Avelo launches three new flights from Wilmington

Avelo Airlines launched three new flights out of Wilmington this week.

The new flights to Wilmington, Delaware, along with West Palm Beach and Tampa, Florida, round out the budget airline’s flights from Wilmington International Airport. This month marks one year of Avelo’s service to Wilmington.

An inaugural flight from West Palm Beach was welcomed to Wilmington on Thursday morning with a water salute, cupcakes and a news conference with local leaders. Avelo’s first flight to Wilmington, Delaware, from Wilmington International Airport took place Thursday afternoon and the inaugural flight to Tampa was scheduled for Friday.

Become a subscriber today! We have a great introductory offer for new subscribers.

Nonstop flights: New airline announces nonstop flight from Wilmington, giving travelers more options

In its first year flying out of Wilmington, the city has become Avelo’s largest city of operation without a crew base, said Courtney Goff, the company’s communications manager. Ongoing community interest and growth is what has prompted Avelo to invest in the airport.

“It just made sense … because there's a demand for all of these routes, and if we can service that demand with low fares, it's a no brainer,” Goff said.

Goff said Wilmington has historically been an “underserved” airport where air service hasn’t kept up with the growing population. Avelo aims to help change that, she said.

Both the West Palm Beach and Wilmington, Delaware flights will service Wilmington on Thursdays and Sundays. The Tampa flights will operate on Fridays and Mondays.

The airline now serves seven destinations from Wilmington:

• Fort Lauderdale, Florida, via Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport

• Orlando, Florida, via Orlando International Airport

• New Haven, Connecticut, via Tweed-New Haven Airport

• Tampa, Florida, via Tampa International Airport

• Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland, via Baltimore/Washington International Airport

• West Palm Beach, Florida, via Palm Beach International Airport

• Wilmington, Delaware, via Delaware’s Wilmington Airport

STAY CONNECTED: Keep up with the area’s latest development news by following our Growth and Development page on Facebook. 

During the news conference, Airport Director Jeff Bourk thanked Avelo for its investment in Wilmington and noted the airport’s growth over the last year.

“One year ago today we had no nonstops to Florida,” he said. “Today we have four.”

More growth and new destinations could be on the way. Avelo currently has 15 airplanes in its fleet but has plans to add six new planes by the first quarter of 2024, Goff said. The addition will allow the airline to build its capacity and potentially add new flights.

“We will continue working with airports on … what's underserved,” Goff said. “We don't want to go head to head with anyone, we want to be able to offer a wide variety to the city and community of Wilmington.”

Reporter Emma Dill can be reached at edill@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington airport gets new nonstop flights on Avelo