Allegiant Air Faces 737 MAX Delay

Allegiant joins the long list of carriers impacted by 737 MAX delays.

The U.S.-based airline is now preparing for a delay to its initial forecast for first delivery.

Delays Inbound For Allegiant

The first delivery of the 737 MAX to Allegiant Air has been delayed to 2024 following a third-quarter earnings call.

After the latest update, the carrier’s first MAX 8-200 is expected to arrive in early 2024.

Ultimately, this is later than initially expected for the US-based airline that operates low-cost missions across an expansive network.

Updated guidance follows initial expectations that delivery could be achieved before year’s end. However, although this guidance came only months ago, much has changed since.

Boeing Adjusts Its Own 737 MAX Forecast

Boeing initially targeted 400 to 450 deliveries for its 737 MAX program in the 2023 calendar year.

However, persistent issues with the program and partner companies led Boeing to revise its forecast. As a result, it lowered the total to 375 to 400 deliveries.

Notably, carriers expecting their aircraft toward the end of the year will likely see deliveries slip into 2024, as Allegiant is doing.

Allegiant Adjusts Boeing 737 MAX Order

In October, Allegiant quietly adjusted an existing 737 MAX order by converting units and adding options.

The airline converted some 737-7s to the larger, higher-capacity 737-8-200s, a popular variant with Ryanair.

Additionally, the airline added 30 options for 737 MAX aircraft should it wish to activate them in the future.

Interestingly, even at the beginning of October, the airline reported that the first MAX delivery was still scheduled for late 2023.