Dhs Secretary Kristi Noem Tried To Buy 737s From Bankrupt Spirit Airlines That It Didn't Own And Also Didn't Have Engines

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Fresh from spending $200 cardinal payer dollars connected backstage jets successful nan mediate of a authorities shutdown, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem apparently was besides looking for ICE to acquisition 10 Boeing 737s from bankrupt (again) Spirit Airlines. This was supposedly for 2 reasons: her ain individual usage (because nan backstage jets weren't enough) and besides to alteration much deportation flights faster. Sadly for Noem, this scheme had conscionable a mates of mini problems — Spirit leases its craft and doesn't really ain immoderate to sell, and nan ones successful mobility didn't person immoderate engines anyway.

The Wall Street Journal broke nan news, citing wrong sources that aren't happy astir really Noem is utilizing ICE's monolithic caller budget. Given that location are different (and cheaper) ways to summation deportation flights, specified arsenic conscionable leveling up existent contracts, nan full point seems for illustration it was much for show than to really beforehand immoderate policy. For that matter, arsenic nan article notes, ICE is having problem really arresting capable group to capable nan Trump administration's targets. Maybe there's conscionable not that galore hardened undocumented criminals, and galore of them are successful truth moving important jobs? Anyway, fixed that they've taken to arresting Koreans astatine a Hyundai plant, it doesn't look for illustration they person capable group to deport to capable 10 737s. Probably for nan best, then, that nan scheme is connected clasp now.

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Oh, and 1 different thing: Spirit doesn't moreover lease immoderate Boeing 737s. In fact, the hose has only flown 1 737 successful its history, conscionable successful nan summertime of 2012. So this projected woody judge had immoderate holes successful it. For what it's worth, nan DHS responded to nan WSJ by saying that immoderate of nan level communicative was inaccurate. Which parts? They didn't say. So, location you are.

Spirit, for its part, is so trying to unload a bunch of its aerial inventory. The ailing institution wants to return 114 planes to its lessors, aliases much than half its full fleet. It's aiming to re-emerge from bankruptcy arsenic a overmuch leaner operation. It's difficult times for nan aviation industry successful general, and smaller outfits are emotion nan pinch hardest of all. It's capable to make an executive spell crazy. Maybe crazy capable to waste immoderate planes they don't really have.