Summary
- Avelo Airlines left Central Wisconsin Airport (CWA) after less than a year, citing profitability issues.
- CWA invested around $260,000 in incentives to attract Avelo, with hopes of improved connectivity.
- Despite pulling out of some airports, Avelo is expanding to new destinations, including international services.
Airports serving smaller communities often make substantial efforts to attract airlines. When Avelo Airlines started service to Central Wisconsin Airport in 2023, there were hopes that it would improve the region’s connectivity for years ahead. However, the airline pulled out of the airport, citing unprofitability.
Avelo leaves CWA
After less than a year of operations,
Avelo Airlines
has left Central Wisconsin Airport (CWA). The carrier started serving the airport in October 2023 with flights to Orlando, Florida. The launch was seen as a significant step in increasing the connectivity of the region.
According to WSAW-TV, CWA spent around $260,000 in incentives to get Avelo to operate there. However, a clear path to recovering that investment is not visible yet. CWA Director Brian Grefe said that a lot of marketing effort went into promoting Avelo’s operation out of the airport, and there was significant community support behind it.
Photo: EdgardoS80 | Shutterstock
However, Avelo said that leaving the airport was a business decision as the route was not doing as well as they had hoped. WSAW-TV quotes Avelo Airlines Head of Communications Jim Olson as saying,
“Unfortunately, the CWA-MCO route was not profitable, and we do not expect it to be within a reasonable time horizon. Every route Avelo flies must be profitable or be on a trend line towards that goal. Before we commit to a new route, we conduct a thorough analysis of any available and relevant data. In most cases, the routes we enter succeed and we continue to operate them. However, with those that do not we must make the difficult decision to exit them.”
Other airports axed, too
Avelo has exited some other airports as well. It stopped operating at Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport in Michigan. The airport also spent a substantial amount to attract the airline there, including $50,000 for a new airline market incentive and $50,000 as a new city incentive. Additionally, it also decided to do away with around $100,000 worth of landing fees and rent for two years for the carrier. Avelo, however, pulled out after about a year and a half.
Photo: Angel Dibilio | Shutterstock
Other airports that the carrier pulled out of include Greater Binghamton, Brownsville/South Padre, Dubuque, and Central Region/Lansing.
Expanding to other destinations
Avelo, however, is expanding to other destinations. Earlier this year, the carrier
announced its biggest route network expansion
with 18 new routes. These also included international services, such as from Hartford to Cancun, Mexico and Montego Bay, Jamaica. Other expansion announcements included new routes from Charlotte, Wilmington, and Lakeland.
In July, Avelo also announced two new routes from Sonoma County in Northern California, with flights to Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), starting October 24 and to Ontario International Airport (ONT) in the Los Angeles area starting October 10.
Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock
Recently, Avelo also
doubled its flights to Puerto Rico from Tweed New Haven Airport
and added a nonstop route to New Orleans. The carrier has 34 routes from Connecticut, of which 27 are from Tweed New Haven.
Before that, the carrier announced a new nonstop service to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) from Wilmington Aiport (ILG), which will begin on November 8.