Allegiant is finally about to become a 737 Max operator

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Main cover photo courtesy of BFI Watch CA350

Allegiant Air may finally take delivery of its first Boeing 737 Max in April, about a year later than initially planned and with little certainty of when to expect the remaining 49 planes it has on order.

The Las Vegas-based ultra low-cost carrier plans for its first Max, the high-capacity 8200 variant, to arrive in mid- to late April, Allegiant President Greg Anderson told The Air Current on the sidelines of the Routes Americas conference in Bogotá on Wednesday. The plane is currently undergoing final airworthiness ticketing by the Federal Aviation Administration — and what Anderson described as a “cert walk” as part of introducing a new type for Allegiant — at Boeing Field south of Seattle.

Related: Allegiant is adapting the 737 Max to its business model

If the plane does arrive in April (it has been delayed several times already) Allegiant plans for an entry-into-service around the end of June at one of its Punta Gorda, Orlando-Sanford, or St. Petersburg-Clearwater bases in Florida. It is planning to have three aircraft in service by the end of July, and 10 to 12 by the end of the year.

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