Meet the pilots who fly Spirit Aviation's yellow jets into the desert!

　　Before dawn on May 2nd, Spirit Airlines went bankrupt, and pilot Steve Giordano's work was just beginning.

　　Giordano, managing partner of Nomadic Aviation Group, told CNBC that he organized a massive recovery operation, reclaiming more than 20 Spirit aircraft that lessors wanted returned.

　　He said that in just over a week, he and his team transported 23 Spirit aircraft from airports across the country to the Arizona desert. Just hours earlier, these bright yellow Airbus planes were carrying Spirit passengers.

　　Giordano co-founded Nomadic with Bob Allen. Late on the morning of May 1st, he began hearing that his team would soon be starting work. "We finally gave the order to move personnel at 6 p.m. on May 1st," he said. At 3 a.m. the following day (Eastern Time), Spirit ceased operations.

　　Therefore, Nomadic and its hired pilots (some of whom were formerly with Spirit Airlines) began airlifting these aircraft to special airports outside Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, where they will now be stored.

　　Retired or idle aircraft are typically parked in desert regions because the climate there reduces the risk of corrosion or other damage. During the COVID-19 pandemic, air travel decreased dramatically, leaving airlines with thousands of aircraft parked there.

　　Nomadic handles everything from refueling the aircraft to ensuring necessary checks and crewing for flights.

　　Unlike airlines with large numbers of dispatchers, mechanics, and pilots, “when you’re doing this kind of job, the responsibility for getting it done is much greater,” Jordano told CNBC. “To be honest, the easiest part is the flight itself.”

　　Nomadic is an air transport company specializing in transporting aircraft. The company typically handles transporting aircraft to new customers around the world. In rare cases, it also recovers aircraft for leasing companies or other owners when an airline goes bankrupt.

　　“This is definitely the type of operation we perform the least,” Jordano said.

　　The collapse of a major U.S. airline is rare, and Spirit Airlines’ bankruptcy is one of the largest in decades. Earlier this month, Spirit Airlines began a lengthy dissolution process in bankruptcy court.

　　Part of the liquidation process involves returning aircraft to their leasing companies, which is where Nomadic Aviation got involved. According to court documents, Spirit Airlines owned 114 Airbus A320 aircraft, 66 of which were leased.

　　Jordano said he was so busy before a Spirit Airlines vehicle recovery mission that he forgot to eat.

　　“When I got on the plane, I thought, ‘Oh no, I’m starving, and there’s definitely no food until we get to Arizona,’” Jordano said. “A mechanic said, ‘Hey, all the food carts are full.’ So the carts were full of Spirit Airlines’ usual snacks. I think I had some Milanese crackers… I also grabbed a few boxes of cheese snacks. Basically, it was all free and unlimited.”

　　Not everything was free, like the Wi-Fi.

　　“I paid the price for it, but it worked,” he said, referring to his Spirit aircraft flying from Philadelphia International Airport to Pinar County Airport in Maranhá, Arizona.

　　It remains unclear what will ultimately happen to every aircraft in Spirit Airlines’ fleet. The airline has scaled back its fleet and cut routes in recent years to cut costs.

　　Engines not included in Pratt & Whitney’s massive recall (which grounded Spirit Airlines’ fleet and damaged it years before the company filed for bankruptcy) are likely to be in high demand.

　　According to aviation consultancy IBA Group, Pratt & Whitney PW1127G engines sold for approximately $14.5 million in January, up from $11.3 million three years ago.

　　Supply chain shortages since the COVID-19 pandemic have driven up the price of used spare parts, with engines being the most valuable, even though aircraft consist of hundreds of parts that can be sold.

　　“Engines that are already in operation will be in high demand,” said Stuart Hatcher, chief economist at IBA. “But maintenance turnaround times will likely still be close to twice the normal level.”

　　Jordanno, who lives not far from Philadelphia Airport, said driving to work and piloting the last Spirit Airlines plane to take off from that airport felt “unreal.”

　　“This will be the last time something like this happens, and I happen to be piloting that plane,” he said.
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