SKYWEST INC

The information set forth below should be read together with the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” appearing elsewhere herein.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of SkyWest, Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of SkyWest, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a)2 (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework), and our report dated February 15, 2024 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

/s/Ernst & Young LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2003.

Salt Lake City, Utah

February 15, 2024

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

ASSETS

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Continued)

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Continued)

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2023

(1) Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

SkyWest, Inc. (the “Company”), through its subsidiary, SkyWest Airlines, Inc. (“SkyWest Airlines”) operates the largest regional airline in the United States. As of December 31, 2023, SkyWest Airlines offered scheduled passenger service under code-share agreements with United Airlines, Inc. (“United”), Delta Air Lines, Inc. (“Delta”), American Airlines, Inc. (“American”) and Alaska Airlines, Inc. (“Alaska”) with approximately 1,850 total daily departures to destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Additionally, the Company provides airport customer service and ground handling services for other airlines throughout its system. In 2022, the Company formed SkyWest Charter, LLC (“SWC”), which had its first revenue generating flight in May 2023. SWC offers an on-demand charter flight service. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had 603 total aircraft in its fleet, including 485 aircraft in scheduled service or under contract under its code-share agreements, summarized as follows:

For the year ended December 31, 2023, approximately 40.8% of the Company’s aircraft in scheduled service was operated for United, approximately 27.8% was operated for Delta, approximately 22.7% was operated for American and approximately 8.7% was operated for Alaska.

SkyWest Airlines has been a code-share partner with Delta since 1987, United since 1997, Alaska since 2011 and American since 2012. As of December 31, 2023, SkyWest Airlines operated as a Delta Connection carrier primarily in Salt Lake City, Detroit and Minneapolis, a United Express carrier primarily in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Houston, Chicago and the Pacific Northwest, an American carrier primarily in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Phoenix and an Alaska carrier primarily in the Pacific Northwest.

SkyWest Airlines operates the following aircraft manufactured by MHI RJ Aviation ULC, formerly known as Bombardier Aerospace (“Bombardier”): CRJ900s, CRJ700s and CRJ200s, and E175s manufactured by Embraer. The CRJ700, CRJ900 and E175 aircraft have a dual-class seat configuration typically configured with 65 to 76 seats. The CRJ200 is typically a single-class 50-seat aircraft. SWC operates the CRJ200 in a 30-seat configuration.

Basis of Presentation

The Company’s consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and the SkyWest Airlines and SWC and SkyWest Leasing segments, with all inter-company transactions and balances having been eliminated.

In preparing the accompanying consolidated financial statements, the Company has reviewed, as determined necessary by the Company’s management, events that have occurred after December 31, 2023, through the filing date of the Company’s annual report with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates and assumptions.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. The Company hadno restricted cash as of December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Marketable Securities

The Company’s investments in debt securities are classified as available-for-sale and are reported at fair market value with the net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income in stockholders’ equity. At the time of sale, any realized appreciation or depreciation, calculated by the specific identification method, is recognized in other income and expense. The Company’s position in marketable securities as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 was as follows (in thousands):

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had classified $686.9 million and $944.2 million of marketable securities, respectively, as short-term because it had the intent to maintain a liquid portfolio and the ability to redeem the securities withinone year.

Inventories

Inventories include expendable parts, fuel and supplies and are valued at cost (FIFO basis) less an allowance for obsolescence based on historical part turnover, excess parts and management’s expectations of future operations. Expendable inventory parts are charged to expense as used. An obsolescence allowance for flight equipment expendable parts is accrued based on estimated lives of the corresponding fleet types, anticipated part usage and salvage values. The inventory allowance as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, was $26.1 million and $24.2 million, respectively.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost and depreciated over their useful lives to their estimated residual values using the straight-line method as follows:

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had approximately $5.5 billion of property and equipment, net. In accounting for these long-lived assets, the Company makes estimates about the expected useful lives of the assets, the expected residual values of such assets, and the potential for impairment based on projected future cash flows and estimated fair value of the assets. Factors indicating potential impairment include, but are not limited to, significant decreases in the market value of the long-lived assets, a significant change in the condition of the long-lived assets and operating cash flow losses associated with the use of the long-lived assets. On a periodic basis, the Company evaluates whether impairment indicators are present. When considering whether or not impairment of long-lived assets exists, the Company groups similar assets together at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and liabilities and compare the undiscounted cash flows for each asset group to the net carrying amount of the assets supporting the asset group. Asset groupings are done at the aircraft type level.

During 2022, the Company committed to a plan to sell 14 CRJ700 aircraft, resulting in an impairment on the assets held for sale of$51.4 million. During 2023, the Company wrote-down the assets held for sale for an additional$2.3 million. See Note 8, “Assets Held for Sale” for more information on the assets held for sale.

Capitalized Interest

Interest is capitalized on aircraft purchase deposits as a portion of the cost of the asset and is depreciated over the estimated useful life of the asset. During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company capitalized interest costs of approximately $1.5 million, $1.9 million and $1.9 million, respectively.

Maintenance

The Company operates under a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration approved continuous inspection and maintenance program. The Company uses the direct expense method of accounting for its regional jet engine overhauls. The Company has engine services agreements with third-party vendors to provide long-term engine services covering the scheduled and unscheduled repairs for most of its aircraft. Under the terms of the agreements, the Company pays a fixed dollar amount per engine hour flown per month and the third-party vendors will assume the responsibility to repair the engines at no additional cost to the Company, subject to certain specified exclusions. Maintenance costs under these contracts are recognized when the engine hour is flown pursuant to the terms of each contract. The repair costs for engines not covered by these hourly service agreements are expensed when repair services are incurred. The costs of maintenance for airframe and avionics components, landing gear and other recurring maintenance are expensed as incurred.

