Spirit Airlines has retired its last commercial Airbus A319 aircraft, saying goodbye to the smallest Airbus A320
aircraft family member that was part of its fleet (it never operated the A318) in early January.
Last A319s
Flightradar24 records showed that on January 2, a Spirit Airlines
Airbus A319, registered as N536NK, operated its last commercial flight from Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (FLL) to Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).
Since then, the airframe, manufacturer serial number (MSN) 4422, was ferried to Coolidge Municipal Airport on January 8.
Another A319, registered as N535NK, suffered the same fate on January 6, when it operated its last commercial flight from San Juan Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU) to Fort Lauderdale
. From there, MSN 4403 was moved to Houston-Intercontinental
on January 7 and, subsequently, to Coolidge Municipal three days later. Ch-aviation data showed that Carlyle Aviation Partners, a United States-based aircraft leasing company, owns the two aircraft.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Meanwhile, Coolidge Airport is one of the service locations of AIM, a Tucson, Arizona-based maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services provider. The company said that it provides teardown, disassembly, and part-out services.
The two A319s were powered by International Aero Engines (IAE) V2500 engines. Spirit Airlines had operated the two since December 2016, after Mexico-based Volaris removed them from its fleet in October 2016.
Airbus originally delivered the two A319 aircraft to the Mexican operator in August 2010. MSN 4403 had accumulated up to 44,768 flight hours (FH) and 19,498 flight cycles (FC), while MSN 4422 had 43,471 FH and 19,338 FC as of September 30, 2024, according to ch-aviation.
Related
Spirit Airlines’ Oldest & Smallest Aircraft: The Top Routes for the Carrier’s Airbus A319s
The ultra-low-cost airline will operate its Airbus A319s on routes to 13 destinations in June.
Only leased A319s
In January 2023, Spirit Airlines announced that it had sold 29 unencumbered A319 aircraft powered by IAE V2500 engines to Gryphon Trading Company, an affiliate of Gryphon Aviation Leasing, a US-based leasing company with a focus on three to 15-year-old aviation assets that are serviceable or destined for retirement and disassembly.
The aggregate price ranged between $152 million and $201 million and depended on price adjustments specified in the two companies’ – confidential – agreement.
“Deliveries of the aircraft are anticipated to occur beginning in the first quarter 2023 through the end of the third quarter 2024. The Company expects to remove 14 and 15 A319ceo aircraft from its operating fleet in 2023 and 2024, respectively.”
Photo: Minh K Tran | Shutterstock
Spirit Airlines noted that the remaining two A319 aircraft in its fleet – MSN 4403 and MSN 4422 – were leased and should be returned to the lessor when the lease expires sometime in 2025.
According to its full-year Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing on February 9, 2024, the airline decided to sell the aircraft shortly after electing to accelerate the retirement of 29 of its A319s in Q4 2022.
Related
Spirit Airlines Agrees To Sell 29 Airbus A319s To Leasing Company
Spirit’s whole Airbus A319ceo fleet will exit the company by 2025.
Selling other A320ceo aircraft
In October 2024, Spirit Airlines announced that it agreed to sell a further 23 Airbus A320ceo and A321ceo
aircraft to GA Telesis, a US-based aerospace asset manager. The aircraft, delivered between 2014 and 2019, were priced at $519 million. However, the carrier said the transaction would add $225 million to its balance sheet by the end of 2025.
Complications arose when the airline entered into voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings on November 18, 2024, resulting in the judge overseeing its bankruptcy case at the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York having to approve these transactions.
Photo: Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
The court allowed Spirit Airlines to sell the first batch – five – aircraft involved in the transaction in late November 2024. Of the 23, only three, namely N642NK, N673NK, and N641NK, remain in active commercial service. The rest have been shipped to Phoenix Goodyear Airport (GYR) throughout late 2024 and early January.
Related
How Many Aircraft Has Spirit Airlines Retired Amidst Its Bankruptcy
Spirit Airlines has been storing aircraft in addition to the 23 Airbus A320 and A321s it sold to GA Telesis.