Ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) Avelo Airlines is cancelling all of its West Coast routes later this year. The carrier will exclusively focus on its East Coast and charter operations moving forward.
The carrier’s only West Coast base, located at Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) near Los Angeles, will also be closed as part of the changes. This is an unexpected development as the airline has a major presence in Burbank and at one point described the airport as one of its most successful offerings.
Avelo Shuttering Burbank Base, Ceasing All West Coast Flying
The closure of the Burbank base, which was first reported by IshrionA, is somewhat of a shock as the carrier appeared to have strong demand from the airport. Avelo Airlines launched in April 2021 with three destinations from the airport using Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
The airline expanded quickly and, shortly thereafter, it opened its second base at Tweed New Haven Regional Airport (HVN). In the years that followed, the carrier has continued to open bases along the East Coast of the United States, with its West Coast flying cut-off from the rest of the network.
While Avelo has added and removed various routes from its West Coast base in recent years, it hasn’t seen the same growth as the company’s East Coast operation. That growth in the east is part of the reason behind the closure of Burbank and the cessation of West Coast flying. In a statement an Avelo representative shared the following:
After careful consideration, Avelo is closing its base at Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) later this year. On August 12, 2025, we will reduce our BUR operation to one aircraft before exiting the remaining aircraft on December 2, 2025, and closing the base.
This was not an easy decision. Our company’s deepest operational roots are in BUR, having launched our first flight there over four years ago during the COVID pandemic. There is rarely one singular reason why decisions like this are made, and this one is no different. We believe the continuation service from BUR in the current operating environment will not deliver adequate financial returns in a highly competitive backdrop. Avelo has previously made several changes over the past few years to our West Coast operations to improve our financial results. Despite the investment of significant time, resources and efforts, our West Coast operations have not produced the results necessary to continue our presence there.
The aircraft in BUR are expected to support growth in our East coast bases, where we have significantly more opportunity to continue our path to sustainable cash flow generation.
While surprising, the clues were in front of us the whole time as Avelo extended its East Coast schedule into 2026 last week but made no mention of its West Coast flights. No word has been given on where the carrier will send the aircraft and crews that are currently based in Burbank.
Summary
Avelo Airlines will no longer operate flights in the Western United States after December 2, 2025. The ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) will close its base at Hollywood Burbank Airport and redeploy the aircraft and crews to the East Coast in support of its operations there.
Avelo is reportedly flying ICE deportation flights. Perhaps the federal government is overpaying for these flights which would then be more lucrative than flying scheduled air service. Perhaps Avelo cancelled the west coast operations to free up a sufficient number of aircraft to service all the deportation flights that will be required over the next few years due to the vastly increased ICE budget under Trump’s latest budget bill.
An Avelo spokesperson stated that the planes based in Burbank will be sent to its East Coast operations. To my knowledge, its existing deportation aircraft will continue to operate from Phoenix-Mesa.