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March 8, 2022

Chicago, D.C. flights added to Avelo schedule from Tweed

Photo | LIese Klein BioCT CEO Dawn Hocevar speaks at the announcement of new Avelo Airlines flights from Tweed New Haven Airport on March 8, 2022.
By Liese Klein

Chicago’s Midway and the Raleigh-Durham and Baltimore-Washington international airports will get their own nonstop flights from Tweed New Haven on Avelo Airlines, the airport announced Tuesday. 

Flights are scheduled to begin in May to the new locations, making for a total of 13 destinations for Avelo from Tweed. Fares will start at $49. 

Tweed Executive Director Sean Scanlon also announced that more than 100,000 passengers had flown to or from the airport since Avelo launched its service on Nov. 3 of last year, compared to 42,000 in all of 2019. 

“To see the growth that we've experienced here at this airport in the last few months… That is astonishing,” Scanlon said. 

Avelo CEO Andrew Levy said the needs of business travelers were an impetus behind adding the new destinations, along with the size of the metro areas served by the new destination airports.

Image | Contributed
Avelo Airlines' East Coast service map including routes set to start in May 2022.

“We do think that these routes in particular are gonna be of interest not only to leisure customers, people visiting friends, relatives, but also to the business community,” Levy said.

He singled out Raleigh-Durham in particular as a destination for New Haven’s cohort of biotech companies. 

As of the end of May, Tweed will be hosting about 85 Avelo flights a week, Levy said. Future routes under consideration with appeal to business travelers include Atlanta,Ga.; Charlotte, N.C., and major cities in Ohio and Texas, according to Levy. 

More service from Tweed is vital for drawing the venture capital and corporate headquarters needed to grow the size and vitality of New Haven's biotech industry, said BioCT CEO Dawn Hocevar, who spoke at the event. 

“What we need now to really boost this industry is to recruit companies here," Hocevar said.  The new flights will add to the city’s appeal, she said. “This is going to be a major, major, major benefit for this industry and helping companies. I cannot wait to help spread this news.”

Underscoring the significance of the new flights for business was the presence Tuesday at Tweed of state Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner David Lehman.  

“Great cities have great economies, and they have great airports,” Lehman said. “New Haven is clearly one of the if not the greatest city in Connecticut.”

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said Avelo had proved itself to those skeptical of Tweed’s potential as an economic engine. 

“I've heard from many people around the city that this airport will never be financially viable, it'll never be a significant hub for the region,” Elicker said. “This can happen and it is happening.”

Last month Avelo announced four additional destinations to start May 5: Myrtle Beach, Nashville, Savannah and Charleston. 

The airline will acquire three more 737 aircraft to add to its New Haven-based fleet this year, with one on standby as a backup, Levy said. 

Levy said he wasn't concerned that rival low-cost carrier Breeze also announced new nonstop destinations on Tuesday, with six new routes starting from Bradley Airport. 

"I don't spend that much time really thinking about what they're doing," Levy said, adding that Avelo’s planes were significantly larger with more seats. “We're just pleased about what we're doing. I'm sure they'll do fine as well.”

Contact Liese Klein at lklein@newhavenbiz.com.

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