Spirit Airlines (NK, Fort Lauderdale International) will reduce its capacity by about a quarter in November 2025 compared to the same period last year, “as we optimise our network to focus on our strongest markets,” the company’s president and chief executive Dave Davis told employees in an internal memo.
In addition, the ultra-low-cost carrier, currently under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States, is evaluating the size of its fleet “to ensure we have the right number of aircraft for our future network, and discussions with our lessors are ongoing.” Furthermore, Spirit is reducing costs with suppliers and vendors, and will meet with labour groups to find additional ways to halve costs.
Due to these changes, Spirit expects to reduce its headcount; however, it has not yet announced how many employees will be offloaded, or when this could take place.
On the capacity reductions for later this year, Davis said: “These schedules are handled as the regular course of business, but because November’s schedule reflects significant adjustments, coupled with ongoing cost-savings efforts amid the restructuring, we want to be as transparent with you as possible.”
Spirit Airlines filed for Chapter 11 protection in late August, the second court-mandated reorganisation it has undertaken in less than a year, after the first failed to provide a secure financial footing for the company. Its fleet currently comprises sixty-two A320-200s, ninety-one A320-200Ns, twenty-nine A321-200s, and thirty-two A321-200NXs.
In the past few weeks, Spirit has already announced the axing of 11 markets, ongoing negotiations with aircraft lessors, particularly its main provider AerCap, and has delisted from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In addition, it has entered into a verbal and scheduling spat with United Airlines, whose chief executive Scott Kirby has been vocal casting doubts on the budget carrier’s future.
