Houston-headquartered Avelo Airlines celebrated 100 days of operations from Connecticut’s Tweed-New Haven Airport this week. The airlines launched service to the small airport in southern Connecticut on Nov. 3 and currently runs six routes to cities across the East Coast.

New Haven serves as the airline’s base for the coast, and it is currently the only airline operating service from the airport. Avelo says since they started service, the airline has contributed 100 airline jobs and $20 million in economic impact to the local area. 

Avelo’s current base in New Haven consists of three Boeing 737-700 aircraft and 109 employees including crew, flight attendants, customer service representatives and operations agents. They also plan to hire an additional 100 local employees by the end of the year. Since beginning operations at the airport, the airline has carried nearly 70,000 passengers on nearly 600 flights. Based on their 147 seat aircraft, this gives them an average load factor of 79% for the period. 

The airline has also impressed with its reliability. Between November and January, the airline only canceled 1% of flights, excluding weather-related cancellations. As well as the low cancellation rate, the airline has also managed to operate 80% of flights on time. The choice of New Haven has also led to a better passenger experience, with fewer waits in security and crowds for travelers. 

A Unique Hub

Tweed-New Haven Airport is located in southern Connecticut, on the coast of the Long Island Sound. The small airport has historically seen light airline traffic. The airline was only served by American Eagle, however, that service was temporarily paused during the Covid-19 pandemic, before being reinstated as part of the CARES Act. The service would not last though, and American Airlines left New Haven on Sept. 30, 2021, leaving no commercial service at the airport till Avelo began service on Nov. 3. 

The airport happens to be conveniently located for most of Connecticut, with it being less than an hour’s drive to Hartford and Stamford. Avelo is committing to New Haven in the future as well. The airline is investing $1.2 million in upgrading the infrastructure at the airport. The overall $100 million plan by airport operator Avport, includes the construction of a new terminal and extending the airport’s runway to accommodate larger aircraft. The development is projected to have a $275 million economic impact in the southern Connecticut region.

Expansion on the Horizon

Avelo started operations at the beginning of 2021 from a west coast base in Burbank. The airline focuses on offering leisure travelers low-cost options, often between underserved markets. The airline currently has six Boeing 737 aircraft and serves 18 destinations from there Burbank and New Haven bases.  Currently, there are plans to add nine additional aircraft and expand to 40 destinations by the end of 2022. 

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Daniel Morley

Daniel has always had aviation in his life; from moving to the United States when he was two, to family vacations across the U.S., and back to his native England. He currently resides in South Florida and attends Nova Southeastern University, studying Human Factors in Aviation. Daniel has his Commercial Certificate for both land and sea, and hopes to one day join the major airlines.

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