Flying Agreements and Airport Customer Service and Other Revenues

The Company recognizes revenue under its flying agreements and under its lease, airport services and other service agreements when the service is provided under the applicable agreement. Under the Company’s capacity purchase agreements with United, Delta, American and Alaska (each, a “major airline partner”), the major airline partner generally pays the Company a fixed-fee for each departure, flight hour (measured from takeoff to landing, excluding taxi time) or block hour (measured from takeoff to landing, including taxi time) incurred, and an amount per aircraft in service each month (a portion of which is accounted for as aircraft lease consideration), with additional incentives based on flight completion, on-time performance or other performance metrics. The major airline partner also directly pays for or reimburses the Company for certain direct expenses incurred under the capacity purchase agreement, such as fuel,

airport landing fees and airport rents. Under the capacity purchase agreements, the Company’s performance obligation is met when each flight is completed, measured in completed block hours, and is reflected in flying agreements revenue. The transaction price for the capacity purchase agreements is determined from the fixed-fee consideration, incentive consideration and directly reimbursed expenses earned as flights are completed over the agreement term. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, capacity purchase arrangements represented approximately 86.5%,88.0% and 84.3% of the Company’s flying agreements revenue, respectively.

Under the Company’s prorate arrangements (also referred to as a “prorate” agreements), the major airline partner and the Company negotiate a passenger fare proration formula, pursuant to which the Company receives a percentage of the ticket revenues for those passengers traveling for one portion of their trip on a Company airline and the other portion of their trip on the major airline partner. Under the Company’s prorate flying agreements, the performance obligation is met and revenue is recognized when each flight is completed based upon the portion of the prorate passenger fare the Company determines that it will receive for each completed flight. The transaction price for the prorate agreements is determined from the proration formula derived from each passenger ticket amount on each completed flight over the agreement term. Certain routes under the Company’s prorate arrangements are subsidized by the U.S. Department of Transportation under the Essential Air Service (“EAS”) program, a program created to ensure small communities in the United States maintain a minimum level of scheduled air service. The EAS contracts are generallytwo years in duration and the Company recognizes EAS revenue on a per-completed-flight basis pursuant to the terms of each contract. Under the Company’s charter operations, SWC, the Company negotiates a fare for the charter flight with the customer. The performance obligation is met and revenue is recognized upon completion of the flight. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, prorate flying agreements and SWC revenue represented approximately 13.5%,12.0%, and 15.7% of the Company’s flying agreements revenue, respectively.

The following table represents the Company’s flying agreements revenue by type for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands):

The Company allocates the total consideration received under its capacity purchase agreements between lease and non-lease components based on stand-alone selling prices. A portion of the Company’s compensation under its capacity purchase agreements is designed to reimburse the Company for certain aircraft ownership costs. The consideration for aircraft ownership costs varies by agreement but is intended to cover either the Company’s aircraft principal and interest debt service costs, its aircraft depreciation and interest expense or its aircraft lease expense costs while the aircraft is under contract. The consideration received for the use of the aircraft under the Company’s capacity purchase agreements is accounted for as lease revenue, inasmuch as the agreements identify the “right of use” of a specific type and number of aircraft over a stated period of time. The lease revenue associated with the Company’s capacity purchase agreements is accounted for as an operating lease and is reflected as flying agreements revenue on the Company’s consolidated statements of comprehensive income. During the three months ended December 31, 2022, the Company amended certain of its capacity purchase agreements resulting in a portion of the Company’s aircraft lease revenue becoming variable beginning in the fourth quarter of 2022. As a result of these capacity purchase agreement amendments executed in 2022, during the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company deferred recognizing lease revenue on $78.5 million of the allocated fixed monthly lease payments received during the year ended December 31, 2023, under the straight-line method. The Company deferred recognizing lease revenue on $22.1 million of the allocated fixed monthly lease payments received during the year ended December 31, 2022, under the straight-line method. The Company has not separately stated aircraft rental income and aircraft rental expense in the consolidated statement of

comprehensive income because the use of the aircraft is not a separate activity of the total service provided under the capacity purchase agreements.

A portion of the Company’s compensation under its capacity purchase agreements relates to operating the aircraft, identified as the non-lease component of the capacity purchase agreement. The Company recognizes revenue attributed to the non-lease component received as fixed-fees for each departure, flight hour or block hour on an as-completed basis for each reporting period. The Company recognizes revenue attributed to the non-lease component received as fixed monthly payments per aircraft proportionate to the number of block hours completed during each reporting period, relative to the estimated number of block hours the Company anticipates completing over the remaining contract term. Accordingly, the Company’s revenue recognition will likely vary from the timing of cash receipts under the Company’s capacity purchase agreements. The Company refers to cash received under its capacity purchase agreements prior to recognizing revenue as “deferred revenue,” and the Company refers to revenue recognized prior to billing its major airline partners under its capacity purchase agreements as “unbilled revenue” for each reporting period. In 2023, the Company deferred recognizing revenue on $151.4 million of fixed monthly payments under certain agreements and unbilled revenue decreased by $12.6 million under certain other agreements, compared to deferring revenue of $18.7 million and recognizing $11.5 million of unbilled revenue in 2022.

The Company’s total deferred revenue balance as of December 31, 2023, was $374.6 million, including $61.0 million in other current liabilities and $313.6 million in other long-term liabilities. The Company’s unbilled revenue balance as of December 31, 2023, was $7.3 million, including $1.2 million in other current assets and $6.1 million in other long-term assets. The Company’s total deferred revenue balance as of December 31, 2022, was$144.7 million, including$5.2 million in other current liabilities and$139.5 million in other long-term liabilities. The Company’s unbilled revenue balance as of December 31, 2022, was $19.9 million, including $9.9 million in other current assets and $10.0 million in other long-term assets.

