Spirit Airlines, the seventh largest passenger carrier in North America, announced that a new pilot base at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) will open in September 2024. Initially, they are planning to locate about 200 pilots with additional supervisors and services.
Background of Airlines and Airport:
Located 9 miles (14 km) west-southwest of Manhattan in New York City, Newark Liberty International Airport, opened 95 years ago, is an important gateway to Europe, South America, Asia, and Oceania. Founded in 1983, Spirit Airlines had its headquarters in Eastpointe, Michigan. It was later relocated to Miramar, Florida, in November 1999. They announced plans to locate their headquarters in Dania Beach, Florida, in October 2019. They also intended to purchase 100 new Airbus A320neo family aircraft. Spirit is the second largest carrier at EWR, where the service began in October 2016, with 32 departures and service to 22 destinations. Newark is located within Spirits’s network.
Spirit has been influenced by the low availability of the Pratt & Whitney PW11000G engines. They plan to have around 40 A320neo family aircraft in total by December 2024, with an average of 25 aircraft on the ground (AOG) throughout the year.
New crew base:
These new pilot bases to be opened are the airport stations where flight crews begin their day and end their working periods. Pilots and crews can operate routes from the base as well. Spirit Airlines is planning to open new pilot base at Newark Liberty International Airport in September , 2024. The new EWR pilot crew base at Newark Liberty International Airport will accompany Spirit’s additional crew bases in Dallas(DFW), Houston(IAH), Miami(MIA), Orlando(MCO), Fort Lauderdale(FLL), Atlanta(ATL), Chicago(ORD), Detroit(DTW), and Las Vegas(LAS). Newark Airport is the best site for the new pilot crew base as it falls within Spirit’s network and has an immense flight schedule with a large population base.
Spirit is a regular carrier with non-stop flights between Florida and South Jersey. However, some weeks ago, the Spirit Spokesperson said the Airline would cease operations at its Atlantic City International Airport crew base. It is due to a gradual decline in flights from Atlantic City. The closure is linked to an agreement between Spirit and Airbus to defer all aircraft orders for the next delivery from 2025 to the end of 2026. The company said that the orders will be deferred to 2030-2031. The closure will impact around 150 pilots and flight attendants, But the flights will continue to operate.
The Spokesperson said :
“The airline has serviced the Atlantic City airport for over 30 years, but flight frequency has fallen in recent years to an average of eight to 10 daily departures, depending on the flying season.”
Official words from Spirit Airlines:
Executive Vice president and Chief Operating Officer, John Bendoraitis stated:
“We’re continuously focused on running a strong, reliable operation, and our growth at EWR, paired with the airport’s location in the nation’s largest metropolitan area, make Newark ideal for our next Pilot crew base. Spirit has a long history of serving New Jersey travelers, and this investment reflects our commitment to our Guests and Team Members in the Garden State. We thank the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Newark Liberty International Airport, and our community partners for their continued support.”