Avelo Airlines announced that Orlando International Airport will be its third base of operations, which will include a new integrated flight crew training program.
The new base will begin operations in June, joining the base at Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) and the base at New Haven Airport (HVN) in Connecticut.
According to the release, the airline will base two Boeing 737-700s in Orlando, a presence that will increase throughout the year with the goal of serving at least 10 non-stop destinations by the end of 2022. This summer, Avelo will initially start with three routes:
- Charleston (CHS), South Carolina, beginning June 30 with three weekly flights.
- Baltimore-Washington (BWI), between June 30 and September 6 with five weekly flights.
- Wilmington (ILM), beginning July 1 with three weekly flights. It will be the airline’s 15th East Coast destination.
Additionally, beginning June 16, 2022, the New Haven link will expand from 14 to 19 flights per week. It will add three daily flights on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and two daily flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
«Avelo is poised for continued growth as we add more aircraft, more crew, more destinations and more bases, including our new base in Orlando,» said Avelo Airlines founder, president and CEO Andrew Levy.
Over the next 12 months, they will create 150 Orlando-based jobs, which will be a combination of crew and suppliers. Roles will include airport customer service, technical operations and aircraft maintenance, flight attendants, pilots and supervisors.
«I look forward to the positive economic and community impact Avelo will have on Orlando and throughout Florida as we increase our investment here in the years to come,» concluded Levy.
The company expects to have 15 Boeing 737 NGs by the end of 2022 spread across its three bases.
New integrated flight crew training in Orlando
The airline announced that beginning in the fourth quarter of 2022 it will train all of its flight attendants and pilots in Orlando.
Beginning this summer, all training for Avelo flight attendants and pilots will be facilitated by Avenger Flight Group (AFG), a private business aviation training and simulation company.
Avelo flight attendant and pilot training, previously conducted at separate locations and sometimes with separate companies, will now be permorfed at AFG’s state-of-the-art Orlando campus.
«Avenger Flight Group is honored to have been selected by Avelo Airlines as their exclusive training provider. Our history of success dates back to 2014 with Mr. Levy in his previous endeavors and we are confident that we will continue to prove ourselves as the most efficient and reliable partner,» said Avenger Flight Group CEO Pedro Sors.
Avelo has more than 160 flight attendants and pilots. The airline expects to hire hundreds more in the coming years.