The Company’s capacity purchase and prorate agreements include weekly provisional cash payments from the respective major airline partner based on a projected level of flying each month. The Company and each major airline partner subsequently reconcile these payments to the actual completed flight activity on a monthly or quarterly basis.

In several of the Company’s agreements, the Company is eligible to receive incentive compensation upon the achievement of certain performance criteria. The incentives are defined in the agreements and are measured and determined on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. At the end of each period during the term of an agreement, the Company calculates the incentives achieved during that period and recognizes revenue attributable to that agreement accordingly, subject to the variable constraint guidance under Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”) Topic 606.

The following summarizes the significant provisions of each code-share agreement the Company has with each major airline partner through SkyWest Airlines:

United Express Agreements

Delta Connection Agreements

American Capacity Purchase Agreement

Alaska Capacity Purchase Agreement

• The Company’s prorate agreements are based on specific routes, not a specific aircraft count. The number of aircraft listed above for each prorate agreement approximates the number of aircraft the Company uses to serve the prorate routes.

In addition to the contractual arrangements described above, as of December 31, 2023, SkyWest Airlines reached agreements to place the following E175 aircraft under a capacity purchase agreement with the respective partners:

Final delivery and in-service dates for aircraft to be placed under contract may be adjusted based on various factors.

When an aircraft is scheduled to be removed from a capacity purchase arrangement, the Company may, as practical under the circumstances, negotiate an extension with the respective major airline partner, negotiate the placement of the aircraft with another major airline partner, return the aircraft to the major airline partner when the aircraft is leased from the major airline partner, place owned aircraft for sale or pursue other uses for the aircraft. Other uses for the aircraft may include placing the aircraft in a prorate agreement, leasing the aircraft or engines to a third party or disassembling aircraft components such as the engines and parts to be used as spare inventory.

Lease, airport services and other revenues primarily consists of revenue generated from aircraft and spare engines leased to third parties and from airport customer service agreements, such as gate and ramp agent services at various airports where the Company has been contracted by third parties to provide such services. The following table

represents the Company’s lease, airport services and other revenues for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands):

The following table summarizes future minimum rental income under operating leases primarily related to leased aircraft and engines that had remaining non-cancelable lease terms as of December 31, 2023 (in thousands):

Of the Company’s $5.5 billion of property and equipment, net as of December 31, 2023, $216.0 million of regional jet aircraft and spare engines were leased to third parties under operating leases. The Company’s mitigation strategy for the residual asset risks of these assets includes leasing aircraft and engine types that can be operated by the Company in the event of a default. Additionally, the operating leases typically have specified lease return condition requirements paid by the lessee to the Company and the Company typically maintains inspection rights under the leases.

The transaction price for airport customer service agreements is determined from an agreed-upon rate by location applied to the applicable number of flights handled by the Company over the agreement term.

The Company’s operating revenues could be impacted by several factors, including changes to the Company’s code-share agreements with its major airline partners, changes in flight schedules, contract modifications resulting from contract renegotiations, the Company’s ability to earn incentive payments contemplated under the Company’s code-share agreements and settlement of reimbursement disputes with the Company’s major airline partners.

Other ancillary revenues commonly associated with airlines, such as baggage fee revenue, ticket change fee revenue and the marketing component of the sale of mileage credits, are retained by the Company’s major airline partners on flights that the Company operates under its code-share agreements.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $82.9 million in accounts receivable of which $73.6 million related to flying agreements. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $100.5 million in accounts receivable of which $73.7 million related to flying agreements.

Allowance for Credit Losses

The Company monitors publicly available credit ratings for entities for which the Company has a significant receivable balance. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had gross receivables of $86.1 million in current assets and gross receivables of $199.8 million in other long-term assets. The Company has established credit loss reserves based on publicly available historic default rates issued by a third party for companies with similar credit ratings, factoring in the term of the respective accounts receivable or note receivable. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company recorded $0.2 million of adjustments to the credit loss reserve and wrote-off $18.5 million in receivables that were fully reserved as of December 31, 2022. There were no other significant changes in the outstanding accounts receivable, notes receivable or credit ratings of the entities.

The following table summarizes the changes in allowance for credit losses:

Income Taxes

The Company recognizes a net liability or asset for the deferred tax consequences of all temporary differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the consolidated financial statements that are expected to result in taxable or deductible amounts in future years when the reported amounts of the assets and liabilities are recovered or settled.

Net Income Per Common Share

Basic net income per common share (“Basic EPS”) excludes dilution and is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net income per common share (“Diluted EPS”) reflects the potential dilution that could occur if stock options or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock. The computation of Diluted EPS does not assume exercise or conversion of securities that would have an anti-dilutive effect on net income per common share. Securities that could potentially dilute Basic EPS in the future, and which were excluded from the calculation of Diluted EPS because inclusion of such share would be anti-dilutive, are as follows (in thousands):

Additionally, for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021,334,000,146,000 and 140,000 performance share units (at target performance) were excluded from the computation of Diluted EPS since the Company had not achieved the minimum target thresholds for these units as of December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

The calculation of the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for Basic EPS and Diluted EPS are as follows for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands):

Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income includes charges and credits to stockholders’ equity that are not the result of transactions with the Company’s shareholders, including changes in unrealized appreciation (or depreciation) on marketable debt securities.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The carrying amounts reported in the consolidated balance sheets for receivables and accounts payable approximate fair values because of the immediate or short-term maturity of these financial instruments. Marketable securities are reported at fair value based on market quoted prices in the consolidated balance sheets. If quoted prices in active markets are no longer available, the Company has estimated the fair values of these securities utilizing a discounted cash flow analysis. These analyses consider, among other items, the collateralization underlying the security investments, the creditworthiness of the counterparty, the timing of expected future cash flows, and the expectation of the next time the security is expected to have a successful auction. Certain investments in other companies are reported at fair value based on market quoted prices or using the Black Scholes Option Pricing model in the consolidated balance sheets. The fair value of the Company’s long-term debt is estimated based on current rates offered to the Company for similar debt.

