Spirit Airlines to sell 20 jets, recalls furloughed flight attendants
Budget carrier said selling the aircraft will improve its financial situation
Spirit Airlines reached a deal to sell 20 of its Airbus jetliners and is recalling some of the flight attendants furloughed late last year amid the budget carrier's financial struggles.
Spirit is in the midst of its second bankruptcy in under two years after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2024 and completed its first restructuring in March 2025. It filed for bankruptcy a second time in August 2025, which prompted the airline to move forward with service cuts and furloughs.
The company said selling the aircraft will improve its financial situation, and the fleet reduction isn't expected to affect its flight schedule if the court approves the jetliner sales because most of the 20 planes aren't in service.
"As part of our ongoing restructuring, we have reached an agreement to sell 20 aircraft that have been held for sale for some time. Most of these aircraft are not currently in revenue service," Spirit said in a statement.
Spirit Airlines reached a deal pending court approval to sell 20 of its Airbus jetliners. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
"If approved by the court, this transaction will give us greater financial flexibility. The aircraft involved will be phased out of our fleet starting in April 2026. We do not anticipate any changes to our near-term schedule or staffing as a result of this transaction," Spirit added.
The company formally asked a federal bankruptcy court for approval to proceed with the sale on Wednesday. Income from the transaction would go to paying off debt related to the aircraft while contributing to lower operational costs.
Reuters reported that the first bidder is CSDS Asset Management, an aviation asset manager that agreed to buy the 20 planes for about $533.5 million. If approved, Spirit would seek competing offers starting at around $554 million, according to an agreement with CSDS, and the auction and sale would be held in April.
JetBlue won a bid to acquire Spirit in 2022, but the deal was blocked by regulators over antitrust concerns. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Spirit Airlines on Thursday moved to recall 500 of the more than 1,300 flight attendants who were furloughed in December due to its ongoing financial struggles.
"As we continue to make adjustments to meet the evolving needs of our business, we are issuing recall notices to 500 Flight Attendants who were involuntarily furloughed on Dec. 1, 2025. Recalled Flight Attendants will be sent a notice on Feb. 12, 2026, and those who accept will return to duty in the timeframe detailed in the Collective Bargaining Agreement."
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Frontier Airlines attempted to buy Spirit in 2022 and 2025 but faced regulatory barriers in the first attempt and had a bid rejected last year. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service)
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the union that represents Spirit flight attendants, said in a statement posted to X that they will be recalled in order of system seniority, with those involuntarily furloughed first.
"This is good news for 500 Flight Attendants and their families and critical to those of us on the line that have faced a grueling operation over the last two months. The company's goal in recalling Flight Attendants is to ease some of the operational issues since the furloughs," the union said.
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The union added it will continue to press management on scheduling issues, access to healthcare and other benefits, as well as a dependability policy and other matters.
Reuters contributed to this report.