Spirit Airlines said one of its planes was shot at while landing in the Haitian capital and had to be diverted
AFP

As it navigates bankruptcy, Spirit Airlines confirmed Thursday that it has laid off hundreds of employees.

A spokesperson told International Business Times it is part of the airline's cost reduction plan.

"We are executing on plans to right size our organization to align with our current fleet size and level of flying and ultimately optimize our airline," a spokesperson said.

The airline previously furloughed 260 pilots.

"While we will continue to identify additional operational efficiencies, these efforts, along with our recent Pilot furloughs, achieve our previously announced target of $80 million of annualized cost reductions."

They went on to say, "These decisions are never made lightly, and we are committed to treating all impacted Team Members with the utmost care and respect."

Spirit Airlines filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year due to crushing $795 million in debt.

The filing came after the Department of Justice blocked its $3.8 billion merger agreement with JetBlue Airways, citing antitrust violations.

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