Segment Reporting

GAAP requires disclosures related to components of a company for which separate financial information is available to, and regularly evaluated by, the Company’s chief operating decision maker when deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. The Company’s two reportable segments consist of (1) the operations of SkyWest Airlines and SWC (collectively, “SkyWest Airlines and SWC”) and (2) SkyWest Leasing activities. Information pertaining to the Company’s reportable segments is presented in Note 2,Segment Reporting.

The Company hastwo reportable segments: (1) SkyWest Airlines and SWC and (2) SkyWest Leasing.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In November 2023, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2023-07, “Segment Reporting (ASC Topic 280) – Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures,” which is intended to improve reportable segment disclosure requirements, primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses. This ASU also expands disclosure requirements to enable users of financial statements to better understand the entity’s measurement and assessment of segment performance and resource allocation. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the potential impact of adopting this new guidance on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In December 2023, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2023-09, “Income Taxes (ASC Topic 740) – Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures”, which enhances the transparency, effectiveness and comparability of income tax disclosures by requiring consistent categories and greater disaggregation of information related to income tax rate reconciliations and the jurisdictions in which income taxes are paid. The guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the potential impact of adopting this new guidance on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

(2) Segment Reporting

GAAP requires disclosures related to components of a company for which separate financial information is available to, and regularly evaluated by, the Company’s chief operating decision maker when deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance.

The Company’stwo reportable segments consist of (1) the operations of SkyWest Airlines and SWC and (2) SkyWest Leasing activities.

The Company’s chief operating decision maker analyzes the profitability of operating new aircraft financed through the issuance of debt, including the Company’s E175 fleet, separately from the profitability of the Company’s capital deployed for ownership and financing of such aircraft. The SkyWest Airlines and SWC segment includes revenue earned under the applicable capacity purchase agreements attributed to operating such aircraft and the respective operating costs, and revenue and operating expenses attributed to other flying or airport services agreements. The SkyWest Leasing segment includes applicable revenue earned under the applicable capacity purchase agreements attributed to the ownership of new aircraft acquired through the issuance of debt and the respective depreciation and interest expense of such aircraft. The SkyWest Leasing segment also includes the activity of leasing regional jet aircraft and spare engines to third parties and other activities. The SkyWest Leasing segment’s total assets and capital expenditures include new aircraft acquired through the issuance of debt and assets leased to third parties. Additionally, aircraft removed from SkyWest Airlines’ operations and held for sale are included in the SkyWest Leasing segment.

The following represents the Company’s segment data for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 (in thousands).

(3) Long-term Debt

Long-term debt consisted of the following as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 (in thousands):

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had $3.0 billion and $3.4 billion, respectively, of total long-term debt. The average effective interest rate on the Company’s debt was approximately 4.1% and 4.0% at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

During 2023, the Company took delivery oftwo new E175 aircraft that the Company financed through $44.7 million of long-term debt. The debt associated with thetwo E175 aircraft has 12-year terms, is due in quarterly installments, and is secured by the E175 aircraft.

During 2023, the Company executed a promissory note for $25 million. The promissory note has aneight-year term, is due in monthly installments, has a fixed annual interest rates of 5.6% and is secured by spare engines.

The aggregate amounts of principal maturities of long-term debt as of December 31, 2023 were as follows (in thousands):

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, SkyWest Airlines had a $100.0 million line of credit. The line of credit includes minimum liquidity and profitability covenants and is secured by certain assets. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, SkyWest Airlines hadno amounts outstanding under the line of credit facility. However, at December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had $29.2 million and $29.9 million, respectively, in letters of credit issued under the facility which reduced the amount available under the facility to $70.8 million and $70.1 million, respectively. The line of credit expires March 25, 2025 and has a variable interest rate of 3.5% plus the one month SOFR rate.

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had $49.1 million and $59.2 million, respectively, in letters of credit and surety bonds outstanding with various banks and surety institutions.

The Company’s debt agreements are not traded on an active market and are recorded at carrying value on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. The fair value of the Company’s long-term debt is estimated based on current rates offered to the Company for similar debt. Debt is primarily classified as Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy. The carrying value and fair value of the Company’s long-term debt as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, were as follows (in thousands):

(4) Income Taxes

The provision for income taxes includes the following components (in thousands):

The following is a reconciliation between a federal income tax rate of 21% and the effective tax rate which is derived by dividing the provision for income taxes by the income before the provision for income taxes (in thousands):

For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company released a $1.1 million valuation allowance related to certain deferred tax assets associated with state net operating losses with a limited carry forward period. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company recorded a $1.7 million valuation allowance against certain deferred tax assets associated with state net operating losses with a limited carry forward period. The decrease in the valuation allowance for 2023 was primarily based on changes in the Company's income tax projections by jurisdiction which increased the amount of deferred tax assets that are anticipated to be utilized prior to the deferred tax assets expiring.

The Company recorded a $0.9 million expense, $0.5 million expense and $0.1 million benefit from share-based compensation in 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively, relating to ASU 2016-09 which requires excess tax benefits and deficiencies to be recognized in the income tax provision during the period stock options are exercised and stock awards vest.

The Company recorded a $7.6 million and $7.3 million tax benefit for the release of uncertain tax position under ASCTopic 740 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.

