Avelo Airlines Opens McKinney Base With 11 Nonstop Routes

On November 11, 2026, ultra-low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines officially launched scheduled passenger service at McKinney National Airport in Collin County, Texas. The inaugural flight departed at 09:00 local time bound for Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, marking the formal introduction of commercial airline operations at the Dallas-area facility following more than 40 years as a dedicated general aviation airfield.

The launch in North Texas establishes McKinney as Avelo's fifth active operating base across the United States. To support the scheduled network, the carrier has stationed three Boeing 737-800 aircraft at the airport, which represent approximately one-fifth of its total active fleet of 17 aircraft. The investment is expected to support 150 local aviation jobs, including airline pilots, flight attendants, aircraft maintenance mechanics, and passenger handling personnel.

Operating Base and Fleet Deployment

Avelo's aircraft stationed at McKinney are configured in a single-class layout of 184 seats. The base opening follows an extensive network rationalisation outlined by carrier leadership in January 2026. Under that strategy, Avelo elected to close smaller regional operating bases at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway in Arizona, Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina, concentrating flying around core operational hubs while phasing out smaller 149-seat Boeing 737-700s to standardise operations on the higher-capacity Boeing 737-800.

Carrier executives confirmed that Collin County's rapid population expansion and the absence of direct commercial air service in the northern Dallas suburbs formed the economic justification for the new base. Speaking at the terminal ribbon-cutting, Avelo Airlines Founder and Chief Executive Andrew Levy stated that strong regional community backing prompted the airline to expand its planned network from five initial destinations to 11 routes prior to the inaugural flight.

Phased Route Rollout Across 11 Destinations

The airline is introducing its 11 nonstop destinations through a structured two-stage rollout through mid-December 2026. Following the Veterans Day launch to Fort Myers with four weekly frequencies, service to Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport and Orlando International Airport began on November 12, each operating six flights per week. Additional Florida routes connecting McKinney to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Tampa International Airport are scheduled to commence on November 19.

A second wave of route launches is scheduled for mid-December. On December 16, Avelo will begin nonstop flights to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Denver International Airport, and Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. On December 17, services will follow to Nashville International Airport, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, and Palm Beach International Airport, with flights operating twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays.

New Terminal Infrastructure at McKinney

Commercial passenger services are hosted in McKinney National Airport's newly constructed 46,000-square-foot passenger terminal, which was officially opened on the morning of the inaugural flight. Following an extensive municipal construction programme to accommodate scheduled airline operations, the four-gate facility was built with structural provision for two additional boarding gates. Municipal airport officials project that the terminal infrastructure possesses the processing capacity to handle more than two million passengers annually.

McKinney National Airport Director of Aviation Ken Carley noted that the completion of the passenger terminal delivers commercial air travel convenience requested by regional residents while creating a third commercial airport option in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex alongside Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field.