Spirit Airlines has reached a major settlement with aircraft leasing giant AerCap, rejecting its commitment to purchase 52 Airbus planes and options for 10 more. The deal, approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, transfers those orders to AerCap as part of Spirit’s restructuring efforts under bankruptcy protection.
The dispute between Spirit and AerCap was the catalyst for the airline’s second bankruptcy filing. In August, AerCap abruptly terminated lease agreements for 36 Airbus A320neo family jets scheduled for delivery in 2027–2028 and claimed defaults on 37 aircraft already in operation. Spirit challenged the claims but was forced to seek bankruptcy protection after losing access to a large portion of its fleet.
Under the new agreement, Spirit will reject 27 of its 37 existing aircraft leases. AerCap will retain $9.7 million in security deposits from the canceled leases and has been allowed to file an unsecured claim of up to $572 million against the airline. Spirit will also give up rights to the 36 undelivered aircraft.
As part of the settlement, Spirit will enter new lease agreements with AerCap for 30 Airbus A320 or A321 jets, with deliveries evenly spread across 2027, 2028, and 2029. AerCap will inject $150 million in cash to support Spirit’s reorganization.
Additionally, Spirit received court approval for a debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing facility worth up to $475 million from existing bondholders, with $200 million immediately available. The airline said the deal will help lower its operating costs by hundreds of millions of dollars.
To further streamline operations, Spirit plans to reduce its workforce and fleet size. About 1,800 flight attendants—roughly one-third of its cabin crew—will be furloughed effective December 1. The airline, currently operating 214 aircraft, intends to shrink its fleet by nearly 100 planes to cut expenses and stabilize financially.
This restructuring marks a pivotal moment for Spirit Airlines as it seeks to regain stability and rebuild operations amid mounting financial challenges.


Nvidia Weighs Expanding H200 AI Chip Production as China Demand Surges
Azul Airlines Wins Court Approval for $2 Billion Debt Restructuring and New Capital Raise
Coca-Cola’s Proposed Sale of Costa Coffee Faces Uncertainty Amid Price Dispute
Air Force One Delivery Delayed to 2028 as Boeing Faces Rising Costs
SoftBank Shares Slide as Oracle’s AI Spending Plans Fuel Market Jitters
United Airlines Flight to Tokyo Returns to Dulles After Engine Failure During Takeoff
JD.com Pledges 22 Billion Yuan Housing Support for Couriers as China’s Instant Retail Competition Heats Up
Apple App Store Injunction Largely Upheld as Appeals Court Rules on Epic Games Case
Evercore Reaffirms Alphabet’s Search Dominance as AI Competition Intensifies
ANZ Faces Legal Battle as Former CEO Shayne Elliott Sues Over A$13.5 Million Bonus Dispute
United Airlines Tokyo-Bound Flight Returns to Dulles After Engine Failure
Mizuho Raises Broadcom Price Target to $450 on Surging AI Chip Demand
SpaceX Begins IPO Preparations as Wall Street Banks Line Up for Advisory Roles
CMOC to Acquire Equinox Gold’s Brazilian Mines in $1 Billion Deal to Expand Precious Metals Portfolio
Trello Outage Disrupts Users as Access Issues Hit Atlassian’s Work Management Platform
Rio Tinto Signs Interim Agreement With Yinhawangka Aboriginal Group Over Pilbara Mining Operations
SpaceX Insider Share Sale Values Company Near $800 Billion Amid IPO Speculation 



