There are no scheduled flights with established airlines in the US state of Delaware this year

Summary

• Avelo Airlines has grown dramatically since its inception in 2021 and focuses on providing affordable and reliable air travel through smaller airports.
• Avelo’s service at Wilmington-New Castle Airport (ILG) has significantly expanded flight routes and promoted airport development.
• Avelo’s dominance at ILG is notable because Delaware is the only state that has no traditional airline flights.

US ultra-low-cost carrier Air Europa has grown dramatically since its launch in 2021. Over the past three years, the airline has expanded its network rapidly from its original location at Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR).

Avelo currently serves destinations across the United States from its six hubs, providing passengers with affordable and reliable air travel. The airline’s focus on smaller airports has led to strong growth at airports that were previously underserved.

Delaware’s only commercial airport, Wilmington-New Castle (ILG), has a particularly close relationship with Avelo. Since the airline began operations there in 2022, it has nearly tripled its route network and driven significant development at the airport.

Currently, ILG is served by only one airline: Avelo. None of the traditional airlines serve the airport, although American Airlines will begin fixed-line service from ILG to Philadelphia (PHL) in October.

Avelo Airlines: Rapid growth

Avelo Airlines is an American ultra-low-cost airline based at Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. The airline’s predecessor, Casino Express Airlines, was founded in 1987 to transport casino guests from various U.S. cities to Elko, Nevada. The airline’s unique business model distinguished it from other charter services and made it extremely popular with visitors to the Red Lion Hotel and Casino.

As the air travel market changed, Casino Express recognised the need to expand its offering beyond casino charter flights. In 2005, the airline underwent a major rebranding and changed its name to Xtra Airways.

With this new name, the airline added additional routes in the US and began to expand its operations. Xtra Airways also improved its services and fleet to appeal to a wider customer base.

On April 8, 2021, the airline began scheduled operations and was renamed Avelo Airlines. According to Avelo, the new airline was founded with a simple mission:

The initial route network consisted of eleven previously unserviced destinations from Burbank (BUR). The airline used its Boeing 737 fleet to offer nonstop flights between these cities in the western United States. From then on the airline seemed to be successful in everything it set out to do .

On May 6, 2021, Avelo announced its plans to open a new base at Connecticut’s Tweed New Haven Airport (HVN). The airline’s statement mentioned a $1.2 million investment in the airport to “improve and modernize facilities and operations.” Avelo chose to deploy its single-class 737-700 aircraft at HVN to provide a more comfortable experience than the smaller regional jets that serve the airport.

The following January, Avelo announced that it had raised $42 million in its second round of funding, bringing the airline’s capital base to over $160 million. Avelo founder, chairman and CEO Andrew Levy commented on this achievement:

“A great vote of confidence in Avelo’s initial momentum and the enormous opportunities that lie ahead,”

Wilmington Airport and Avelo Airlines

As Avelo gained momentum, it began to look at other airports for expansion opportunities. In 2022, the airline established three additional bases:

• Orlando International Airport (MCO)
• Wilmington-New Castle Airport (ILG)
• Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)

While Avelo has seen steady growth at each of its locations, it has noticed particular demand for routes serving Wilmington Airport (ILG) in Delaware. The small airport, formerly known as New Castle Airport, is located five miles (8 km) south of Wilmington and about 30 miles (50 km) from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Avelo initially stationed a 149-seat 737-700 Next-Generation (NG) at ILG. The aircraft served five destinations in Florida.

In April 2023, the airline announced its plans to offer nine new nonstop destinations from the airport, almost tripling the current number of routes. According to Avelo’s statement, this expansion was the largest number of nonstop routes ever offered at ILG.

In addition, the airline decided to replace its 737-700 NG with a larger 737-800 NG, which offers 40 additional seats per flight. The expansion also required the airline to add a second 737-800 NG, which would be based in Wilmington.

Avelo’s new routes from ILG, which included destinations in five eastern U.S. states, were met with great excitement in the Wilmington community and surrounding areas. According to PR Newswire, Delaware River and Bay Authority Executive Director Thomas J. Cook expressed his excitement about what Avelo’s service would mean for the state’s only commercial airport.

“Today’s announcement is historic… Our goal is to be the airport of choice for people in Delaware, South Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland who are looking for low fares, quality service and a convenient airport experience.”

The new routes and aircraft meant Avelo had to hire approximately 35 new ILG pilots, flight attendants, customer service representatives, aircraft maintenance technicians and supervisors. These additional jobs grew Avelo’s Wilmington employee count to over 100 and also resulted in employment growth at the airport.

Avelo Airlines today at ILG

Following Frontier’s permanent cessation of operations at ILG in June 2022, Avelo has fought for its place as the airport’s sole service provider. The airline’s monopoly on flights at ILG (Delaware’s only commercial airport) means it is currently the only commercial airline serving the state.

This fact seems almost unrealistic when compared to flight data from other states. According to the OAG, Delaware is the only US state without scheduled flights from established airlines in 2024.

Even the state with the next lowest number of seats for traditional airlines, New Jersey, still has 10,448 seats. However, when looking at low-cost airline seats, Delaware ranks ahead of four other states: Wyoming, Alaska, Vermont and West Virginia.

A mainline carrier at ILG?

While travelers currently looking for flights to or from ILG will need to book with Avelo, that won’t be the case for much longer. Well, sort of.

According to First State Update, American Airlines will begin offering fixed-route service between ILG and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) in October. This “tarmac-to-tarmac” service from American will include luxury coaches transporting passengers from ILG to PHL to catch American flights from the airline’s hub in Pennsylvania.

Passengers can clear security at the smaller, less crowded ILG, check their bags, and board a premium coach at the airport’s departure gates. After arriving at a secure gate in PHL’s Terminal F, passengers can proceed to their next gate to continue their connecting flight.

According to American, this experience offers many of the same amenities as a flight and is booked in the same way as the airline’s other connecting flights. The coaches feature 35 leather seats arranged in a two-to-one configuration. Each seat has 36 inches of pitch, similar to that found in a regional jet’s premium cabin. All seats include free Wi-Fi and in-seat power outlets.

American Airlines’ move to serve ILG passengers is undoubtedly a creative tactic. Nevertheless, Avelo’s planes still seem to dominate the skies above the airport.

Delaware’s only commercial airport has benefited tremendously from Avelo’s commitment to providing reliable service to and from the region. It will be interesting to see if other low-cost carriers try to encroach on Avelo’s territory in the coming years.