The significant components of the Company’s net deferred tax assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, are as follows (in thousands):

The Company’s deferred tax liabilities were primarily generated through accelerated depreciation, combined with shorter depreciable tax lives, allowed under the IRS tax code for purchased aircraft and support equipment compared to the Company’s depreciation policy under GAAP for such assets (see Note 1, “Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies”).

At December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had federal net operating losses of approximately $566.3 million and $817.4 million and state net operating losses of approximately $316.2 million and $380.6 million, respectively. The estimated effective tax rate applicable to the federal and state net operating losses at December 31, 2023, was 21.0% and 3.45%, respectively. The Company anticipates that the federal and state net operating losses will start to expire in 2035 and 2024, respectively. The Company has no ongoing federal or state examinations. Federal tax years 2020, 2021 and 2022 are open to examination.

Under ASCTopic 740, the accounting guidance related to uncertainty in tax positions requires that the impact of a tax position be recognized in the financial statements if that position is more likely than not of being sustained on audit, based on the technical merits of the position. A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits for the year ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 is as follows (in thousands):

For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, the Company recorded $191,000, $343,000, and $549,000, respectively, of interest expense related to uncertain tax positions not offset by the Company's tax attributes.

(5) Commitments and Contingencies

Self-Insurance

The Company self-insures a portion of its potential losses from claims related to workers’ compensation, environmental issues, property damage, medical insurance for employees and general liability. Losses are accrued based on an estimate of the ultimate aggregate liability for claims incurred, using standard industry practices and the Company’s actual experience. The Company uses judgment and estimates in determining the ultimate aggregate liabilities for claims incurred in its workers’ compensation liability. The Company also used assumptions in determining the workers compensation liability such as an estimation of loss payment and loss reporting development patterns. At December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company’s accrued workers’ compensation liability totaled $20.6 million and $21.6 million, respectively, of which $7.3 million and $8.0 million, respectively, was short-term and included in other current liabilities. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

Legal Matters

The Company is subject to certain legal actions which it considers routine to its business activities. As of December 31, 2023, management believed, after consultation with legal counsel, that the ultimate outcome of such legal matters was not likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, liquidity or results of operations.

Concentration Risk and Significant Customers

The Company requires no collateral from its major airline partners or customers, but monitors the financial condition of its major airline partners. Under the majority of the Company’s code-share agreements, the Company receives weekly payments from its major code-share partners that approximate a significant percentage of the

compensation earned for such period. Additionally, the Company provides certain customer service functions at multiple airports for various airlines and the Company maintains a credit loss reserve based upon expected collectability of all accounts receivable. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, the Company’s contractual relationships with Delta and United combined accounted for approximately 70.9%,72.5% and 73.5%, respectively of the Company’s total revenues.

Employees Under Collective Bargaining Agreements

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had approximately 13,000 employees. Althoughno SkyWest Airlines employees are represented by a national union, the majority of SkyWest Airline employees are covered by a written, stable and binding collective bargaining agreement under the Railway Labor Act, entered into between SkyWest Airlines and long-established labor associations, such as the SkyWest Airlines Pilot Association (“SAPA”).

Aircraft Purchase Commitments

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had a purchase commitment to purchase five new E175 aircraft in 2024, eight new E175 aircraft in 2025 andeight new E175 aircraft in 2026.

Guarantees

In 2022, the Company agreed to guarantee $19.8 million of debt for a 14 CFR Part 135 air carrier. The debt is secured by the Part 135 air carrier’s aircraft and engines and has afive-year term. In exchange for providing the guarantee, the Company received 6.5% of the guaranteed amount as consideration, payable in the estimated value of common stock of the Part 135 air carrier. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company sold all of its shares of common stock of the Part 135 air carrier and recorded a gain of $0.5 million in “Other income, net” on the Company’s consolidated statements of comprehensive income. The balance of the debt under the guarantee was $17.6 million as of December 31, 2023.

In 2023, the Company agreed to guarantee up to$12.0 million of debt for an aviation school. The debt is secured by the school’s aircraft and engines and has afive-year term. In exchange for providing the guarantee, the Company receives 2.0% annually of the guaranteed amount as consideration in cash. The balance of the debt under the guarantee was $4.8 million as of December 31, 2023.

The purpose of these guarantees is to help reduce the financing costs of aircraft for the third-parties in an effort to increase the potential number of commercial pilots in the Company’s hiring pipeline. The Company also recorded the estimated credit loss associated with the guarantees based on publicly available historical default rates issued by a third party for companies with similar credit ratings, factoring the collateral and guarantee term.

(6) Leases

The Company leases property and equipment under operating leases. For leases with durations longer than 12 months, the Company recorded the related operating lease right-of-use asset and operating lease liability at the present value of lease payments over the term. The Company used its incremental borrowing rate to discount thelease payments based on information available at lease commencement.

Aircraft

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company acquired 35 CRJ aircraft under early lease buyout arrangements with the lessors for $142.4 million. The aircraft were in the Company’s operating fleet when the lease buyouts occurred. As of December 31, 2023, excluding aircraft financed by the Company’s major airline partners that the Company operates for them under contract, the Company leased eight aircraft under long-term lease agreements with remaining terms ranging from five toseven years. These eight aircraft are subleased to a third-party.

Airport facilities

The Company has operating leases for facility space including airport terminals, office space, cargo warehouses and maintenance facilities. The Company generally leases this space from government agencies that control the use of the various airports. The remaining lease terms for facility space vary fromone month to 33 years. The Company’s

operating leases with lease rates that are variable based on airport operating costs, use of the facilities or other variable factors are excluded from the Company’s right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities in accordance with accounting guidance.

