Avelo adds ILM’s first international flight, resumes West Palm Beach route

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) —Wilmington International Airport—despite the name—has never offered commercial international flights. That all changed on Thursday. 

Avelo Airlines announced it will offer direct flights to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on Wednesdays and Saturdays, starting on Christmas Eve this year. 

The airline also announced it will resume flights to West Palm Beach during the cooler months on Thursdays and Sundays, starting November 20th. 

Courtney Goff with Avelo says Wilmington was the perfect fit for the airline. 

“This is an international airport, we just started flying international last year and it just seemed like a really great fit between the data showing there’s people having to go to Charlotte and spend $1000 on flights, so, it just made really great sense,” she said. 

The new international flights will use the existing US Customs Building, about a mile away from the main terminal. 

Airport Director Jeff Bourk says the airport has been working to attract an airline to host international flights for the last few years. Avelo was the first to take the airport up on that offer. 

“Really, they helped us work with Customs and Border Control and their team to really make sure that we could do these flights and make them available to the public,” Bourk said. 

Bourk says international passengers will park at the customs building where they’ll go through security, before they’re shuttled to the main terminal for departure. 

Returning passengers will deplane on the tarmac and re-enter the country through the customs building. 

Bourk says if the route proves successful, there could be more international flights to come. 

“That might happen at some point in the future, but for now this facility is a very good facility, it meets all the requirements, and it’s not being utilized to it’s full potential,” he said.