Avelo Airlines will now serve 13 nonstop destinations from the Wilmington Airport with the announcement of new routes to Concord, North Carolina and Lakeland, Florida, close to Charlotte and Orlando respectively.
The routes are possible thanks to Avelo adding an additional Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft to its fleet.
Starting Nov. 7, the routes will begin running twice weekly, flying to Concord Mondays and Fridays and flying to Lakeland Thursdays and Sundays.
Delaware River and Bay Authority spokesperson Jim Salmon says these particular locations were chosen largely due to social media demand, noting the flight into Lakeland is relatively close to Disney World.
“These are destinations that have proven to be of interest to our customers. The demand and customer interest in Avelo departing from Wilmington Airport has never been better — the future is bright," Salmon said.
Avelo has been operating out of the Wilmington Airport for just over a year and a half now, and Salmon says the airline has reached several impressive milestones over the last 18 months.
“Avelo is taking a strategic approach to its operations here and we're with them, we're all in 100% to do anything that we can do to make sure that they're successful in serving the customer base here at Newcastle Airport.”
Salmon says two of Avelo’s most popular destinations originating from Wilmington Airport are San Juan, Puerto Rico and Tampa, Florida.
He adds more airport expansions are coming, including a new gate, 500 parking spaces, and an enhanced baggage claim in part to help accommodate a new partnership with American Airlines and the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) starting Oct. 7.
The new coach service will allow customers flying American Airlines out of Philadelphia International Airport to park locally, clear security at the Wilmington Airport and be driven directly to their gate at PHL.
