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    • Wilmington Airport continues to expand with new parking and new routes
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    Wilmington Airport continues to expand with new parking and new routes

    Kathleen William Posted on

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    Wilmington Airport unveiled the latest in its expansions on Wednesday, Oct. 30, as the start of its new schedule is just days away and a new survey predicts the small airport will be one of the busiest in the country during the holiday season.

    A new parking lot that officially opened Wednesday adds over 500 parking spaces adjacent to the single terminal. This comes just over a year after the airport purchased the Quality Inn and Suites Skyway Motel, which previously occupied the space.

    Avelo Airlines will fly to seven new destinations from the first week of November, the current routes will be at least temporarily discontinued in the coming days.

    More parking spaces at ILG

    Last year's winter holidays resulted in heavy traffic at the airport, so that the 820 parking spaces in three parking lots were almost full.

    Just in time for the Thanksgiving and winter holiday rush, 532 parking spaces will open in the new Parking Lot C, bringing Wilmington Airport's total parking space to 1,345.

    The daily rate for parking is $9.50.

    Availability can be checked on the ILG website, along with the daily schedule of flights arriving and departing the terminal. DART bus routes 13 and 25 directly serve the airport terminal. There is an updated timetable with current bus routes at the airport.

    There are also numerous DART bus stops around the airport, the closest ones being DuPont Highway and School Lane in New Castle.

    Passengers can be dropped off and picked up at the curb in front of the terminal. There is a separate section between parking lots A and B for picking up passengers, which drivers can use free of charge. Flight status can be checked online to determine commute time.

    Avelo's new route map

    At the end of July, Avelo announced that it would offer flights to Concord (North Carolina) and Lakeland (Florida) from Wilmington Airport starting in early November

    The airport announced a few weeks later that three previously suspended flight routes would return in early November. These routes were Daytona Beach, Florida; Palm Beach, Fla.; and Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida. At the same time, ILG announced that flights to Atlanta would begin.

    All newly announced flight routes will be flown twice a week. Flight prices start at around $46 and can be booked online at AveloAir.com through April 2025.

    Here are the new routes:

    Concord/Charlotte, North Carolina (USA)

    Flights to Concord/Charlotte, North Carolina begin Friday, November 8th and fly Mondays and Fridays.

    Lakeland/Orlando, Florida (LAL)

    Starting November 7th, flights to Lakeland, Florida will depart on Thursdays and Sundays.

    Atlanta (ATL)

    Starting Friday, November 8, flights to and from Atlanta will begin on Mondays and Fridays.

    Daytona Beach, Florida (DAB)

    Starting Thursday, November 7th, flights to Daytona Beach, Florida will depart on Thursdays and Sundays.

    Palm Beach, Florida (PBI)

    Starting Friday, November 8th, flights will again depart on Mondays and Fridays to Palm Beach, Florida.

    Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida (SRQ)

    Beginning Saturday, November 23, travelers can fly to Sarasota, Florida on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

    The remaining routes currently offered by ILG: Fort Myers, Florida; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Orlando Florida; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Tampa, Fla.; and Wilmington, North Carolina, will end, at least temporarily, on November 5th.

    Further expansions are on the way

    Since its inception in February 2023, Avelo has flown over 400,000 passengers to and from Delaware's only commercial airport.

    The multimillion-dollar terminal expansion broke ground in September and will include a new gate, more food and beverage options, a TSA pre-check zone and more.

    A new coach service also launched this month in partnership with American Airlines and Landline Co., carrying passengers from ILG to Philadelphia International Airport. The service allows travelers to purchase an American Airlines ticket from ILG.

    On the day of travel, passengers can go through baggage claim and TSA screening at Wilmington Airport before being taken by bus to Philadelphia Airport's Terminal F, where they can disembark for their flight.

    However, ILG's TSA and baggage claim areas are only open on days that Avelo departs from Wilmington Airport, which may not be clearly stated when purchasing a ticket through the Wilmington Airport website.

    With the new schedule rolling out in early November, Avelo will depart from Wilmington Airport every day of the week except Tuesdays.

    Further development: The Port of Wilmington and the Cape May-Lewes Ferry will receive federal funding for green improvements

    ILG's biggest holiday wave

    Using TSA data from 2022 and 2023, Luxury Link researchers found that Wilmington Airport in Delaware not only saw significantly higher passenger traffic during the holiday season than during the off-season, but that this change was also considered one of the largest increases in the country was classified.

    Admittedly, the numbers take into account the fact that there were no commercial airfares in 2022 following the departure of Frontier Airlines from Delaware, but the difference between non-holiday and holiday travel was still large enough to compete with larger markets such as San Bernardino, California and Reading, Pennsylvania.

    For the research, the Thanksgiving period was assumed to be from the Friday before Thanksgiving to the Monday after; The winter holidays are the period from the Friday before the whole week before Christmas to January 2nd of the following year.

    The study found that ILG carried an average of 177 daily passengers during the non-holiday season over a period of nearly two years. During the holiday season, that number increased by over 83% to an average of 324 daily passengers between Thanksgiving and the winter holidays.

    For comparison, major hub airports see increases of 4% to 7% during the holiday season.

    It's safe to say that the holiday season will likely be another busy time for Avelo Airlines and Wilmington Airport, and the airport may finally have the parking to prepare for it.

    Molly McVety covers community and environmental issues around Delaware. Contact them at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @mollymcvety.

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    Kathleen William
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