Irish Flight Operations Company Supports Repositioning of Spirit Airlines Fleet

Six West Aviation, a flight operations company based in Ireland, is supporting the recovery and repositioning of aircraft following the collapse of Spirit Airlines in the USA. This work is being carried out as the aircraft owners and lessors recover and remarket the aircraft they had on lease with Spirit

Spirit Airlines operated a fleet of circa 180 aircraft; the closure of the airline resulted in the most aircraft being returned since the failure of Pan Am in 1991. A number of Spirit’s aircraft were already parked in Arizona prior to the airline ceasing operations at the beginning of May; however, a significant number of aircraft needed to be recovered after the closure of operations.

These aircraft were scattered across the USA and Six West flew aircraft to Marana Pinal Airpark and Goodyear in Arizona.

The movements required a large amount of planning and coordination by Six West. One distinct feature was that the aircraft were parked at airports that Six West does not usually operate to, for example, Newark and Las Vegas.

Áine Scully, CEO of Six West Aviation, commented, “The Spirit Airlines closure was one of the most significant fleet recovery events in recent aviation history. We mobilised quickly, and I’m proud of how the team responded; this is exactly the kind of work Six West was built for.”

Six West always recognise that in an airline failure, large numbers of people lose their employment. Six West always try to re-employ pilots from airlines that have ceased operation and the closure of Spirit was no different.

 Map image: greatcirclemap.com

This nighttime picture is the last flight Captain Kimberly Harty flew for Spirit in the hours before the airline ceased operations. Kimberly was able to then fly the same aircraft into Marana while working for Six West.

Captain Kimberly Harty

Whilst based in Ireland and headquartered in Shannon, Six West have a number of regional offices. All operations were coordinated and managed from our Irish bases.

With extensive experience in lease transitions, distressed recovery operations and global aircraft movements, Six West Aviation continues to support clients during complex events that require speed, precision and control.

As the redistribution of the Spirit Airlines fleet progresses, Six West Aviation remains focused on supporting lessors through each stage of the repositioning process.

About Six West Aviation

Six West Aviation is a global provider of flight operations services based in Shannon, Ireland. The company supports aircraft lessors, airlines and aviation stakeholders through aircraft ferry services, lease transitions, recovery operations, crew solutions and consultancy. Its integrated approach ensures safe, compliant and efficient aircraft operations worldwide.

Contact us: [email protected]
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