DENVER – Frontier Airlines has agreed to purchase 12 more Airbus aircraft valued at $1.3 billion, a move that will nearly double its existing fleet when combined with the 89 orders it already has with the manufacturer.

The deal, announced Tuesday, signals that the Denver-headquartered airline is “going for broke” as it continues to transition into becoming an ultra-low-cost carrier, said Jim Simmons, a professor of aviation and aerospace science at Metropolitan State University of Denver. The move represents a significant financial investment at a time when many other airlines are leasing planes as they try to adjust their schedules and load capacity to an ever-changing market.

“That’s an ambitious growth plan,” Simmons said. “To add to their fleet 12 airplanes with a whole lot of seating capacity is an ambitious thing to do.”

Frontier currently operates a fleet of 56 aircraft. This order will increase that number to 101 planes in the next five years as the airline phases out old planes and replaces them with new ones.

Already, Frontier is waiting to receive 89 Airbus A320 planes that will be fitted with 186 seats. The new order will add two more A320s and 10 Airbus A321 models that will have 230 seats.

Source: http://www.9news.com/story/money/business/2015/06/02/frontier-airlines-continues-growth-with-13-billion-order-for-new-airplanes/28378775/