In 2026, the main focus of Avelo Airlines (XP, Burbank) will be on consolidating to its core bases, at secondary airports on the United States’ East Coast, as the company prepares to receive its first E195-E2s in mid-2027, according Mike Corcoran, the carrier’s director for network planning.
Avelo placed an order in September for fifty E195-E2s, with options for fifty more, becoming the type’s launch customer in the United States. Additionally, Avelo pulled out of its West Coast network, ceasing services from Burbank from October 20, as part of the ongoing consolidation effort.
By freeing up the capacity previously allocated to that region, the carrier will be able “to scale all of these smaller [East Coast] airports,” driving relevance and awareness of the company’s brand, Corcoran said, as reported by Aviation Week.
“If you ask me, our number one inhibitor to growth right now is just the fact that a lot of people don’t know that we actually exist. They don’t know about Avelo. So we think that driving scale, building out our current bases, is going to be the right path forward in terms of building brand awareness, and that should translate into more customers,” he said during a presentation at the recent Routes’ TakeOff North America conference in Tallahassee, Florida.
ch-aviation data shows Avelo’s fleet comprises eight B737-700s and fourteen B737-800s.
The carrier expects to start receiving the new E195-E2s in mid-2027, with a pace of one aircraft per month over five years. It has identified 20 potential airports where these new planes could be based, all secondary airports near major metropolitan areas. Avelo has not yet settled on an actual configuration for the Embraers, but it is targeting around 140 seats per unit.
The E2s will allow Avelo to turn back to the West Coast, Corcoran said. “We absolutely plan to expand nationally once again,” he said, adding that the issue so far was to maintain dual operation on each coast of the United States without any connectivity in the middle. “The E2 is going to enable us to go back there, probably in a smarter, more effective way.”
