The return of commercial flights to Delaware brought more than 9,000 passengers through the New Castle Airport in February and talks of expanding service to more cities.
Avelo Airlines launched flights to and from Florida on Feb. 1, signing a five-year service agreement with the New Castle Aiport.
Avelo currently offers discount flights to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, Tampa and West Palm Beach for as cheap as a $50 base fare.
In February, Tampa was the most popular destination for Delaware passengers, likely from baseball fans going to spring training. Orlando was a close second.
“Demand continues to be robust,” said Jim Salmon, spokesman for the Delaware River and Bay Authority, which manages the airport. March numbers are also high, with capacity exceeding 95 percent on most flights.
Continuing to grow
Courtney Goff, communications manager for Avelo Airlines, said the airline is already looking at potential new destinations from Delaware as the company grows and acquires new aircraft.
According to the airport’s Facebook post, last month the airport serviced 9,684 passengers, compared to just 1,774 in February 2022.
The airport has been heavily promoting its latest commercial airline service, advertising on billboards off I-95 and even giving away a pair of roundtrip tickets on social media on the first Friday of the month.
The airport announced in an earlier Facebook Post on Valentine’s Day that in just the first eight days of February, more than 2,000 passengers had flown through Delaware with Avelo.
What to know:Avelo Airlines launches in Delaware with first flight to Orlando on Wednesday.
More:We took the first flight on Avelo from New Castle Airport. Here’s what it was like.
Avelo is a one-year-old company, founded by a former executive of Allegiant Airlines. Its largest base is in New Haven, Connecticut, which has also seen major passenger growth since the airline’s inception there.
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Contact Molly McVety at mmcvety@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @mollymcvety.
