With two international routes up and running and three more set to launch next year, Avelo Airlines will be “opportunistic” about adding more international services to its network, according to a senior executive.
U.S. carrier Avelo, which was founded in 2021, opened its first international routes in November when it launched service from Bradley International Airport (BDL) near Hartford, Connecticut, to both Sangster International Airport (MBJ) in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Cancun International Airport (CUN) in Mexico. Those routes are being operated 2X-weekly with Boeing 737NG aircraft.
In February 2025, the airline will start a third international route from BDL to Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) in the Dominican Republic. Also that month, it will launch two international routes from Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) in North Carolina to MBJ and PUJ.
The routes will each be flown 2X-weekly with 737NGs. The airline operates a fleet of 20 737NGs.
Avelo Commercial Head Trevor Yealy told Aviation Week that the carrier will be “opportunistic as we see signals” that given markets are ready to support international routes.
“We will move and move quickly on them,” he said. “So, while we don't have additional … international expansion plans at this time, that could change in three months time as we reevaluate top to bottom … We are absolutely, unequivocally evaluating more markets, and I expect in the future we will serve more international destinations. When and exactly how that comes about, that remains to be seen, because there are so many factors that go into the planning process.”
Yealy said data shows that RDU is ready to support the two international routes Avelo will launch in February. “There was latent demand for service directly from Raleigh to Punta Cana and Montego Bay versus having to catch a connection,” he explained. “The incumbent [origin and destination] data shows people are getting on an airplane in Raleigh and connecting to get to Punta Cana or Montego Bay. There's plenty of people … to fill our 2X-weekly service. It doesn't really require stimulating incremental demand, though certainly we hope that we stimulate even more incremental demand.”
Yealy said the initial reaction to the BDL routes opened to CUN and MBJ in November has been positive.
“The peaks look exceptionally strong, so we're excited about how those are coming, and we're still trying to find the right cadence and the right rhythm for some of the off-peak periods,” he explained. “But so far, we're quite pleased with how bookings have come in.”
He cautioned that it will take some time for full data to come in on the BDL flights to Cancun and Montego Bay. “Hartford has not even been operating internationally for a full month yet, so it's still very early,” Yealy said. “We're going to take a step back and digest the data that we're getting right now. But we certainly have more [international] aspirations. It’s just a matter of when we start chipping away at them.”
Avelo operates around 100 routes spanning 54 destinations.
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