A new airline is reportedly making plans to fly out of New Castle Airport (ILG).
Delaware Business Times (paywall) reported Avelo Airlines will add the Delaware airport to its route map following a decision earlier this year by Frontier Airlines to end its twice-weekly flights to Orlando. Cited in the story were agreements with the Delaware River and Bay Authority, the operator of the airport.
Airline officials have not responded to requests for comment. James Salmon of the River and Bay Authority said “negotiations with Avelo are ongoing. I’m unable to comment further.”
Avelo is the first new airline to emerge in a decade and a half period when the industry was undergoing consolidation with four airlines now accounting for the bulk of the nation’s passenger traffic.
Last year, the CEO of Avelo pointed to New Castle as a location that would be a good fit for Avelo’s business model.
The airline has set up shop on the East and West coasts and operates flights from Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport to New Haven, CT. It focuses on smaller cities, one example being Wilmington, NC. Its fleet consists of 11 Boeing 737 jets, including several that were sold by Southwest Airlines.
The airline was converted from a carrier that served gambling destinations.
In addition to New Haven, Avelo’s other hub is in Burbank in southern California. Among its California destinations is Santa Rosa, CA in the Napa Valley wine region.
The airline has been announcing flights from smaller cities to Florida destinations, including hurricane-ravaged Fort Meyers.
Breeze Airways is not alone in working to find a niche in serving smaller cities. Breeze Airways has more than 20 jets serving smaller cities. It was founded by David Neeleman, who was the founder of Jet Blue and other carriers.
Delaware is the only state in the nation without commercial airline service. Many residents of the state living within a short drive of Philadelphia International Airport and Sussex County residents can catch regional flights out of Salisbury, MD. Delaware travelers also fly out of Baltimore-Washington Thurgood International Airport.
Delaware airports do not receive subsidies from the federal government for airline service due to the proximity to the other airports.
Click on the headline below for a previous story on Avelo.
