WILMINGTON — Routes are being reduced, bases will close and deportation flights will end as part of a recapitalization plan from Avelo Airlines. The third largest carrier at Wilmington International Airport announced the changes Tuesday.
Locally, varied destinations from ILM, including the international flight to Punta Cana, are being sheared from Avelo’s operations. Starting in late January, the low-carrier airline will only service ILM from four destinations: Nashville, New Haven, D.C./Baltimore and Tampa.
READ MORE: Avelo announces 2 routes, including one international, from ILM amid protests over ICE contract
Multiple routes to Florida — Orlando, Fort Lauderdale/Miami, West Palm Beach and Fort Myers — as well as D.C.-Dulles, New York/Long Island, Detroit, Rochester, Boston and Philadelphia/Wilmington will cease.
Anyone who has booked an affected flight out of ILM will be contacted directly by the airline.
Airport officials responded to the news that other carriers at ILM still serve the destinations Avelo is dropping.
Avelo spokesperson Courtney Goff indicated to Port City Daily the goal is for Avelo to streamline its fleet.
“ILM is also not a protected airport and most of the affected routes cannot handle more than one airline serving them due to demand,” Goff explained, further noting the inaugural flight to Punta Cana launched last month with a “slow start.” “And the plan was always for those to be seasonal.”
The ILM base, which opened in April 2025, is also closing. Last year’s announcement of the launch came with an anticipated 50 jobs; Goff didn’t state how many people will be laid off locally.
“The furlough number is in flux due to relocation of crewmembers to our other bases and with our growth in Central Florida/Lakeland and later this year in Dallas/McKinney,” she said.
The airline is focusing operations on five core bases in 2026, including New Haven, Philadelphia/Delaware Valley, Charlotte/Concord, and Central Florida/Lakeland. The Dallas/McKinney base will open by the end of the year.
In addition to ILM, Avelo is also closing bases in Raleigh/Durham and Mesa, Arizona. RDU will continue operating Avelo’s commercial flights from New Haven and Rochester.
AZA didn’t serve as a commercial base for Avelo but instead was part of a $151-million government contract signed last year with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement to carry out deportation flights. The move spurred protests and boycott calls, as activists would demonstrate at airports — including locally — to pressure Avelo to end its involvement with ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.
The airline’s participation in the charter program will conclude Jan. 27, according to Goff, who said it provided benefits in the short-term.
“But, ultimately, it did not deliver enough consistent and predictable revenue to overcome its operational complexity and costs,” she said.
As Avelo continues serving the four routes to ILM, Goff added there could be more additions in the future.
“We have about three to five destinations we are looking at for seasonal service, if demand is there and once new aircraft arrive in the future,” she said.
Part of Avelo’s plan for 2026 is to modify its fleet, by removing six Boeing Next-Generation 737-700 planes. A Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 will be added in the near future and the company will receive Embraer 195-E2s in 2028, according to Geoff. The planes run on higher efficiency with 25% fuel savings and lower emissions; Avelo is the first U.S. airline to fly the planes.
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