LONDON – U.S. low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines have entered an agreement with Gryphon Trading Company, LLC, for a major sale of 29 Airbus A319s. The price range for the assets varies between $152 million and $201 million U.S. dollars.
The last remaining two A319 aircraft are scheduled to leave in year 2025 as the lease contract period expires.
The Spirit Airlines sales details
Major U.S. low-cost airline Spirit is no stranger to the American skies with their yellow planes, but there will now be fewer of the shorter fuselage Airbus A319 aircraft in the skies as Spirit Airlines have agreed on a sale of 29 A319s.
At the time of writing, this constitutes is the total fleet of A319s in service with the airline.
The exit of the A319s of Spirit Airlines comes as a result of an agreement the company has made with Gryphon Trading Company LLC, which is an affiliate of Gryphon Aviation Leasing LLC, with a price tag ranging between $152 million and $201 million USD.
The first deliveries of the Airbus A319s are due to start in the beginning of Q1 2023 and continue throughout the end of Q3 2024. The A319s are all of the older CEO types and contain IAE V2500 powerplants.
The A319 removals are anticipated to make way for 14 airframes throughout 2023, followed by further 15 throughout 2024, before the last two A319s return to its lessor when the aircraft lease contract period expires in 2025.
The A319 – a true workhorse
With Spirit Airlines being a major operator in the United States, its fleet is rather extensive, with the people’s favourite, the A320, being the company’s flagship aircraft.
Though, the Airbus A319 goes way back within the Spirit Airlines history, with the first delivery dating back to 2005, an airframe which left the fleet in 2009.
However, Spirit Airlines currently operate actively with 29 of the type, and have two temporarily stored, leaving the A319 fleet at 31 aircraft since its entry to the airline almost 18 years ago.
Though, things are now coming to a slow end for the A319s, and history books get a new mark as they gradually disappear one by one in the time moving forward.
The A320neo – a dominant aircraft type
Although the A319 chapter is coming to an end, Spirit Airlines have their focus and eyes on a much more improved airliner, which now runs the majority of their fleet.
The A320neo now serves as the biggest aircraft type in the Spirit Airlines fleet, with a total of 69 at the time of writing, with further three planned for delivery in the future.
Compared to Spirit’s older Airbus A320ceos, the A320neo provides a superior economical footprint due to fuselage improvements like advanced sharklets and heavily improved Pratt & Whitney gearbox engines.
These reduce cabin noise and carbon emissions greatly, providing more passenger comfort and less overall fuel burn during operations.
Overall
The deal the airline has agreed to with the Gryphon Trading Company, will definitely set a mark in the history books of Spirit Airlines seeing as their A319 history dates back to the early 2000s.
Seeing the age build up on multiple on the A319s operated by Spirit, the phasing out of the airframes could be explained as somewhat expected.
Despite the A319 chapter coming to an end at Spirit, their fleet size still remains big, and grows as the company takes more deliveries of the A320neo aircraft type.
