Avelo Extends Tweed New Haven Flights as $250M Expansion Faces State Review

Avelo Airlines Extends Tweed New Haven Flights Through Fall

Avelo Airlines has extended its flight schedule from Tweed New Haven Airport through November 17, 2026, offering one-way fares starting at $42 to more than 30 destinations. The announcement comes as the airport's proposed $250 million expansion enters a critical environmental review by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The schedule extension, announced February 25 by Avelo's Head of Commercial Trevor Yealy, covers flights to destinations across 12 states and Puerto Rico from the New Haven hub, one of the airline's four bases. Avelo has carried 8.9 million customers since launching in April 2021 and ranked in the top three among U.S. carriers for on-time performance in 2025, according to a press release from the airline.

$250 Million New Haven Airport Expansion Under State Review

The flight extension arrives against the backdrop of a $250 million expansion proposal for Tweed New Haven Airport that has drawn both support and scrutiny from the surrounding community.

The project includes a new 80,000-square-foot East Terminal to replace the current West Terminal, a runway extension of nearly 1,000 feet bringing the total from approximately 5,600 feet to 6,575 feet, and parking facilities for up to 4,000 vehicles. Construction is slated to begin later this year.

The expansion received federal approval in December 2023 when the Federal Aviation Administration issued a "Finding of No Significant Impact." However, the project still requires state-level approval from DEEP, and it remains the subject of a federal lawsuit. Lawyers for the environmental group Save the Sound and the FAA have appeared before the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., to argue over the airport's environmental assessment.

Wetlands Concerns Dominate Public Meeting

A public meeting held Thursday evening via Zoom drew 104 residents to discuss the expansion's impact on local wetlands, according to the New Haven Independent. The session, originally planned as an in-person event at East Haven High School, was hosted by airport representatives and DEEP Attorney Eliza Heins.

Andrew King, vice president of external affairs for Avports, the company that manages the airport, and permitting specialist Kimberly Peace presented the project's environmental mitigation plan. The expansion would affect nine acres of wetlands, and the airport is proposing to restore 28.5 acres of tidal wetlands and create more than three acres of new tidal salt marsh as compensation. The plan also calls for removing existing parking lot pavement to expand an adjacent wetland area.

Airport representatives said the runway extension itself would not impact wetlands — it was shortened from its original planned length for that reason — but acknowledged that the new terminal would, according to the New Haven Independent.

Residents expressed skepticism about the mitigation proposal. Questions focused on how the airport would be held accountable for its environmental commitments, with some pointing to existing flooding problems on Hemingway and Coe Avenues in East Haven that already worsen at high tide. Others raised concerns about increased traffic and environmental justice implications for the surrounding community.

DEEP Review Could Take Up to a Year

DEEP is conducting what Heins described as a "technical review," which she called the "most intensive part" of the permitting process. The department plans to use its own independent experts to assess the expansion's effects on wetlands, flooding, water quality, and wildlife.

"There are many or most times where a comment will lead to a modification," Heins told meeting participants, suggesting that public input could shape the final permit conditions.

Once the technical review is complete, DEEP will draft a permit and open a public comment period of at least 30 days. The department aims to complete the entire review within one year.

Avelo Delays New Aircraft Deliveries

Separately, Avelo announced it is pushing back delivery of 50 new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft from the first half of 2027 to 2028, citing the need for additional time to prepare internal systems and crew training, according to NBC Connecticut. The airline placed the order in September 2025.

The delay does not affect the airline's current New Haven operations or the newly extended fall 2026 schedule, which will be served by Avelo's existing Boeing 737 fleet. The E195-E2 jets are intended to support Avelo's longer-term growth, including a fifth base planned at McKinney National Airport in Texas later this year.

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