Airbus Updates No.4551

 

Spirit Airlines to reject 87 aircraft leases

Spirit Aviation Holdings, parent entity of Spirit Airlines, has petitioned the US Bankruptcy Court for an authorisation to reject 87 aircraft leases, including nineteen A320-200s, sixty-five A320-200Ns, and three A321-200NXs. The batch amounts to more than a third of the LCC's current fleet.

These lease rejections are on top of the recent agreement Spirit secured with its biggest lessor, AerCap, which included authorisation to reject the lease agreements of 27 aircraft (nineteen A320-200Ns and eight A321-200NXs). In total, the carrier is proposing to trim its fleet by more than a half from the current 214 aircraft to 100.

All 87 aircraft listed for rejection in the new filing are to be surrendered on October 27, 2025 at Goodyear. The impacted lessors are:

• Air Lease Corporation: one A321-200NX;
• Airborne Capital: one A320-200;
• Aircastle: one A320-200 and four A320-200Ns;
• Aviation Capital Group: seven A320-200Ns, and two A321-200NX;
• Avolon: two A320-200s, and two A320-200N;
• DAE Capital: two A320-200s and one A320-200N;
• Fuyo General Lease: five A320-200Ns;
• GA Telesis: one A320-200;
• ICBC Financial Leasing: three A320-200Ns,
• Jackson Square Aviation: one A320-200 and eighteen A320-200Ns;
• Merx Aviation Finance: three A320-200s and one A320-200N
• ORIX Aviation: one A320-200s and two A320-200Ns;
• SMBC Aviation Capital: four A320-200s and twenty-one A320-200N;
• ST Engineering: two A320-200s;
• Stratos: one A320-200s; and
• Vmo Aircraft Leasing: one A320-200N.

Many of the aircraft to be rejected are already out of service, the airline said. ch-aviation data shows Spirit’s fleet currently comprises sixty-two A320-200s, ninety-one A320-200s, twenty-nine A321-200s, and thirty-two A321-200NXs. Of this total, only 149 are currently active.

“As a key component of the chapter 11 process, Spirit has identified cost savings to be achieved through a significant reduction in its fleet by eliminating aircraft and other related equipment that currently are not, or soon will not be, used to generate revenue in Spirit’s businesses. This reduction and rationalisation of Spirit’s fleet will create a surplus of aircraft and other related equipment,” the company said.

Fred Cromer, the company's chief financial officer, added that the carrier "is committed to redesigning its network to focus its flying on key markets to provide more destinations, frequencies and enhanced connectivity in certain of its focus cities, while simultaneously reducing its presence in certain other cities. To do so, Spirit must right-size its fleet to match capacity with profitable demand."

Spirit Airlines' previous Chapter 11 process, which began in late 2024 and ended in March 2025, did not include the renegotiation of aircraft lease terms. Instead, the LCC focused on other cost-saving measures, which ultimately proved not to be enough to put the low-cost carrier in a secure financial position.

In its initial Chapter 11 filing, early in the year, Spirit Airlines did not renegotiate the terms of its fleet, focusing on other cost-saving measures. This ultimately proved not to be enough to put the low-cost carrier in a secure financial position.

Airbus Updates No.4308

ndCondor welcomes 1st A321neo

Condor's fleet renewal is continuing with the arrival of its first Airbus A321neo. The aircraft, A321-271NX D-ANMZ (11825), was handed-over to lessor Aviation Capital Group and the airline at Hamburg-Finkenwerder on 16 June 2024.

The aircraft is currently being readied for service at Frankfurt and is expected to make its first commercial flight on 5 July 2024. It will, initially, be based at Düsseldorf.

In total, Condor will add 28 new A321neos to its fleet until 2029. Earlier this year, in April 2024, the airline also took delivery of its first of thirteen A320neos.

Photo by Aviation Capital Group.

Airbus Updates No.4050

 

Avianca to lease former Viva Air Airbus A320neos

On 26 June 2023, the Aviation Capital Group announced it has reached an agreement with Avianca for the lease of former Viva Air Airbus A320neos. In total, the deal is for eight A320neos and all will be delivered this year.

Colombian low-cost carrier Viva Air suspended all operations on 27 February 2023 due to financial struggles and was, unfortunately, unable to restart operations.

According to our information the eight aircraft involved are:

• HK-5352 (10136), currently stored at Medellín
• HK-5353 (10172), currently stored at Bogota
• HK-5360 (10342), currently stored at Medellín
• HK-5361 (10313), currently stored at Bogota
• HK-5365 (10459), currently stored at Medellín
• HK-5366 (10482), currently stored at Medellín
• HK-5367 (10487), currently stored at Medellín
• HK-5368 (10409), currently stored at Medellín

With the extra A320neos, Avianca is jumping in the capacity-gap left behind by the demise of Viva Air. Currently, the airline's fleet consists of nine A319s, 64 A320s, 21 A320neos, and thirteen Boeing B787-8s.

