Allegiant gets OK to fly first Boeing 757

Allegiant Travel Co., the parent of Las Vegas-based discount flier Allegiant Air, received Federal Aviation Administration approval Wednesday to begin flying the company’s first Boeing 757.

The plane, now parked at a gate at McCarran International Airport, will join a fleet that has consisted exclusively of derivatives of the MD-80. The 757 will go into service July 24 on Allegiant Air’s routes from Las Vegas to McAllen, Texas, and Rockford, Ill.

Allegiant Travel is going though certification for flying the 757 over water to Hawaii, a process expected to take about a year.

Allegiant owns four 757s but has leased three to European airlines until the Hawaii service starts. It expects to take delivery of two more. Passenger versions of the 757 can carry as many as 279 passengers and have a maximum range of 3,100 to 3,900 nautical miles.

The rest of the fleet includes 51 planes of the MD-80 family, which can carry as many as 167 passengers, depending on seat configuration.