Toulouse, France – The American budget carrier Spirit Airlines has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus for 100 Airbus A320neo.
The all-Airbus operator Spirit Airlines has 125 previous generation A320 Family jets in its fleet along with 15 A320neo. The airline profiles itself as an ultra-low-cost carrier and flies to destinations in the US, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
Look out! More than 100 new Airbus A320neo family aircraft are on the way and we can't wait to see where @AirbusInTheUS will take us next! ✈️? #MoreGo pic.twitter.com/utxrFmrc6F
— Spirit Airlines (@SpiritAirlines) October 23, 2019
The new order still needs to be converted to a firm order to materialize, but if finalized, Spirit Airlines may even be the first airline to fly the Airbus A319neo. Spirit wants to acquire both the A319neo, A320neo, and A321neo to immediately upgrade its fleet and expand its route network, says CEO Ted Christie.
“This new order represents another milestone for Spirit,” said Spirit Airlines’ President and CEO Ted Christie. “The additional aircraft will be used to support Spirit’s growth as we add new destinations and expand our network across the U.S, Latin America and the Caribbean. We look forward to working with our valued partners at Airbus to finalize our agreement.”
“The Airbus A320 Family has been a strong platform for the remarkable success of Spirit over the past several years,” said Airbus Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer. “The continuing confidence in the A320 expressed by the airline certainly lifts our spirits, and we look forward to being a part of the Spirit team’s continued growth for many, many years to come.”
If the A319neo is delivered, Spirit will be the first airline to operate the aircraft on regular passenger flights. So far, Airbus was only able to sell the VIP version of the A319neo.
Qatar Airways was the launch customer for the shortest variant of the A320neo family, but the Gulf carrier converted it into the larger A320neo.
Airbus A220-300, formerly known as Bombardier CS300, has a seating capacity close to the A319neo. However, the A319neo has the same cockpit as the A320neo and A321neo, allowing airline operators to employ their pilots in these planes at the same time.
Original article www.airlinerwatch.com
