Allegiant Air buying 50 new Boeing planes
Allegiant Air is buying dozens of Boeing jets as it expands beyond its all-Airbus fleet and history of purchasing used planes.
The airline’s parent, Las Vegas-based Allegiant Travel Co., announced a deal Wednesday with aerospace giant The Boeing Co. to buy 50 new 737 MAX aircraft, with options to purchase 50 more.
Allegiant said it would take delivery of an initial group of planes next year. The remaining deliveries are scheduled throughout 2024 and 2025.
Terms were not disclosed.
Allegiant is scheduled to hold an investor call Thursday to discuss the transaction, which marks Boeing’s first with an American ultra-low-cost carrier.
“Our approach to fleet has always been opportunistic, and this exciting transaction with Boeing is no exception,” Allegiant Chairman and CEO Maurice “Maury” Gallagher said in a news release.
Gallagher added that while the “heart of our strategy continues to center on previously owned aircraft, the infusion of up to 100 direct-from-the-manufacturer 737s will bring numerous benefits for the future — including flexibility for capacity growth and aircraft retirements, significant environmental benefits, and modern configuration and cabin features our customers will appreciate.”
The new planes will “provide more leg room and make storing and retrieving carry-on luggage easier for passengers,” Allegiant said, noting the aircraft also will burn about 20 percent less fuel than older Airbus A320s and offer increased seating capacity.
Allegiant, whose corporate headquarters are on Town Center Drive near Summerlin Parkway, is known for flying from small, underserved cities to warm-weather vacation spots, usually without competition on its routes.
It currently operates 108 Airbus jets, comprising a mix of A319s and A320s, and will “continue sourcing A320s in the used market,” the company said Wednesday.
Before it transitioned to an all-Airbus fleet in recent years, Allegiant mostly flew older, hand-me-down McDonnell Douglas MD-80s.
Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342. Follow @eli_segall on Twitter.
