McKinney Opens Its New Terminal as Avelo Launches Commercial Flights

By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews

McKINNEY, Texas — Paul Grimes was walking up to McKinney National Airport’s new terminal on Veterans Day when he saw people carrying luggage into the building. After years of planning for commercial flights, the city manager was watching passengers show up for the first one.

“I see people bringing their bags in their hands and I’m like, boy, this is really gonna happen,” Grimes said.

A ribbon-cutting at the gate and a water cannon salute preceded the departure of Avelo Airlines Flight 1848. It left shortly after 9 a.m. Central time for Fort Myers, Florida, beginning scheduled commercial passenger service at McKinney National Airport. Some of the passengers who boarded that morning were back in McKinney by afternoon.

The ribbon-cutting at DTX

“We’re making a little bit of aviation history today,” airport director Ken Carley said as he opened the Nov. 11 ceremony.

Carley thanked veterans and their families and welcomed Aviation Academy students. A McKinney ISD JROTC honor guard took part in the Veterans Day tribute, and the McKinney High School Marquettes performed at the gate. The city had held a separate ribbon-cutting for the terminal on Nov. 6.

Carley said city leaders and staff had worked on the airport project for years, with much of the infrastructure work taking place over the previous 18 months. McKinney broke ground in July 2025. The city described the four-gate terminal as a $79 million project that included parking and rental car facilities and was designed to handle more than 500,000 passengers a year.

Mayor Bill Cox, former Mayor George Fuller and Councilman Michael Jones joined Avelo founder and CEO Andrew Levy at the ribbon. Levy said the airline had been looking forward to launch day for three and a half years. He thanked Cox and Fuller and recalled that Fuller was the first person he met with when he came to McKinney to discuss the project.

Levy said he had visited about a year and a half earlier and returned to find a terminal he described as easy for passengers to use. Avelo expects its McKinney base to create about 150 jobs, including positions for pilots, flight attendants, aircraft technicians and airport staff.

“This is your airport,” Carley told the crowd.

The first passengers out and back

Once passengers boarded, Levy picked up the cabin intercom at the front of the plane. Several passengers held up their phones to record. There was applause at takeoff and again when the plane touched down in Fort Myers around 12:20 p.m. Eastern time.

At Gate B1, staff handed out bags as passengers walked into the Florida terminal. A child dressed as a pilot came through the doorway. The screen beside the gate already listed McKinney National Airport as the next destination.

Jim Garrison, a former McKinney City Council candidate, had booked both flights. He said there were some bragging rights in taking the first flight out and the first one back, an experience he figured he wouldn’t get to repeat.

“The flight was great. The staff was wonderful. The airport is gorgeous,” Garrison said.

After flying to Florida and back in the same day, Garrison estimated he had about 50 yards to walk to his car.

What comes next for McKinney

In a message after the launch, Fuller said he expected regular passenger service to benefit the region.

“I look forward to the tremendous economic impact the Airport will have on our region and the convenience it will provide to our community,” Fuller said.

Back in McKinney that afternoon, Cox addressed the passengers on the return flight just before the cabin doors opened.

“Welcome to our city,” he said.

Avelo scheduled its first nonstop flights from McKinney to Orlando and Las Vegas for Thursday, one day after commercial service began. Tampa and Fort Lauderdale are scheduled to follow Nov. 19, bringing the airport to five nonstop destinations before Thanksgiving.

By Dec. 17, Avelo’s schedule calls for nonstop service from McKinney to 11 cities.