Avelo launches – Avelo Airlines will be the first carrier to serve McKinney National Airport (DTX), with five nonstop routes to Las Vegas and four Florida destinations set to begin in November as the airport’s new terminal targets a late-2026 opening.
For years, North Texans have driven past McKinney National Airport—until now. On Tuesday. Avelo Airlines announced it will be the first airline to serve the airport (DTX). with five nonstop routes scheduled to launch in November. The move lands as McKinney’s new terminal and commercial service are expected to come online later this year.
Avelo’s plan is anchored in leisure travel: the airline will start with service to Las Vegas and four Florida destinations, turning the airport into a low-cost alternative to the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Dallas Love Field (DAL).
The airline is also setting down roots in McKinney. Avelo said it plans to make a base at the airport, housing two of its Boeing 737-800 jets and about 100 crewmembers. Then the first destinations arrive in November, each with a specific launch date and weekly schedule.
Starting in November, Avelo will fly nonstop from DTX to:
Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) beginning Nov. 12, four times per week on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) beginning Nov. 19, five times per week on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) near Fort Myers beginning Nov. 11, twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Orlando International Airport (MCO) beginning Nov. 12, five times per week on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tampa International Airport (TPA) beginning Nov. 19, four times per week on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.
The timing matters. McKinney leaders confirmed the new terminal is on track to open later in 2026. It’s designed as a four-gate facility, with flexibility to expand to six gates if airline service grows.
City officials also said flights from DTX are officially scheduled and on sale now, even as the broader shift toward commercial operations approaches. The airport is in Collin County, about 30-plus miles from both DFW and DAL.
The project has been years in the making. McKinney leaders began moving toward airline service last summer. when the city broke ground on a 46. 000 square foot terminal intended to include real passenger gates. The goal has been clear from the start: to give North Texans a closer air travel option inside the fast-growing Metroplex.
Avelo, for its part, is built for discounted fares and add-on fees that fit the airline’s ultra-low-cost model—operating on bare-bones pricing that resembles the approach taken by Frontier Airlines and the style of now-defunct Spirit Airlines.
That’s part of why the launch carries extra weight for travelers looking for another low-cost choice in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. particularly after Spirit’s demise in May. Industry insiders cited in the report pointed toward niche markets with less direct competition from major carriers as the best opening for low-cost airlines going forward.
Avelo’s history, however, hasn’t been a straight line. The airline’s finances forced it to abandon its West Coast route network last summer. even as it has continued serving Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN) in Connecticut in recent years. Like McKinney, HVN had lacked regularly scheduled flights for much of the prior decade before Avelo arrived.
With Avelo’s routes from DTX set to launch in mid-November, McKinney’s airport could be in operation by the Thanksgiving holiday rush—an early test for whether leisure travelers in the DFW region will actively book DTX when they search for spring break trips, summer vacations or long weekends.
McKinney leaders expect DTX to serve 200,000 passengers annually, with the capacity to host 1 million annual travelers in the future. Andrew Levy. the airline’s founder and CEO. said in a statement announcing the news Tuesday: “Avelo was built for moments like this. and we are thrilled to be the launch and anchor airline at McKinney.”.
Avelo Airlines McKinney National Airport DTX Andrew Levy Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex ultra-low-cost carrier Boeing 737-800 Las Vegas flights Florida routes terminal opening 2026 Collin County
So DTX is basically like DFW now??
Wait November launches but the terminal is 2026? Sounds like they’re doing all this before anything is even done… hope it doesn’t turn into chaos like Love Field parking.
I don’t get why everyone’s excited, Vegas flights sound nice but the airport being “low-cost” just means annoying fees later. Also Avelo base with 2 jets?? That’s not really a base, that’s like a rental car place.
Why not just fly out of DFW like normal people. McKinney is gonna take years to be convenient and then they say “about 100 crewmembers” like that’s a good thing lol. Also I swear I read somewhere Avelo already served McKinney like last year?