A U.S. bankruptcy judge on Thursday approved Spirit Airlines’ SAVEQ.PK debt restructuring, clearing the budget airline to convert $795 million in debt to equity and emerge from bankruptcy as a private company.

Spirit’s approval comes after the third merger attempt by Denver-based ULCC Frontier Airlines, part of a back-and-forth process between the two budget carriers that dates back to 2022 when Frontier made a run for Spirit but was usurped by JetBlue.

Financially troubled Spirit Airlines says its reorganization plan has been approved by a federal bankruptcy court in New York, opening the way for its exit from Chapter 11 “in the coming