Allegiant Air’s parent company has signed an agreement to acquire six Boeing 757-200 aircraft, which the low-cost niche carrier will use to offer service to Hawaii.

Las Vegas-based Allegiant provides service from small communities to major leisure destinations in the continental U.S., but to date it has done so using inexpensively acquired MD-80 aircraft that it paid for completely in cash. That makes the 757 deal a significant step for the carrier, although it has let it be known for a while that it would acquire another aircraft type at some point to expand the range of its flights to reach places such as Hawaii.

Allegiant said Friday that it expects to spend $75 million to $90 million through 2012 acquiring and preparing the 757s for service. Allegiant said it has the ability to acquire and prepare the aircraft for cash, but expects to finance some portion of the purchase.

Under the deal, Allegiant said it plans to take delivery of two 757 aircraft within the next two months, to be placed into service in the fourth quarter of this year. A third will be delivered in November and a fourth in January 2011, both of which will be placed into service in the first half of 2011.

The final two aircraft are scheduled to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2011, with planned in-service dates in the first half of 2012, it said.

The six 757 aircraft have been in service with a single European operator since their original delivery from Boeing, Allegiant said, but it did not identify the operator. It said the aircraft come equipped for extended twin-engine operations, as required for long overwater flights, although Allegiant will need to get some regulatory approvals before starting the Hawaii service.

Allegiant currently operates 46 MD-80 aircraft and expects to have 52 of them in service by the end of this year. It said the 757 purchase will not affect its MD-80 growth plans.

Photo credit: Allegiant