Avelo to add Sarasota and West Palm Beach routes from McKinney

Avelo Airlines is expanding its schedule at McKinney National Airport in Texas, adding service to two Florida destinations.

The airline said it will connect McKinney with Sarasota/Bradenton and West Palm Beach. Flights to Sarasota begin Dec. 16, and West Palm Beach service starts the following day, Dec. 17. Both routes will be flown twice weekly.

Avelo starts flying at McKinney on Nov. 11, the date the airport moves from general aviation-only operations to commercial service. So far the carrier is the only airline scheduled to offer passenger flights there, though the airport could draw others as traffic grows.

Initial service on Nov. 11 will cover Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, and Tampa. Four more routes — Denver, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Nashville, Tennessee — are due to begin in mid-December.

Avelo also said it will temporarily add two weekly flights between McKinney and Las Vegas for the holiday season, raising that route to six flights per week.