Leases

As of December 31, 2023, the Company’s right-of-use assets were $86.7 million, the Company’s current maturities of operating lease liabilities were $19.3 million, and the Company’s noncurrent lease liabilities were $67.4 million. During 2023, the Company paid $31.7 million in operating leases reflected as a reduction from operating cash flows.

The table below presents lease related terms and discount rates as of December 31, 2023:

The Company’s lease costs for 2023, 2022 and 2021 included the following components (in thousands):

As of December 31, 2023, the Company leased aircraft, airport facilities, office space, and other property and equipment under non-cancelable operating leases, which are generally on a long-term, triple-net lease basis pursuant to which the Company pays taxes, maintenance, insurance and certain other operating expenses applicable to the leased property. The Company expects that, in the normal course of business, such operating leases that expire will be renewed or replaced by other leases.

The following table summarizes future minimum rental payments required under operating leases that had initial or remaining non-cancelable lease terms as of December 31, 2023 (in thousands):

(7) Fair Value Measurements

The Company holds certain assets that are required to be measured at fair value in accordance with GAAP. The Company determined fair value of these assets based on the following three levels of inputs:

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Level 1—Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2—Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities. Some of the Company’s marketable securities primarily utilize broker quotes in a non-active market for valuation of these securities.

Level 3—Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions.

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company held certain assets that are required to be measured at fair value on a recurring basis. Assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis are summarized below (in thousands):

The Company’s “Marketable Securities” classified as Level 2 securities primarily utilize broker quotes in a non-active market for valuation of these securities. See Note 14, “Investments in Other Companies” regarding the Company’s investments in other companies.

The Company did not make any significant transfers of securities between Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 during the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company’s policy regarding the recording of transfers between levels is to record any such transfers at the end of the reporting period.

(8) Assets Held for Sal****e

In 2022, the Company committed to a formal plan to sell 14 CRJ700 aircraft and determined the aircraft met the criteria to be classified as assets held for sale. In connection with the classification of these assets as held for sale, the Company recorded an impairment loss of$51.4 million, which is included in “Other operating expenses” on the Company’s consolidated statements of comprehensive income and in the SkyWest Leasing segment for the year ended December 31, 2022.

During 2023, the Company recorded a$2.3 million loss related to changes in the fair value of the 14 aircraft held for sale which is included in “Other operating expenses” on the Company’s consolidated statements of comprehensive income and in the SkyWest Leasing segment for the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company presented the$54.3 million of assets held for sale at the lower of their current carrying value or their fair market value less costs to sell and included the amount in “Other current assets” on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. The fair values were based upon observable and unobservable inputs, including a third-party valuation, market trends and condition of the airframes and engines. The assumptions used to determine the fair value of the assets held for sale are subject to inherent uncertainty and could produce a wide range of outcomes which the Company will continue to monitor in future periods as new information becomes available. Prior to the ultimate sale of the assets, subsequent changes in the estimate of the fair value of the assets held for sale will be recorded as a gain or loss with a corresponding adjustment to the assets’ carrying value.

(9) Special Items

During 2021, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $84.6 million to write-down certain CRJ900 aircraft to their estimated fair value. In 2021, the Company evaluated its CRJ900 fleet and related CRJ900 assets for impairment. Pursuant to ASC 360-10, “Impairment and Disposal of Long-Lived Assets,” the Company determined that the asset group for the CRJ900 aircraft existed at the major airline partner level. A recoverability test was performed utilizing estimated undiscounted future cash flows for the CRJ900 aircraft pursuant to applicable capacity purchase agreement terms and forecasted cash flow including the estimated value the Company would realize upon disposal of aircraft. This was compared to the carrying value of the related assets resulting in a cash flow deficiency indicating that an impairment existed. The impairment analysis required the Company to perform an assessment of the fair value of its long-lived assets related to the CRJ900 aircraft within the asset groups utilized in the recoverability test. The Company engaged a third party to assist in determining the fair value of these aircraft. These values were estimated based on listed market values or recent third-party market transactions for similar assets, adjusted by the related maintenance status of the fleet. This special item impairment charge is reflected in the SkyWest Airlines operating expenses under Note 2, “Segment Reporting” for the year ended December 31, 2021.

(10) Payroll Support Programs

In 2020 and 2021, the Company entered into three Payroll Support Program Agreements with Treasury that provided certain payroll support relief payments, including the payroll support program established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (“PSP1”), the payroll support program established under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (“PSP2”) and the payroll support program established under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“PSP3”), collectively “Payroll Support Programs”. The relief payments were conditioned on the Company’s agreement to, among other things, refrain from conducting involuntary employee layoffs or furloughs through September 30, 2021. Other conditions included restrictions on share repurchases and dividends through September 30, 2022, continuing EAS as directed by the U.S. Department of Transportation and certain limitations on executive compensation. The payments received under the payroll support programs included an amount in the form of a payroll grant and an amount in the form of an unsecured 10-year loan. In return, the Company issued to Treasury warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company recorded $422.7 million of payroll grant proceeds as an offset to operating expenses. No grants were received or recognized during 2022 and 2023.

In 2020, in connection with the CARES Act, the Company entered into the Treasury Loan Agreement with Treasury (“Secured Loan”) and borrowed $60.0 million under the agreement and in conjunction therewith, issued warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock. During 2021, the Company repaid all amounts outstanding under the secured loan with Treasury, and in connection with such repayment, terminated the Secured Loan.

See Note 11, “Capital Transactions” for further discussion on the warrants issued to Treasury.

(11) Capital Transactions

Preferred Stock

The Company is authorized to issue 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series without shareholder approval. No shares of preferred stock are presently outstanding. The Company’s Board of Directors is

authorized, without any further action by the shareholders of the Company, to (i) divide the preferred stock into series; (ii) designate each such series; (iii) fix and determine dividend rights; (iv) determine the price, terms and conditions on which shares of preferred stock may be redeemed; (v) determine the amount payable to holders of preferred stock in the event of voluntary or involuntary liquidation; (vi) determine any sinking fund provisions; and (vii) establish any conversion privileges.

