Spirit Airlines to furlough another 365 pilots as Chapter 11 process continues

On October 16, 2026, Fort Lauderdale-based Spirit Airlines announced that it would be furloughing a further 365 pilots as part of its restructuring process. The beleaguered airline is being forced to make significant cuts as part of its filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August 2025.

The latest round of cuts follows the airline’s announcement earlier in October that it would be shedding around half of its all-Airbus fleet, as well as closing operations at several of its bases, as the airline undergoes a drastic downsizing to ensure longevity.

Spirit emerged from its first round of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2025. With a revised business plan in place and a reshuffling of its top management, the airline had hoped that fortunes would turn in its favour.

However, with US demand remaining stagnant, cheap fares offered by competitors flooding its markets, and operating costs remaining high, the airline struggled to regain a stable footing. With losses continuing to mount, Spirit filed for bankruptcy protection again in late August.

Before this latest announcement, the company had previously furloughed about 330 pilots and planned to furlough another 270 pilots in November 2025 as more bases close and aircraft are returned to their lessors.

Carlos Yudica / ShutterstockSpirit Airlines’ latest announcement said the carrier would be furloughing 365 pilots and downgrading the status of up to 170 pilots in the first quarter of 2026 as it takes additional steps to right-size its workforce as part of its ongoing restructuring efforts.  

“As part of our ongoing restructuring, we are taking additional steps to align staffing across our organization with our previously announced capacity reduction and smaller operating fleet size,” the company said in a statement. 

Ongoing reductions

Spirit currently employs approximately 2,400 pilots. In December 2025, the flailing low-cost-carrier (LCC) also plans to cut approximately 1,800 flight attendants, or one-third of its total cabin crew staff. Spirit has also negotiated its exit from 12 airport leases and 19 ground handling contracts.

According to ch-aviation, the airline’s current fleet comprises 62 A320-200s, 91 A320neos, 29 A321-200s, and 32 A321neos. The carrier removed its last remaining A319s from the fleet earlier in 2025.

Markus Mainka / Shutterstock
Although the current fleet equates to 214 aircraft, data seen by AeroTime indicates that 65 of these aircraft are not currently flying, equating to around 30% of the airline’s entire fleet.

While some of these aircraft remain grounded awaiting maintenance on their Pratt & Whitney geared-turbofan (GTF) engines (another issue that has plagued the airline), others are in storage with the airline sidelining them due to network cuts being made as part of the Chapter 11 process.

As efforts continue to cut costs and reduce over-capacity, the airline is slowly moving towards a stronger position to remain solvent and keep flying.

Progress being made?

On October 13, 2025, Spirit Airlines announced it had secured US Bankruptcy Court approval for a $475 million debtor-in-possession financing facility and a key settlement with its largest aircraft lessor, AerCap. The approvals marked a major step forward in the airline’s Chapter 11 restructuring journey. The financing is being provided by Spirit’s existing bondholders, with $200 million immediately accessible to support operations during the reorganization.

Under the approved agreement with AerCap, the lessor will pay Spirit $150 million, Spirit will reject leases on 27 AerCap aircraft, and all outstanding claims between the parties will be resolved. The deal is part of Spirit’s effort to reduce fixed costs and simplify its fleet.

It is hoped that the latest pilot cuts, along with the cabin crew layoffs and the reduction in fleet size, will all contribute to Spirit emerging from bankruptcy a leaner and stronger carrier overall.

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