Avelo Airlines Ends West Coast Flights, Closes Burbank Base in December

Budget carrier Avelo Airlines said it will shutter all West Coast passenger service and close its base at Hollywood Burbank Airport by early December 2025, blaming persistent financial pressures and a crowded market for discount flights. The Texas-based airline plans to scale back the Burbank fleet to a single aircraft by Aug. 12 before withdrawing completely, ending 13 routes it has added since launching service at the airport in 2021. Aircraft and crews will be redeployed to East Coast hubs that Avelo considers more profitable. “This was not an easy decision,” Chief Executive Officer Andrew Levy said in a statement. West Coast employees have been offered transfers to the carrier’s bases in Charlotte, Hartford and Wilmington, while passengers holding tickets can cancel for full refunds. The retreat comes amid demonstrations over Avelo’s federal contract to transport migrants for the Department of Homeland Security, but the company said those protests did not factor into its decision to abandon the region.