4-minute read
Earlier this year, Avelo announced that it was streamlining its network and fleet, and making Lakeland one of four hubs, with a fifth to be added in Dallas later.
The transformation took shape on Feb. 11 when the airline added a second permanent Boeing 737-800 airplane and about 60 additional employees to Lakeland Linder airport.
That’s the same day it launched twice-weekly service to Detroit’s Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) to coincide with the Tigers’ spring training. Two days later, on Feb. 13, it resumed seasonal service to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) with flights four days per week.
Avelo launched passenger service from Lakeland in June 2024 and soon designated Lakeland Linder as one of eight hub airports, creating about 140 jobs for Lakeland-based pilots, flight attendants, ground services and maintenance workers, gate attendants, and customer support staff.
“Their base is this community,” Airport Director Kris Hallstrand said. “This airport is where they start their day and end their day.”
The airline’s growth in Lakeland hasn’t been perfectly smooth. There was some trial and error early on, with several routes canceled and others added. The carrier also came under fire for carrying out 2,142 deportation flights for the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) between May 2025 and January 2026, when it ended the practice.
But since service began, Avelo has carried 240,800 passengers to or from Lakeland, Hallstrand said.
Lakeland Linder levels up
With more flights, more planes, more passengers, and a growing workforce, the airport has moved from FAA Index B to Index C — a designation that requires more firefighting equipment and staff.
The index is based on the size of the longest aircraft operating from the airport and the average number of daily departures. Avelo Airlines now flies its 189-passenger Boeing 737-800s from Lakeland six days a week to nine destinations.
For Lakeland, the FAA upgrade is more than a technical change. It signals that the city’s airport is no longer a small regional field experimenting with commercial flights — but an expanding aviation hub, with the infrastructure, staffing, and safety standards to match.
More jobs on the ground
Growth hasn’t been limited to passenger service.
More than 60 tenants operate from the airport, including Amazon, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admininstration (NOAA), flight schools, charter services, Florida State Guard air operations, and aircraft maintenance companies.
Those companies employ about 3,600 people who report to work at Lakeland Linder each day. And another 250 to 300 jobs are expected once Arcade Aviation finishes a major aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility at the northeast corner of the airport.
All told, there were about 162,000 takeoffs and landings in 2025, including cargo flights, passenger jets, helicopters, and pilot lessons.
Infrastructure to match growth
To meet the higher FAA standard, the City Commission unanimously approved hiring three new driver engineers on Feb. 16 so the Lakeland Fire Department can fully staff two of the airport’s specialized yellow Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) trucks when commercial flights are operating.
Lakeland now has three ARFF trucks. The third is an older vehicle that will serve as a backup. The trucks, which cost about $1.06 million apiece, are based at Fire Station 7 on Drane Field Road, which also serves as a community station.
Hallstrand said increased flight activity is generating enough revenue to cover the added costs: $196,240 for the remainder of this fiscal year and about $310,000 annually going forward.
“The airline operation is paying for itself,” Hallstrand said.
latest news
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
