Avelo Airlines is exiting Bradley International Airport, canceling Connecticut’s only nonstop service to Montego Bay, Jamaica, in a move that has drawn sharp criticism from airport officials who say the carrier is dodging its financial obligations.
The Connecticut Airport Authority said it was “disappointed and surprised” by Avelo’s decision to cease operations at the airport, particularly given what it described as strong performance on the Jamaica route and significant financial support provided to the low-cost carrier.
The departure marks the second budget airline to pull out of Bradley in recent weeks. Spirit Airlines announced in September it would end service at the airport Oct. 31 amid its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in less than a year.
Avelo currently has three flights at Bradley: Punta Cana; Cancun, Mexico and Montego Bay, Jamaica. The CAA said Avelo notified it of the decision to leave Bradley on Wednesday.
The CAA disputed Avelo’s claims of insufficient demand for the Montego Bay route, citing load factors ranging from 80% in April to 95% in July — metrics the authority described as “very healthy” for the airline industry.
“The decision to cancel the MBJ route is inexplicable, given the strong ridership, subsidies received, significant airport incentives and community support,” the CAA said in a statement.
Also, the airline’s Houston route showed a 70% load factor in November when it launched in November 2024, spiking to nearly 96% before service ended after just two months of operation, according to CAA.
The CAA accused Avelo of attempting to avoid its contractual obligations after benefiting from state incentives. The airline received a revenue guarantee from the state, marketing assistance and waivers of airport landing fees and terminal rent during its first year of operations — standard incentives offered to new carriers at Bradley.
As the incentive period neared its end, Avelo asked to be released from its obligation to pay rent for terminal space through June 30, 2027. The CAA denied the request.
“The CAA understands Avelo’s financial distress and the impacts of public backlash related to its other business decisions, but the CAA cannot relieve Avelo of its financial commitments after investing so much in the airline’s success,” the authority said.
The statement referenced ongoing disputes about Connecticut’s aviation fuel user fee, which some airlines have blamed for operational challenges. The CAA countered that the fee’s impact “on a per flight basis is de minimis” and comparable to aviation fuel taxes in other states.
The authority suggested that any decline in demand for Avelo’s services could be attributed to backlash from the airline’s decision to operate deportation flights for the U.S. government.
In April, Attorney General William Tong sent Avelo CEO Andrew Levy a letter in April expressing “deep disappointment” and requesting details about the company’s deportation flight policies, including whether it would transport shackled children or operate flights in defiance of court orders.
Levy’s response prompted a sharp rebuke from Tong, who called it “totally unacceptable” and “insulting and condescending to the people of Connecticut who have invested in and committed millions of dollars to Avelo’s success.” The airline told the attorney general to file a Freedom of Information Act request if he wanted to see the DHS contract.
“What Avelo does not deny is that they made a choice to contract with the Department of Homeland Security and potentially transport innocent people, in violation of the law, to maximum security prisons outside of the United States,” Tong said in a statement.
The controversy prompted state legislators to introduce a bill that would prohibit companies operating deportation flights from receiving state contracts.Â
Spirit Airlines similarly cited the fuel fee when it canceled its Jamaica route from Bradley in 2024 after less than a year of service, claiming “lower-than-expected” demand.
The CAA said it is “already fielding interest from other carriers” interested in resuming nonstop service to Jamaica.