Stock Compensation

On May 7, 2019, the Company’s shareholders approved the adoption of the SkyWest, Inc. 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan, which provides for the issuance of up to 4,500,000 shares of common stock to the Company’s directors, employees, consultants and advisors (the “2019 Incentive Plan”). The 2019 Incentive Plan provides for awards in the form of options to acquire shares of common stock, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock grants, restricted stock units and performance awards. The 2019 Incentive Plan is subject to a fungible ratio concept, such that the issuance of stock options and stock appreciation rights reduces the number of available shares under the 2019 Incentive Plan on a 1-for-1 basis, and the issuance of other awards reduces the number of available shares under the 2019 Incentive Plan on a 1.65-for-1 basis. The 2019 Incentive Plan is administered by the Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Compensation Committee”). As of December 31, 2023, the 2019 Incentive Plan had 2.6 million plan shares remaining available for future issuance, based on target for granted and unvested performance share units.

Stock Options

During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company did not grant any options to purchase shares of common stock to its employees. The Company had no outstanding stock options as of December 31, 2023. The following table summarizes the stock option activity for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.

The total intrinsic value of options to acquire shares of the Company’s common stock that were exercised was $0.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, and $1.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Restricted Stock Units (“RSUs”)

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company granted 127,348 restricted stock units to certain of the Company’s employees under the 2019 Incentive Plan. The restricted stock units granted during the year ended December 31, 2023, have athree-year cliff-vesting period, during which the recipient must remain employed with the Company or its subsidiaries. The weighted average fair value of the restricted stock units at the date of grants made during the year ended December 31, 2023, was $18.77 per share.

The following table summarizes the activity of restricted stock units granted to certain Company employees for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021:

Performance Share Units (“PSUs”)

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Compensation Committee granted performance share units, which are performance-based restricted stock units, to certain Company employees. The PSUs have athree-year vesting period, during which the recipient must remain employed with the Company. The number of performance shares awardable from the 2023 grants can range from 0% to 250% of the original amount granted depending on the Company’s performance over three one-year measurement periods against the pre-established targets. The Company’s compensation expense for performance share units is based upon the projected number of performance share units estimated to be awarded at the conclusion of the performance period. During 2023, the Compensation Committee awarded 40% of the shares related to the performance share grant in 2020 based on the Company’s performance for the three years ended December 31, 2022, measured against the pre-established targets for the same period. This resulted in the forfeiture of 35,328 PSUs in 2023 from target related to the 2020 PSU grant. The Compensation Committee will determine the achievement of performance results and corresponding vesting of performance shares for each year’s grant in 2021, 2022 and 2023 following the conclusion of the respective performance period. At the end of each performance period, the number of shares awarded can range from 0% to 250% of the original target amount for performance share units granted in 2023, 2022 and 2021.

The following table summarizes the activity of PSUs for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021. The number of PSUs granted in the table reflects target performance for the grant in each respective year. The number of achieved PSUs (at, above, or below target) are reflected in the year the performance is certified by the Board, as indicated in the table:

During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company granted fully-vested shares of common stock to the Company’s directors in the amounts of 37,534,24,423 and 21,175 shares, respectively, with a weighted average grant-date fair value of $18.65, $32.86 and $44.87 respectively. During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company recorded equity-based compensation expense of $17.1 million, $9.2 million and $8.7 million, respectively.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $22.1 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested restricted stock grants and non-vested performance stock units. Total unrecognized compensation cost will be adjusted for future changes in estimated forfeitures and estimates of the Company’s future performance for unvested performance share units. The Company expects to recognize this cost over a weighted average period of 1.7 years.

Taxes

The Company’s treatment of stock option grants of non-qualified options, restricted stock units and performance shares results in the creation of a deferred tax asset, which is a temporary difference, until the time that the option is exercised or the restrictions lapse.

Warrants

In 2020 and 2021, the Company issued to Treasury warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock under the Payroll Support Programs and Secured Loan. The warrants have afive-year term from the date of issuance. The weighted average grant-date fair value of these warrants was estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The Company did not issue any warrants for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

The following table summarizes the warrants issued under the payroll support programs and secured loan facility:

(12) Retirement Plans and Employee Stock Purchase Plans

SkyWest Retirement Plan

The Company sponsors the SkyWest, Inc. Employees’ Retirement Plan (the “SkyWest Plan”). Subject to certain specified exceptions, all employees of the Company are eligible to participate in the SkyWest Plan. Employees may elect to make contributions to the SkyWest Plan. Generally, the Company matches 100% of such contributions up to levels ranging from 2% to 12% of compensation, based on position and years of service. Eligible employees who are SAPA pilots and SWC captains are eligible for non-elective profit sharing contributions ranging from 0% to 20%, based on position and years of service. Additionally, a discretionary contribution may be made by the Company. The Company’s combined contributions to the SkyWest Plan were $59.3 million, $45.4 million and $42.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Employee Stock Purchase Plans

In May 2009, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the SkyWest, Inc. 2009 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “2009 Stock Purchase Plan”). All employees who have completed 90 days of employment with the Company or one of its subsidiaries are eligible to participate in the 2009 Stock Purchase Plan, except employees who ownfive percent or more of the Company’s common stock. The 2009 Stock Purchase Plan enables employees to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at afive percent discount, through payroll deductions. Employees can contribute up to 15% of their base pay, not to exceed $25,000 each calendar year, for the purchase of shares. Shares are purchased semi-annually at afive percent discount based on the end of the period price. Employees can terminate their participation in the 2009 Stock Purchase Plan at any time upon written notice.

