Commercial air service has officially launched in Collin County, with Avelo Airlines welcoming its first passengers at DTX Airport on Wednesday morning.
The inaugural flight departed at 9 a.m., with a Boeing 737 carrying passengers to Fort Myers, Florida. The aircraft then returned, bringing the first arriving passengers into the DTX terminal at 3:22 p.m.
Beyond Fort Myers, Avelo Airlines has initially introduced flights from DTX to Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, and Las Vegas. Beginning in December, the airline plans to expand its service to include Denver, Atlanta, New Orleans, Nashville, Sarasota-Bradenton, and West Palm Beach.
**What is Avelo Airlines?**
Avelo Airlines was founded in April 2021, with a primary focus on leisure travel and operations at less congested secondary airports. McKinney National Airport marks the airline’s fifth main base, joining existing hubs in New Haven, Connecticut, situated between New York and Boston; Concord, North Carolina, near Charlotte; Wilmington, Delaware, near Philadelphia; and Lakeland, Florida, located between Tampa and Orlando.
Prior to Wednesday’s launch, Avelo operated only a single route from North Texas, offering twice-weekly service connecting Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport with New Haven.
The airline is headquartered in Houston, though it currently operates just one route from that city, also serving New Haven.
Avelo attracted significant controversy last year following its decision to operate deportation flights on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. At the time, company leadership stated that the agreement was pursued to support the airline’s financial stability. However, the arrangement concluded in January after it failed to “deliver enough consistent and predictable revenue to overcome its operational complexity and costs,” according to a statement the company provided to CBS News.
