10 October.
More Spirit aircraft to be handed back
The announcement was swiftly followed by a further announcement made by the company’s CFO, Fred Cromer, on 3 October. Cromer told creditors on a virtual call that overall, the carrier planned to shrink its fleet by nearly 100 aircraft, almost half of its fleet, as part of its bankruptcy restructuring process.
The carrier, which currently operates 214 aircraft, is in the process of renegotiating leases on much of its fleet with various lessors to downsize the airline.
On 2 October, Spirit filed a motion with the bankruptcy court to reject a further additional 87 aircraft leases, though aircraft returns and retirements. Along with the AerCap deal, the combined total of aircraft involved becomes 114 aircraft in total.
“The motion is subject to court approval, and we continue to engage with key stakeholders, including our lessors, as part of our ongoing restructuring to position Spirit for the future,” said the airline.
As reported by Reuters, the airline has until 27 October to finalise its aircraft requirements going forward.
The intervening time should allow the company to conclude negotiations with several lessors, which could result in aircraft being removed from the proposed rejection list and the overall number being reduced.
The strategy is expected to save the company “hundreds of millions of dollars” in costs, Cromer said, allowing it to “support a much smaller and stronger Spirit Airlines.”
How does Spirit’s current fleet make-up look?
According to ch-aviation, the airline’s current fleet comprises 62 A320-200s, 91 A320neos, 29 A321-200s, and 32 A321neos. The carrier removed its last remaining A319s from the fleet earlier in 2025.
Although the current fleet equates to 214 aircraft, data seen by Aerospace Global News indicates that 65 of these aircraft are not currently flying, equating to around 30% of the airline’s entire fleet.
While some of these aircraft remain grounded awaiting maintenance on their Pratt & Whitney geared-turbofan (GTF) engines (another issue that has plagued the airline), others are in storage with the airline sidelining them due to network cuts being made as part of the Chapter 11 process.
As part of the negotiations with lessors, the carrier will be aiming to shed its older, less efficient A320-200s and larger A321neo aircraft, as well as the A320neo airframes that have been heavily affected by the GTF engine issues.
Other network-wide cuts are falling
In addition to the aircraft cuts, in recent weeks, Spirit has also announced plans to exit service at 15 US airports, including Hartford-Bradley International Airport (BDL) in Connecticut, and Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport (MSP) in Minnesota.
Additionally, services on around 40 other routes across its network have also been suspended as part of its restructuring plan, reducing its capacity by about 25% compared to that operated in November 2024.
In addition to the reductions to its aircraft fleet and network, the company has also announced over 2,000 job cuts so far. The carrier has also said that it has received the approval of the Bankruptcy Court to reject 12 airport leases and 19 ground handling agreements as part of its strategy to emerge as a “smaller, more focused, and sustainable airline.”
