By Arturo Higueras
First Avelo Air Boeing 737 Spotted
Back in 2019, we heard for the first time the intention of former United Airlines Chief Financial Officer Andrew Levy´s intentions to develop a new U.S. budget airline. Levy is a former executive of Allegiant Travel and United and has been working on this project for almost two years. What we know so far is that the airline will be operating regular flights in the United States and will have its headquarters in Houston. The airline plans to fly Boeing 737-800s, following the low fare philosophy.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which has particularly affected the air transport industry, some companies are trying to launch new airlines in the evolving market. Breeze Airways also received its first aircraft, an Embraer E-190 leased from Nordic Aviation Capital, at the beginning of this month.
Avelo Air’s first 737-800 spotted at Indianapolis International Airport. (Photo: Jackson Wanstrath | @planespottingcvg)
In 2020, Andrew Levy managed to raise $125 million for his start-up airline and stated: “We’re going to grow at a measured pace. We’re going to build the company a little bit like Allegiant, slowly and steadily. With this, we have far more capital than we think we’ll ever need.”
The carrier is planning on using Boeing 737-800s featuring 189 seats. The jets will be leased from General Electric´s aircraft lessor and it is unclear how many jets the airline plans to initially take. The company’s strategy is to focus on small leisure airports, flying short routes to underserved destinations.
N803XT is the first 737-800 in the new Avelo Air livery. The Boeing jet began its flying career in Feb. 2006 as TC-JGI, flying for Turkish Airlines.
One year ago, Levy said: “The best way to compete in the airline industry is to not compete. I think that’s what we did at Allegiant, and that’s what we’re looking to do here. We’re not looking for world domination here. This is about offering choice and taking advantage of a market where the fare structure is relatively high.”
N803XT is the first jet sporting the new Avelo Air livery. (Photo: Jackson Wanstrath | @planespottingcvg)
It seems that Avelo has a similar business model to Breeze but will be serving different destinations and using different aircraft. Point-to-point connections with low fares seem to be one of the most resilient markets in the near future. While international travel and connecting traffic may take longer to bounce back, domestic passengers are more willing to spend their money in traveling shorter distances these days. We have already seen it from many U.S. airlines that have adapted their networks with schedules heavily focused on connecting domestic leisure destinations.
Avelo Air recently became active on social media and has been hiring for positions at its Houston and Burbank, Ca. The airline is expected to launch flights from Burbank in the near future, though no timeline has been provided by the carrier.
While vaccination campaigns ramp up in the U.S. and abroad, airlines are trying to adapt to the ever-changing operating field. In the United States, over 18% of citizens have already received one dose of the vaccine.
Arturo joined AirlineGeeks in 2020 as a writer. He is a Spanish Aerospace Engineer who recently completed his undergraduate studies at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. He has always been passionate about aviation and, in addition to his engineering knowledge, he is now completing a Master’s Degree in Air Transport Management at Cranfield University in the United Kingdom. Being passionate about journalism, he has been part of several online magazine projects, he will now be covering aviation news from Europe.
