LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Spirit Airlines planes are being flown out of Harry Reid International Airport as the company ceases operations following its recent shutdown announcement.
At least three Spirit planes remain at Harry Reid Airport, as of Wednesday evening, but it’s unclear how long they will be there. Many of the airline’s jets are being flown around the country to Goodyear, Arizona, near Phoenix.
Matthew Melton, who operates Las Vegas Airport Live on YouTube, documented some of the departures.
“The announcement of Spirit’s closing was pretty sudden,” Melton said. “And we were able to see the cancellation of quite a few flights. And so that pretty much let us know that the flights that were coming in were going to be here until their final place.”
MORE ON FOX5: Thousands of Spirit Airlines workers fight for paychecks after sudden shutdown
Job losses and repossessions
Around 17,000 jobs nationwide are affected by the closure.
“It is unfortunate that quite a few people are affected by the closure,” Melton said. “Knowing a few of the pilots, some of the flight attendants, the ground crew. It is impactful here in Las Vegas.”
Spirit jets are being repossessed and will be sold, sold for parts or leased out, according to the FOX affiliate in Phoenix. Some are being flown into Goodyear by Captain Bob Allen of Nomadic Aviation Group with the help of unemployed Spirit pilots.
“We’re contracted to pick them up at the airports that Spirit abandoned the airplanes at,” Allen said. “We get the pilots on site there and then we gain access to the airplanes.”
Some of the jet engines are valued at around $15 million to $20 million. Allen said planes are being sent to Arizona in part because of the dry climate. Planes that sit in wet or humid conditions can deteriorate and develop corrosion, said Allen.
Harry Reid officials said they don’t know when the remaining planes will leave. They tell FOX5 they are waiting for a bankruptcy court to give them more direction on the aircraft.
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