PHOENIX — Spirit Airlines announced Tuesday that it will be leaving Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport early next year.
In a statement, Spirit said Phoenix was one of four airports in the U.S. it would stop flying into or out of starting on Jan. 8.
As part of our efforts to better position the airline for the future, we have adjusted our 2026 schedule to better align with our smaller operating fleet and focus on our strongest performing markets. This includes the difficult decision to discontinue service at Milwaukee (MKE), Phoenix (PHX), Rochester (ROC) and St. Louis (STL), effective Jan. 8, 2026, and discontinue seasonal service at Bucaramanga, Colombia (BGA), effective Jan. 13, 2026. We apologize to our Guests for any inconvenience and will reach out to those with affected travel plans to notify them of their options, including a refund. Thank you to our partners and guests in these communities for their support over the years.
Spirit Airlines leaving Phoenix in the midst of bankruptcy proceedings
This comes less than three months after the budget carrier filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time in two years.
The Florida-based company, which is known for its bright yellow planes and low fares, cited adverse market conditions and weak demand for leisure travel within the U.S. as reasons it was struggling in a quarterly report issued in August.
The airline has had issues recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and said in its November 2024 bankruptcy filing that it had lost more than $2.5 billion since the start of 2020.
Spirit had exited bankruptcy proceedings in March, but refiled just five months later.
Massive dropoff in Spirit passengers in 2025 at Sky Harbor International Airport
Spirit has seen a major decline in passengers this year at Sky Harbor, Arizona’s largest airport.
According to airport statistics, between January and September 2025, Spirit has had 113,613 passengers at Sky Harbor. This is an almost 64% decrease from the 314,540 passengers the airline saw between January and September 2024.
Spirit currently offers nonstop service to eight cities across the U.S. from Sky Harbor.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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