Sneak peek: America's newest airline paints its first jet
America's newest airline is one step closer to taking off.
Avelo Airlines, a start-up airline by former Allegiant and United Airlines executive Andrew Levy, has just rolled its first aircraft out of the paint shop. The plane, spotted by eagle-eyed AvGeeks at Indianapolis International Airport (IND), is decked out in a modern blue, white and yellow color scheme. It's definitely on the more conventional side compared to the flashy blue livery of the US's other new start-up carrier, Breeze Airways.
Avelo's first jet is a Boeing 737-800, registered N803XT. It's not a completely new plane, however. The jet is 15 years old and was originally operated by Turkish Airlines.
While we don't know yet what the interior looks like, we do know that the plane will feature 189 seats in a single-class configuration. That'll be a tight squeeze, but makes sense given the airline's low-cost model.
The airline will be based in Houston, Texas and operate point-to-point routes, connecting underserved, secondary airports with domestic leisure markets. This is a similar business model to Breeze, but with a larger aircraft and slightly different destinations. "The best way to compete in the airline industry is to not compete," Levy said in an interview last year.
Related: Neeleman's new airline Breeze to first fly routes in eastern U.S.
No launch date has been set, though Avelo will likely begin operations sometime this year. The airline is already hiring crewmembers in cities like Houston, Burbank and Chicago.