Low-cost airline Avelo is in talks to offer service at a north Texas airport undergoing expansion to accommodate commercial flights.
It had previously been reported that an unnamed budget airline was considering expanding operations to McKinney National Airport, just north of Dallas, but Avelo was only identified Thursday through a public records request from local station WFAA.
Avelo already flies out of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, but the carrier is now looking to offer service at smaller and “more convenient” airports, according to the documents obtained by the station.
Avelo is headquartered in Houston and has its largest hub at Tweed-New Haven Airport in Connecticut. It flies to destinations in the continental U.S., Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Mexico.
McKinney is a general aviation airport located in Collin County. In 2023, the city of McKinney proposed issuing $200 million in bond funds to pay for an expansion that would accommodate commercial air traffic, but residents voted it down. Still, the city government has moved forward with the project, gathering funds from other sources, including federal loans and state economic development incentives. A general contractor was named in February.
Third Commercial Airport
McKinney residents, meanwhile, have continued to raise concerns about traffic, noise, and possible environmental harm.
According to WFAA, the director of McKinney airport said talks with potential airline partners were ongoing and suggested a letter of intent had been signed, but would not make it public. The station filed a Public Information Act request to get it, and the Texas attorney general’s office later ruled in WFAA’s favor. The airport responded by releasing a document naming Avelo, though it still has not released the letter of intent, the station reported.
When asked for comment, Avelo said it had “nothing additional to add beyond the publicly disclosed agreements.”
Once the buildout at McKinney is complete, it will be the third major airport with scheduled passenger flights in the DFW Metroplex, behind Dallas/Fort Worth and Dallas Love Field.