Airbus Updates No.3951

 

SAS signs sale/lease-back deal for ten A320neo

SAS Scandinavian Airlines Airbus A320-200N© SAS Scandinavian Airlines

06.03.2023 - 17:03 UTC

SAS Scandinavian Airlines (SK, Copenhagen Kastrup) has entered into a sale/lease-back transaction with Aviation Capital Group for ten A320-200Ns due for delivery through early 2024.

"We continue to make progress with our transformation plan, and these new sale and leaseback agreements are an important part of that - securing competitive financing for our renewed fleet of modern and fuel-efficient aircraft. We are pleased to renew our long-term strategic partnership with ACG, one of the world's leading aircraft financing partners," President and Chief Executive Anko van der Werff said.

The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that SAS already operates fifty-seven A320-200Ns, including twenty-one placed with its SAS Connect (SL, London Heathrow) production carrier. The airline has a further twenty-three A320-200Ns on firm order from Airbus. The bulk of its existing A320neo are dry-leased with just eleven aircraft of the type owned by SAS. The ch-aviation fleets ownership module shows that SAS has no aircraft leased from Aviation Capital Group so far.

ACG's current A320neo portfolio comprises 53 aircraft placed with 20 carriers.

Airbus Updates No.3778

 

Austrian Airlines to add A320neo from mid-3Q22

Austrian Airlines Airbus A320-200© Austrian Airlines

17.02.2022 - 15:14 UTC

Austrian Airlines (OS, Vienna) will induct its first new generation narrowbody jets later this summer as part of its fleet renewal plan.

In a statement, the Lufthansa Group subsidiary said it would add four A320-200Ns between August 2022 and Spring 2023 to replace an unspecified number of outgoing, older A320-200s. The incoming A320neo will be deployed on continental European flights initially to London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol, and Frankfurt Int'l.

When contacted by ch-aviation, Austrian declined to add any further comment.

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, Austrian has a fleet of twenty-nine A320ceo of which 19 are currently active alongside three A321-200s and three A321-100s. It ended A319-100s operations on January 1. The A320s are around 17 years of age on average and are all owned by the airline with the exception of five which are leased from Aviation Capital Group (four) and GECAS (one).

Airbus Updates No.3766

 

Aviation Capital Group finalises order for 20 A220s

Singapore, 14 February 2022 – Global full-service aircraft lessor Aviation Capital Group (ACG), wholly owned by Tokyo Century Corporation, has signed a firm contract for 20 A220s following its order for 40 A320neo Family aircraft including five A321XLRs announced in December 2021.”

We are delighted to expand our partnership with Airbus through this A220 order”, said Steven C. Udvar-Hazy, Senior Vice President, OEM Relations & Market Development at ACG. “Our airline customers will appreciate the A220’s environmental friendliness, passenger comfort, and competitive operating economics.”

“This order for 20 A220s from Tokyo Century’s Aviation Capital Group reflects the potential of the aircraft as a sound investment, including for investors based in the Asia Pacific region”, said Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International. “We thank and congratulate our partners at ACG. With fuel and emissions efficiency ever more a discriminating investment choice, the A220 really stands out. Equally gratifying is the market feedback that the A220’s cabin is becoming the passengers’ darling in the regional and small single-aisle segments.”

The A220 is the only aircraft purpose-built for the 100-150 seat market and brings together state-of-the-art aerodynamics, advanced materials and Pratt & Whitney’s latest-generation PW1500G geared turbofan engines. Featuring a 50% reduced noise footprint and up to 25% lower fuel burn per seat compared to previous generation aircraft, as well as around 50% lower NOx emissions than industry standards, the A220 is a great aircraft for regional as well as long distance routes operations. The latest agreement lifts the total number of firm orders for the A220 above 700.

With this order ACG is supporting the recently launched multi-million dollar ESG fund initiative by Airbus that will contribute towards investment into sustainable aviation development projects.

Airbus Updates No.3711

 Aviation Capital Group Buys 20 Airbus A220s & 40 Airbus A320s

Airbus has notched one more order in the last hours of 2021. Lessor Aviation Capital Group has signed a deal for 40 A320neo family aircraft and 20 A220s, growing its fleet in the coming years. The order includes five A321XLRs, the plane set to reshape the long-haul market. Here’s a look at what could be the last order of the year.

