Avelo Airlines, a 2021 budget startup carrier has returned scheduled air service to Delaware, until recently the only U.S. state without a single scheduled flight. Avelo is now flying from Wilmington to five Florida vacation spots.
It’s not the first time the airport has had airline service, but in recent years only intermittent service was available, with most passengers heading not that far away to Philadelphia’s airport. Although numbers of airlines used the field in the post-war era, since the 1990s the airport has had five periods with no service. It has served general aviation and cargo throughout, however.
Avelo’s Florida destinations are Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Tampa and West Palm Beach. Each city will be served twice a week, with promotional fares starting at $49 one-way. Avelo believes its low-price leisure-focused model can succeed even in competition with Philadelphia.
