Frontier's first ex-Spirit A321neo heads to Tucson for delivery

Frontier Airlines is about to take delivery of its first former Spirit Airlines Airbus A321neo, a move that brings nearly-new aircraft into its fleet without waiting for factory production slots.

The jet, N731NK, was built in 2024 and delivered to Spirit that July. It flew for barely a year before Spirit ceased operations in May and the plane was stored at Pinal Airport in Arizona. On September 28, it was ferried to Tucson International Airport for repainting and interior reconfiguration, according to Simple Flying. Its planned Frontier registration is N814FR.

N731NK is the first of ten ex-Spirit A321neos that Frontier agreed to lease from AerCap in a deal signed Aug. 29. Deliveries are expected between the fourth quarter of 2026 and the first quarter of 2027. Two more former Spirit jets, N724NK and N725NK, have also been ferried to Tucson and already have Frontier registrations assigned, so they may follow soon.

The aircraft is an easy fit for Frontier's fleet. Frontier already uses Pratt & Whitney GTF engines across its A320neo-family aircraft and ordered another 91 A321neos with the same powerplant in 2025. The airline currently configures its A321neos with 240 seats, so the Tucson work includes adjusting from the 235-seat Spirit layout.

The deal is part of a broader fleet reshuffle. Days before signing the AerCap lease, Frontier agreed to return 13 older A320neos early. The airline said the combination of returning smaller jets and adding larger ones would keep capacity roughly flat while lowering costs per seat.

Spirit's fleet was remarkably young when it shut down: its entire Airbus fleet averaged only 8.2 years old. Other carriers have also picked up ex-Spirit planes. Uzbekistan's FLYONE Asia has two former Spirit A321neos in service. Vietravel Airlines in Vietnam has taken three former A320/A321ceo aircraft. Germany's Condor is adding four ex-Spirit A320neos. Qantas subsidiary Network Aviation operates nine ex-Spirit A319s. GlobalX has agreed to buy three ex-Spirit A320s.

Some Spirit A320neo-family jets have already been dismantled for engines and parts, but N731NK will begin a second career with Frontier.

• AerCap
• Airbus A321neo
• fleet transfer
• Frontier Airlines
• Spirit Airlines
• ultra-low-cost carriers