ACG operates a diverse portfolio of Airbus aircraft, including the A320 and A330 families. Photo: Airbus

Last minute

Airbus announced a new order on 30th December, just before the books for the year close. This one came from Aviation Capital Group (ACG), a lessor owned by the Tokyo Century Corporation. The latest order will see ACG increase its Airbus commitments from 39 to nearly 100.

The order consists of two aircraft families. ACG has placed a firm order for 40 A320neo jets, of which five will be A321XLRs. The remaining 35 will be a mix of the standard A320 and A321neo jets, which the group already owns. ACG has also signed an MoU for 20 A220s, expanding its fleet size for the versatile regional jet.

Prior to the deal, ACG listed 39 firm commitments with Airbus and 17 with Boeing. The latest order means the European giant’s backlog is set to grow to 99, leaving the US-based firm far behind.

Riding the wave

For Airbus, the final hour deal wraps up an already strong year. The European aerospace firm has signed a series of deals since November. In a statement, CCO Christian Scherer said,

“The order is another gratifying endorsement of our single aisle products by one of the world’s premier aircraft asset managers, ACG and the Tokyo Century Group. It also forcefully confirms the A220 as a growingly desirable aircraft and investment in the commercial aviation landscape. We congratulate and thank ACG for its decision to select both the A220 and A320neo Families.”

ACG owns over 400 aircraft, 96% of which are narrowbodies, and have an average age of only 5.6 years. Photo: Airbus

The ACG deal comes two days after another major lessor deal. Air Lease Corporation added 116 planes to its order book, including 25 A220s, 79 A321neos (incl. 20 XLRs), and 12 widebodies. It’s been a good week for Airbus, to say the least.

Growing orders

After two years of uncertainty, aircraft manufacturers have bounced back in 2021. Airbus has certainly led the charge, with well over 500 deliveries in the first 11 months of the year and a series of important orders.

This includes the newly-launched A350F, which has attracted orders from carriers like Air France, Singapore Airlines, and lessors such as ALC and CMA CGM. The new aircraft type will help Airbus break into the freighter market and challenge Boeing’s long-standing supremacy thanks to the 747 and 777F programs.

The A350F is Airbus’ response to the 777F and future cargo competitors from the dominant Boeing. Photo: Airbus

While the sun is setting on 2021 (depending on where you are in the world), 2022 is looking like a strong year for aviation, with more orders and deliveries hopefully on the way!

Airbus Updates No.2646

JetBlue defers Airbus A321s but sticks to Airbus A220 in 2H20

jetBlue Airways Airbus A321-200(SL) © Airbus Industrie

12.05.2020 - 07:46 UTC

JetBlue Airways (B6, New York JFK) has deferred plans to add four leased, second-hand A321-200s, which it announced in January 2020, but still expects to start taking A220-300s later this year, the airline said in its quarterly report.

The carrier said that in order to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it slashed USD1.1 billion in aircraft capital expenditures through 2022 by revising its Airbus order backlog.

"We negotiated a deal with Airbus to rationalize our order book. We appreciate their partnership in supporting a new delivery schedule that helps our efforts to protect JetBlue," Chief Financial Officer Steve Priest said during the quarterly earnings call.

The four ex-Thomas Cook Airlines UK A321-200s, msn 5582, 5606, 6059, and 6126, were due to be dry-leased from Aviation Capital Group.

According to its newly announced delivery schedule, JetBlue expects to take one A220-300 and seven A321-200neo in 2021. As of the end of 2019, it hoped to take one A220-300 and "a maximum of eleven A321neo". The latter type was affected by the manufacturer's delays - contractually Airbus was supposed to deliver up to twenty-one A321neo to JetBlue in 2020, including seven units overdue from 2019.

After the revisions, JetBlue said it expects seven A220-300s and ten A321neo (including five LRs) in 2021 - up by one and down by seven for the respective types in comparison to the December 2019 schedule. In 2022, the airline hopes to take eight A220-300s (no change) and seven A321neo(LR)s (down by eight).

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, JetBlue has a total of seventy A220-300s, fifty-two A321neo, thirteen A321neo(LR)s, and eleven A321neo(XLR)s on firm order from Airbus.

The airline now expects to end 2020 with 267 aircraft (up by five compared to the current fleet): sixty E190s (no change), 130 A320-200s (no change), sixty-three A321-200s (no change), thirteen A321neo (up by four), and one A220-300 (new type).

JetBlue said that it remained "extremely excited" about the replacement of E190s with A220-300s despite the current crisis.

The carrier also said that it will most likely defer the launch of its planned transatlantic services to London beyond 2021, although it would not abandon the plan.

"We know we're going to emerge as a smaller airline. But we still see that opportunity albeit probably shifted back a little bit in terms of time," Chief Executive Robin Hayes said.