The announcement of a merger agreement between Allegiant (NASDAQ: ALGT) and Sun Country Airlines (NASDAQ: SNCY) isn't expected to result in immediate changes to Sun Country's operations and flight schedules at Wilmington International Airport, officials said Monday.

Sun Country has offered a summer seasonal flight from the Wilmington airport (ILM) to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) since June 2023.

"We have been told by Sun Country that there are no planned immediate changes to their airport operations and flight schedules," said Robert Campbell, deputy airport director at ILM, on Monday morning.

An Allegiant spokesperson stated in an email Monday that the two airlines will continue to operate independently until the transaction has closed, which is expected in the second half of 2026. They said there will be no immediate impact to ticketing, flight schedules, travel experience or the Sun Country brand, and customers can continue to book and fly with Allegiant and with Sun Country as they do today.

Sun Country officials said the airline "will continue to operate as Sun Country until the closing later this year. And then there will be some time to integrate the airlines. For this year, we continue to serve all of our markets to/from MSP, including Wilmington this summer. It’s important for customers to know that they can book our flights and travel with confidence going forward."

Under the Allegiant-Sun Country merger agreement,  which was announced Sunday, Allegiant will acquire Sun Country in a cash and stock transaction at an implied value of $18.89 per Sun Country share.

Sun Country shareholders will receive 0.1557 shares of Allegiant common stock and $4.10 in cash for each Sun Country share owned, representing a premium of 19.8% over Sun Country's closing share price of $15.77 on Jan. 9 and 18.8% based on the 30-day volume-weighted average price, according to the release.

"The transaction values Sun Country at approximately $1.5 billion, inclusive of $0.4 billion of Sun Country's net debt," the release stated. "Upon closing, Allegiant and Sun Country shareholders will own approximately 67% and 33%, respectively, of the combined company on a fully diluted basis."

Gregory C. Anderson, Allegiant CEO, stated in the release, "This combination is an exciting next chapter in Allegiant's and Sun Country's shared mission (to provide) affordable, reliable and convenient service from underserved communities to premier leisure destinations. We have long admired Sun Country for their well-run, flexible and diversified business model that optimizes for year-round utilization and strong margins. Together, our complementary networks will expand our reach to more vacation destinations, including international locations."