Spirit is seeking permission to sell two gates at Chicago O’Hare to United for a total of $30.2 million.
Reuters reported Wednesday that Spirit filed a request to transfer the gates with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The court is overseeing the carrier during its second stint in bankruptcy protection, which began in August.
According to court documents cited by The Engine Cowl, Spirit is looking to sell two preferential use gates, G12 and G14, along with their associated infrastructure. The ultra-low-cost carrier would use the proceeds from the sale to repay loans, the site reported.
Spirit will continue to operate from Chicago O’Hare, airline officials said in the filing.
Currently, Spirit connects Chicago with markets such as New York-LaGuardia, Newark, New Jersey, Miami, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles, among others.
United is battling American Airlines for capacity at Chicago O’Hare. Both airlines are building up their schedules there, but because the airport is already tightly scheduled, available gates are a rarity.
Late last year, United was awarded five more gates by the City of Chicago. The move was challenged by American in court.
Spirit sold two gates at Chicago O’Hare to American in December for $30 million.
