US low-cost airline Avelo Airlines has announced the opening of a new base at Wilmington International Airport (ILM) in the US state of North Carolina. With the new base comes seven new nonstop routes for the airline, which operates a fleet of 20 Boeing 737s.
The opening of the new base will see the airline commencing operations at its eighth base. Avelo already serves 55 cities spanning 23 states, as well as Puerto Rico and four international destinations including the Bahamas, Jamaica, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic.
Avelo Airlines Founder and CEO Andrew Levy said, “We continue to fulfill our purpose to Inspire Travel with the opening of Avelo’s Wilmington base and growing our network in these popular markets. These new routes enable Avelo to significantly expand the affordable, convenient, and reliable air service our customers value. Our investment in Wilmington and these additional routes exemplify our continued growth as we approach the fourth anniversary of Avelo’s inaugural flight.”
From Wilmington International Airport, the carrier will serve domestic destinations such as Boston-Manchester Airport (MHT) in New Hampshire twice per week, Nashville with a three-times-weekly service, and Rochester (New York) twice weekly from its latest base.
Wilmington Airport joins existing Avelo bases at Los Angeles’ Hollywood-Burbank Airport (BUR), Connecticut’s Tweed-New Haven Airport, the Philadelphia and Delaware Valley region’s Wilmington Airport (ILG), Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), the Bay Area’s Sonoma County Airport (STS), and Lakeland International Airport in Central Florida.
Since taking flight on April 28, 2021, Avelo has flown more than 6.6 million Customers on over 53,000 flights. According to the airline, “Avelo has unlocked a new era of convenience, choice, and competition by flying unserved routes to primarily underserved communities across the country. Most Avelo routes have at least one small, easy-to-use airport. This makes traveling with Avelo a smoother, easier, and more enjoyable experience than contending with the crowds, congestion, and long walks at larger airports.”
Meanwhile, Avelo has also announced it will begin serving Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) with nonstop services to Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN) in Connecticut, an existing Avelo base. This route will start on May 15, 2025, with twice-week service on Thursdays and Sundays.
Deportation flights
In other news, it has also been revealed by the travel website One Mile At A Time that Avelo has signed an agreement with the US Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration Control and Enforcement Agency to carry out deportation flights from the US. Specifically, the airline will be basing three of its Boeing 737s at Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) in Arizona with the first flights expected to depart as soon as May 12, 2025.
“Having a portion of our company dedicated to charter flying, without exposure to fluctuating fuel prices or risk from macroeconomic factors, provides us with the stability to grow our core business, which is scheduled passenger travel,” said CEO Andrew Levy.
The airline will operate the new deportation flights, often referred to by the cryptic name ‘ICE Air‘ to disguise their controversial nature, using dedicated crews selected exclusively to work on these flights who will not be rostered to work on mainline Avleo Airlines services elsewhere in the US.