The following table summarizes purchases made under the 2009 Employee Stock Purchase Plans during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021:

The 2009 Stock Purchase Plan is a non-compensatory plan under the accounting guidance. Therefore, no compensation expense was recorded for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021.

(13) Stock Repurchase

The Company’s Board of Directors adopted stock repurchase programs in both February 2019 and May 2023, which authorize the Company to repurchase shares of the Company’s common stock in the public market or in private transactions, from time to time, at prevailing prices. The Company’s February 2019 stock repurchase program authorized up to $250.0 million for the repurchase of the Company’s common stock. In May 2023, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized up to $250.0 million for the repurchase of the Company’s common stock, superseding the February 2019 authorization. At December 31, 2023, $90.9 million remained available under the May 2023 authorization.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company repurchased 10.6 million shares of common stock for $289.1 million at a weighted average price per share of $27.30, of which $130.0 million was repurchased under the February 2019 stock repurchase program and $159.1 million was repurchased under the May 2023 stock repurchase program. The Company also recorded $2.9 million of excise tax related to the stock repurchases as Treasury Stock in the Company’s Stockholders Equity for the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company did not have any stock repurchases during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.

Additionally, during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company paid $0.6 million, $1.2 million and $1.6 million, respectively, for a net settlement of the income tax obligation on employee equity awards that vested during the applicable periods.

(14) Investments in Other Companies

Equity Method Investments

During 2019, the Company created a joint venture with Regional One, Inc. (“Regional One”) and, as of December 31, 2023, has invested a total of $26.6 million for a 75% ownership interest in Aero Engines, LLC. (“Aero Engines”). The primary purpose of Aero Engines is to lease engines to third parties. Aero Engines requires unanimous approval from the Company and Regional One for all material transactions. Although the Company determined Aero Engines is a variable interest entity, Aero Engines has no primary beneficiary as the voting rights are disproportionate to the ownership rights. Accordingly, the Company accounts for its investment in Aero Engines under the equity method. The Company’s exposure in its investment in Aero Engines primarily consists of the Company’s portion of income or loss from Aero Engines’ engine lease agreements with third parties and the Company’s ownership percentage in Aero Engines’ engines book value. Aero Engines hadno debt outstanding as of December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, the Company’s investment balance in Aero Engines was $25.1 million. The Company’s investment in Aero Engines has been recorded in “Other Assets” on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. The Company’s portion of the income generated by Aero Engines for the year ended December 31, 2023, was $0.2 million, which is recorded in “Other income (loss), net” on the Company’s consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

In December 2023, the Company invested $9.9 million for a 9.9% ownership interest in Corporate Flight Management, Inc. d/b/a Contour Airlines (“Contour”), a 14 CFR Part 135 air carrier. The Company holdsone offive seats, or 20%, on Contour’s board of directors. The Contour arrangement also includes an asset provisioning agreement under which the Company will provide CRJ airframes, engines and rotable parts to Contour. Subsequent to December 31, 2023, the Company increased its investment in Contour to$25.0 million for a 25.0% ownership interest. The Company accounts for its investment in Contour under the equity method where the investment is reported at cost and adjusted each period for the Company’s share of Contour’s income or loss, recorded on a one quarter lag. Accordingly, no income or loss was recorded associated with the Company’s equity investment in Contour during the year ended December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, the Company’s investment balance in Contour of $9.9 million was recorded in “Other Assets” on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet.

The Company assesses investments for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an investment may not be recoverable.

Fair Value Method Investment

In 2021, the Company entered into a strategic partnership with Eve UAM (“Eve”), to develop a network of deployment for Eve’s eVTOL aircraft. The Company signed a non-binding letter of intent to purchase 100 eVTOL aircraft.

In 2022, the Company acquired 1,000,000 shares of common stock of Eve and a warrant giving the Company the right to acquire 1,500,000 shares of common stock of Eve at an exercise price of$0.01 per share. The Company also received a put option from an Eve shareholder for the 1,000,000 shares of common stock of Eve payable in aircraft parts credits. The intent of the put option is to reduce the Company’s investment risk in Eve, and the put option expires in December 2031. The Company is restricted from selling the shares underlying the warrant until May 2025, and the warrant expires in May 2032. The Company acquired the shares of common stock, warrant and put option (collectively the “Eve Investments”) for$10.0 million. The Company evaluated the Eve Investments under ASC Topic 321, “Investments – Equity Securities” and ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging,” and recorded the Eve Investments

based on their pro rata share of the consideration paid using the fair value of the Eve Investments on the acquisition date, with subsequent changes in the fair value reported in earnings. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company sold 600,411 shares of common stock of Eve, which concurrently forfeited the 600,411 shares subject to the put option from the Eve shareholder.

The shares of common stock of Eve are classified as Level 1 within the fair value hierarchy as Eve stock is actively traded on the New York Stock Exchange, and the value is determined using quoted market prices for the equity security. The warrant and put option are classified as Level 3 within the fair value hierarchy (“Eve Level 3 Investments”), and the Company used the Black Scholes Option Pricing Model to determine the estimated fair market value of the Eve Level 3 Investments, including an expected volatility of 52%, which is asignificant unobservable input that was derived from historical volatility of comparable companies.

The table below shows the reconciliation of the Eve Level 3 Investments (in thousands):

The Company recognized a realized gain of$2.1 million from the sale of the Eve shares, net of the forfeited put options, andunrealized losses of$3.1 million related to the Eve Investments, both were included in “Other income (loss), net” on the Company’s consolidated statements of comprehensive income for the year ended December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, the fair value of the Eve Investments was$15.4 million and was recorded in “Other Assets” on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet.