Allegiant to lease 19 Airbus jets to supplement Boeing MD-80s

Allegiant Travel Co. will expand its fleet by leasing 19 Airbus A319 jets, the first time it has taken an Airbus into its fleet.

The company said that the first Airbus would enter service next spring, with the last one coming 2½ years later. This would grow the company's Allegiant Air subsidiary from 62 to 81 planes.

Until now, Allegiant has flown only variants of the Boeing MD-80. As recently as four years ago, the company touted the operation of one basic aircraft model as a factor in holding down costs.

However, Allegiant said that the price of used A319s have dropped and they now make financial sense. The up front cost remains higher than an MD-80 but the A319 consumes less fuel. As a result, it costs $96 per passenger to fly compared, to $106 for an MD-80.

The A319 has 156 seats and a range of about 4,100 miles, more than double the range of the MD-80. Allegiant executives said this will open up longer routes, but gave no specifics.

The A319s are 7 to 10 years old, bringing down the age of Allegiant's fleet. By contrast, production of the MD-80 ended 13 years ago.