Image courtesy of the Tweed-New Haven Airport Authority.

New Haven has one more tool it can use to keep biotech firms in town: Direct flights to a major research hub.

Avelo Airlines announced yesterday that it is adding nonstop service from the city’s Tweed-New Haven Airport to Raleigh-Durham in May, along with new nonstop flights to Baltimore and Chicago.

Avelo currently flies between New Haven and Florida: Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, Sarasota/Bradenton, Tampa and West Palm Beach.

Along with Boston and New York – already connected to New Haven by Amtrak’s Accella high-speed train – Raleigh-Durham is one of the nation’s premier biotech hubs. City officials in New Haven and Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration are working to grow a biotech industry in the city by spurring new life science developments.

“More destinations from Tweed helps expand access to the New Haven region, which means more opportunities to increase our economic viability and enhance business growth. Avelo’s continued growth in Connecticut is helping to strengthen connectivity for companies that are already here and will stimulate further regional development,” Lamont said in a statement provided by Avelo.

The city-owned airport is also planning a major renovation to modernize its facilities and expand its capacity.

Avelo’s flights to Raleigh-Durham International Airport will operate Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, as will flights to Baltimore / Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport.