Avelo Airlines marked its fifth anniversary on Tuesday, saying it has grown from a three-aircraft startup into a 15-aircraft carrier with 34 destinations, nearly 60 routes and service across 14 states and Puerto Rico.
The airline said it has flown more than 9.3 million customers and operated over 74,000 flights since launching on April 28, 2021, when it began service with 11 West Coast destinations. It now expects to add Cleveland and Indianapolis in the next two months, and to open its first Texas base at McKinney National Airport later this year. That airport would become Avelo’s fifth base, joining New Haven, Wilmington, Lakeland and Concord.
The anniversary release gave a snapshot of the carrier’s scale and performance. Avelo said it ranked in the top three for both on-time performance and cancellation rate in 2025, posting a 0.13% cancellation rate and 79.95% of flights arriving within 15 minutes of schedule under the DOT’s A14 standard. The company also said it employs more than 1,000 crew members and reported a Net Promoter Score of 51 in 2025.
That kind of growth fits the airline’s original playbook. Avelo launched from a three-aircraft base model built around underserved airports and secondary markets, especially on the East Coast and in the Midwest. The company also kept the XP code and existing IATA and FAA certifications after it was purchased and rebranded from Xtra Airways in 2021, a move that helped it move quickly into scheduled service.
The push forward comes without much detail on the airline’s finances. Avelo is private, and the anniversary statement did not include revenue, profit or cash figures. It did, however, point to a fleet strategy that is still in motion: the airline currently flies 15 Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft, expects two more deliveries by the end of 2026, and has a long-term plan to bring in Embraer E195-E2s for airports with shorter runways. reported last year that Avelo ordered 50 of the jets with purchase rights for another 50, and Andrew Levy said the E2 will eventually complement and then replace parts of the airline’s 737-800 fleet.
For now, the airline is betting that more bases, more routes and a steadier operating record will keep its momentum going. The next test is close at hand, with new Midwest service due soon and Texas set to become the latest marker of how far the carrier has moved from its West Coast beginning.
