Here’s What’s Going To Happen To The 91 Planes Abandoned By The Failure Of Spirit Airlines

Spirit Airlines ceased operations abruptly last week after two bankruptcies, high fuel prices, and a government bailout that failed to go through. Within a near instant, some 17,000 people were out of a job, thousands of flights were canceled, travelers were stranded, and Spirit’s fleet of bright yellow Airbus A320 series aircraft was grounded wherever they sat or landed. Spirit Airlines had 91 planes of its 114 aircraft at 26 airports. What does the future hold in store for these aircraft? Some of them have already begun their journeys to their next chapter of service.

Spirit Airlines had been struggling for years after failing to recover from the travel downturn of the COVID-19 pandemic. In late 2024, Spirit became the first U.S.-based airline to file for bankruptcy since American Airlines filed in 2011. But unlike other airlines, Spirit did not emerge from its Chapter 11 Bankruptcy under totally clear skies, and eventually filed for a Chapter 11 a second time only months after emerging from the first. The government also blocked a planned merger between Spirit and JetBlue.

Just when Spirit thought its horizon was looking clearer, it was hit with a twist. In the time since the war in Iran started in February, the price of jet fuel has rocketed up about 70 percent, and Spirit Airlines didn’t have a buffer. The U.S. government attempted to be Spirit’s savior in a deal that would have seen the American government owning 90 percent of the airline. May 1 was a tumultuous day for Spirit Airlines, as rescue packages had fallen through and the airline began preparations to wind its operations down. As I reported then, some of Spirit’s fellow airlines didn’t think that the airline would survive the weekend. It was worse than that, as the airline didn’t even survive the night.

According to Spirit Airlines, the flight that ended its 34 years of airline operations was Flight NK1833, which departed Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus, Michigan, to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Texas. The flight departed Michigan around 10 p.m. and touched down in Texas just after midnight. By 3:00 a.m., Spirit said, its operations were wrapped up.

Chaos has ensued in the days since the failure of Spirit Airlines. The most immediate concern was that there were stranded passengers and former employees scattered all over America, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Now-former Spirit flight attendants and pilots had to fly back to their bases aboard other airlines’ aircraft, while passengers had to figure out another way to get to where they needed to go. CNN reports that other airlines tried to help by offering limited-time discounted rates for stranded Spirit passengers. Since its closure, Spirit Airlines claims that most customers who purchased tickets with a credit or debit card have been refunded.

The situation is sad all around. In one story, Spirit captain Jon Jackson was supposed to fly one last Spirit Airbus A320 from Fort Lauderdale to Baltimore on Saturday morning and then enjoy retirement. But this flight never happened, as Spirit shuttered even earlier that morning. His son Chris Jackson, a pilot whom Jon taught how to fly, was to ride in the airliner for his father’s last ride. Instead, they both found themselves aboard Southwest Airlines Flight 1450 bound for Baltimore. A pilot on that flight heard the story and thought that Jon deserved a better end to his career.

Upon landing, Southwest gave Jon a water cannon salute, champagne, and even a cheering crowd. A hero’s welcome, for sure.

Where Spirit’s Aircraft Are Going

When Spirit Airlines shut down, it had a fleet of 114 aircraft. These planes were Airbus A320 and Airbus A321 variants configured for 176 and 229 passengers, respectively. Of those aircraft, 91 were parked at 26 airports far and wide. Spirit was reducing its fleet size as part of its reorganizations. In February, the fleet was at 125 planes, down from a high of 220 aircraft before its restructuring.

The Associated Press reports that, of Spirit’s fleet, 66 aircraft were leased and 28 planes were owned by Spirit. Another 20 planes were owned by Spirit, but were already set to be sold as part of a separate court deal. In addition to the aircraft, Spirit also has 18 spare engines, maintenance facilities, an office building in Florida, gate positions at several major international airports, and landing slots at those same airports. As NPR reports, Spirit even held some coveted takeoff and landing slots at LaGuardia Airport in New York and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

All of these and more are up for grabs as Spirit is being liquidated, and there should be some interest in some of these gates, slots, and aircraft. Airbus is currently churning through a backlog of over 8,000 orders for aircraft, most of which are A220 and A320-family airliners. An airline that doesn’t want to wait years for its order to be fulfilled might be looking at some of Spirit’s yellow planes as a shortcut to getting some planes sooner.

