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ULCCNot the smoothest landing
Spirit Aviation Holdings’ rescue talks have apparently stalled after lenders pushed back on the terms of a proposed $500 million U.S. government financing package. For a bankrupt airline already trying to keep the engines running, that’s a pretty brutal speed bump.
Why this matters
The proposal was supposed to work like a bridge: first a bankruptcy loan to keep Spirit operating, then longer-term financing after bankruptcy, potentially with warrants that could hand the government a massive stake. In other words, the airline was hoping for a lifeboat — and lenders are now arguing over who gets to sit closest to the oars.
The creditor chaos is the real story
According to the report, a group of lenders including Citadel is worried the deal would chip away at the value of their claims and shrink their recoveries. That group reportedly sent in a counterproposal that hasn’t gotten a response yet, which is never exactly a confidence-builder when you’re in court and running out of runway.
Bigger than just Spirit
The drama also says a lot about how messy airline rescues can get when politics, fuel prices, and bankruptcy all show up to the same party. Spirit shares dropped 6.01% on Tuesday to $1.72, and the stock is still down more than 80% over the past year. Big picture: if this bailout dies, Spirit’s path gets even narrower, and investors may need to brace for more pain before there’s any takeoff.