Spirit Airlines, fresh off a bankruptcy that wiped away nearly $800 million in debt, is once again struggling for survival. Credit rating agencies warn of looming default, while the company burns through cash at an alarming rate. Spirit is now borrowing heavily, exploring asset sales, and leaning on advisers to chart its future. To most, this looks like weakness. To visionary investors, it looks like an opening.

Imagine a Black investor consortium — a syndicate pulling together resources from across the nation — acquiring a controlling stake in a company like Spirit. The model exists: private equity firms do it every day. What’s been missing is the mobilization of collective Black wealth to buy into industries that define mobility, commerce, and infrastructure. If enough capital is aligned, majority ownership in a carrier is not a fantasy, it’s a calculated possibility.

Bold Sky Vision
“The same way nations use airlines as symbols of identity, the Black business community can use airlines as symbols of economic power.”

Look at Korean Air. It just announced a $36 billion purchase of 103 Boeing planes. That deal wasn’t just about planes — it was about national ambition. Air India, backed by its government, has done the same. Now pause and picture this: an airline owned outright by Black investors. Yes, Korean Air and Air India operate with state backing, but the principle is transferable. A private Black-led airline, outfitted with efficient planes and designed to serve both mainstream markets and cultural routes, would carry weight well beyond balance sheets. It would announce to the world that our community isn’t just flying in coach — we own the runway.

Stat Spotlight: The Scale of the Sky
103 planes ordered by Korean Air for $36.2 billion — the largest Asia-based wide-body order in Boeing’s history.

Of course, owning new jets outright is capital-intensive. But that doesn’t have to be the entry point. A more immediate play is purchasing slightly used planes and making them better. Black communities have always turned scarcity into strength — from music built on hand-me-down instruments to businesses born out of necessity. Aviation can be no different. With creative refurbishments, branding, and efficient maintenance, a used aircraft can transform into a flagship vessel of resilience.

Spirit itself has hinted at selling planes, gates, and other assets. These are precisely the kinds of opportunities that could seed a Black-owned aviation ecosystem. From repair hubs to logistics arms, from airport lounges to freight divisions, the possibilities go beyond passenger tickets.

Numbers That Matter
Spirit projects burning through $500 million in cash this year — opening the door for bold investors willing to take the risk.

Ownership also brings another form of return: inspiration. A Black-led airline would send a cultural signal as powerful as any dividend check. It would say to young African Americans that aviation is not just for others to manage. It would widen the imagination of children who might otherwise never consider careers in engineering, operations, or airline marketing.

But let’s make it even more real: ownership would allow us to open new routes that matter to our people. Direct flights from Chicago to Memphis, Atlanta to D.C., D.C. to Chicago, or Baltimore to Memphis — the very routes that connect our culture, business, and families — could be carved out with intention. This isn’t just about competing with Delta or United. It’s about building routes that center our communities and make travel easier for us.

Quote to Fly On
“Ownership is not about joining the table — it’s about designing the airport.”

If Korean Air can scale up through bold purchases, and Spirit can stumble because it lacked enough vision, then the Black business community has a clear choice. The skies are open, the opportunities are visible, and the question is no longer whether we can fly. It’s whether we’re willing to build.