When Avelo Airlines launched twice-weekly flights between Lakeland Linder International Airport and New Haven, Conn., on June 13, 2024, it ended a decade-long absence of scheduled commercial passenger service at the Polk County airfield. The route was modest in scale but outsized in significance for a facility that, for more than a decade, was known for cargo flights and military contractor businesses.
For Visit Central Florida, it was the payoff to years of hard work. Since the last Direct Air flight in March of 2012, staff at Visit Central Florida, in partnership with the City of Lakeland, had made it a priority to restore commercial flights from Lakeland.
And, it appears, the public hungered from local flights as well.
By October 2024, Avelo had enjoyed enough success to designate Lakeland as an operating base and added seven nonstop destinations. By early 2026, Avelo was flying from Lakeland six days a week to nine destinations. A 10th route, to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, is scheduled to begin in November.
Not surprisingly, more activity has brought more jobs. Base operations at Lakeland have created about 140 jobs for pilots, flight attendants, ground crews and maintenance workers. Overall, it is estimated that the airport ecosystem now supports at least 8,300 regional jobs, especially since Lakeland Linder has served nearly 400,000 passengers since its opening in 2024.
Combined with the other airport-based businesses, air business alone enjoyed a total estimated economic impact of $1.5 billion, roughly three times the economic impact from just two years earlier.
And much of that business comes from tourism. No matter where the travelers ultimate destination is, or whether they choose to fly into Lakeland Linder International Airport due to the low cost or the relative ease of travel, the economic impact remains.