Spirit Airlines shuts down, industry's first Iran war casualty

WASHINGTON: Bankrupt discount carrier Spirit Airlines ceased operations on Saturday (May 2), the industry's first casualty linked to the Iran war, after failing to secure creditor support for a US government bailout plan.

The collapse of the first carrier due to a doubling in jet fuel prices during the two-month-old Iran war will cost thousands of jobs. It is a blow to President Donald Trump, who had proposed US$500 million to save Spirit despite opposition from some of his closest advisers and many Republicans in Congress.

No US carrier of Spirit's size - it accounted for 5 per cent of US flights at one point - has liquidated in two decades. Spirit helped keep fares lower in markets where it competed against major carriers.

ALL FLIGHTS CANCELED, RIVALS TO BENEFIT

A Spirit board meeting had ended without an agreement to rescue the company, a person close to the discussions told Reuters late on Friday.

"Unfortunately, despite the Company's efforts, the recent material increase in oil prices and other pressures on the business have significantly impacted Spirit's financial outlook," Spirit said in a statement announcing "an orderly wind-down of operations".

All flights have been cancelled, the statement said, asking passengers not to go to the airport.

Spirit had 4,119 domestic flights scheduled between May 1 and May 15, offering 809,638 seats, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Global carriers are contending with surging jet fuel prices since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, in the air travel industry's worst crisis since the COVID-19 pandemic. Spirit was already struggling to turn a profit before the fuel shock.

Spirit built its brand around affordable fares for budget-conscious travellers ready to eschew add-ons such as checked bags and seat assignments. That demand tapered off after the pandemic as passengers preferred to opt for comfort and experience-based travel, leaving ultra-low-cost carriers struggling to adapt.

Spirit's shutdown will benefit rivals such as JetBlue Airways and Frontier Airlines, also reeling from the cost shock. Spirit's volatile over-the-counter stock plunged 25 per cent on Friday, while Frontier rose 10 per cent and JetBlue gained 4 per cent.

In an early sign competitors were ready to fill the gap, JetBlue said it would expand its service from Fort Lauderdale, one of Spirit's key markets, with 11 new cities and more flights on existing routes.

Trump said on Friday that the White House had given Spirit and its creditors a final rescue proposal, after talks hit an impasse over a US$500 million financing package that would have helped the airline keep operating through bankruptcy.

"If we can help them, we will, but we have to come first," Trump told reporters. "If we could do it, we'd do it, but only if it's a good deal."

FUEL-PRICE SHOCK THREATENS WEAKER AIRLINES

The collapse shows how the Iran war's fuel-price shock has exposed weaker airlines. Spirit's restructuring plan assumed jet fuel costs of about US$2.24 a gallon in 2026 and US$2.14 in 2027, but prices had climbed to around US$4.51 a gallon by the end of April, leaving the carrier unable to survive without fresh financing.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Reuters he had tried to get many airlines to buy Spirit but found no takers. "What would someone buy?" Duffy asked. "If no one else wants to buy them, why would we buy them?"

A creditor close to the deal said: "The Trump administration made an extraordinary effort to try and save Spirit, but you can’t breathe life into a corpse. Given that, the company should make its intentions clear for the sake of its customers and employees."

Spirit had reached a deal with its lenders that would have helped it emerge from its second bankruptcy by late spring or early summer. But those plans derailed after the war triggered a spike in jet fuel prices, upending Spirit's cost projections and complicating its bankruptcy exit.

The airline flew around 1.7 million US domestic passengers in February, with a 3.9 per cent market share, down from 5.1 per cent last year, Cirium data showed.

After Spirit's announcement, major US carriers rolled out rescue-fare options for affected passengers. Frontier announced systemwide discounts and plans to add summer routes, JetBlue offered US$99 fares through Wednesday, Southwest introduced special fares, United capped prices on one-way tickets and American added rescue fares while reviewing options to boost capacity on key routes.

Last month Trump said his administration was looking to buy the embattled carrier at the "right price".

It would have been the latest move by the government to intervene directly in corporate America. Last year, the US government took a 10 per cent stake in Intel, among other moves into US critical minerals firms.

Sources said that the administration had proposed US$500 million in financing in exchange for warrants equivalent to 90 per cent of Spirit's equity. There had been disagreements inside the Trump administration over whether and how to fund the bailout, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.