But these aircraft have to be removed from where they’re currently sitting. A timer technically started the moment Spirit’s crews walked away from these machines. Airports charge airlines for aircraft parking, and those fees stack up. So, it’s imperative to ferry those aircraft somewhere else as soon as possible. Of course, the roughly one dozen owners of those 66 leased Spirit aircraft also want their planes back, too.

The company hired by six of the owners of Spirit’s Airbus to ferry these aircraft away from airports is the Nomadic Aviation Group. Founded in 2021 by two aircraft leasing and ferry-flight veterans, Nomadic Aviation specializes in flying planes for aircraft lessors. Nomadic says it performs “aircraft delivery & re-delivery flights, returns, change-of-operator check flights, and repossessions.” The company’s pilots also reposition aircraft for its clients or help its clients take aircraft out of or into storage.

In this case, Nomadic sees itself as repossessing the aircraft that were leased to Spirit. Immediately following the closure of Spirit, Nomadic says it hired at least 20 Spirit pilots to fly the A320s and A321s to desert storage facilities at Phoenix Goodyear Airport (GYR) in Arizona and Pinal Airpark (MZJ), which is also in Arizona. There, the aircraft can be stored until their owners figure out what to do with them. Storing aircraft in the desert is ideal due to the low humidity, low precipitation, and minimal corrosion that occurs out there.

Hiring Spirit’s former pilots to fly these ferry missions is done for two reasons. These pilots are immediately available for one, and these pilots are grateful to get some paying work right now. As a bonus, it also gives some sentimental Spirit pilots one last chance to fly the yellow jets they used to. Here’s a YouTube video of a Spirit Airbus landing at its new temporary home in Goodyear:

As NPR reported, repossessing airplanes from international airports is sometimes easier said than done. Nomadic’s pilots are dressed in plain clothes and inform airport staff that they’re there to take the planes. The airport staff have no idea what’s going on, and sometimes, they react by calling the police or airport managers. To the airport workers, it probably seems like random people are trying to steal a plane.

Despite weird situations like that, Nomadic’s pilots have been putting in some work. On May 4, at least three Spirit A321s were moved from Houston, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami to Goodyear and Pinal. Yesterday, another six Spirit planes were sent to desert storage. As I write this, Nomadic Aviation Flight 203 is ferrying a Spirit aircraft from New Orleans to the Pinal Airpark. Goodyear Airport was already housing a few dozen stored Spirit airliners before more were added.

You Might Fly On A Spirit Plane Again

Planes awaiting new assignments get their engines, windows, and ports covered up. Then, they wait for the new owner or lessee to whisk them away. Many of these planes will get new paint schemes, new interiors, and a whole different livery to suit the airlines operating them. The average age of Spirit’s fleet was around seven years old, so the aircraft still have plenty of life left in them. Sadly, some of the planes will reportedly have their engines removed or otherwise be parted out.

Spirit’s creditors may encounter another roadblock in trying to get these aircraft to new airlines. As NPR notes, the same high fuel prices that drove Spirit to throw in the towel also make acquiring a former Spirit airliner unappealing. Sure, Airbus might have a large backlog of aircraft, and some of those airlines might want to get an existing plane sooner. However, they have to decide if adding planes is the right choice right now, given fuel prices.

Thankfully, it’s believed that Spirit and its creditors will move the aircraft, but it might take a while.

I should note that desert storage isn’t the only disposition for the aircraft of a shuttered airline. If the airline closed after being acquired by another airline, as was the case with icons like Trans World Airlines and Northwest Airlines, planes that don’t end up sold or stored can keep flying, and gates can stay open, but they’ll eventually fly under the livery of the purchasing airline.

So, if you go to an airport in the near future and see one of Spirit’s distinctive jets taking off, know that it’s almost certainly empty and is on its way to the desert. One day, you might even fly on a Spirit airliner again, but it’ll have new paint and a new name. If you’re a former employee of Spirit, I sincerely wish you the best of luck. Hopefully you, like your former aircraft, will also be flying again soon.

Top graphic image: Spirit Airlines