US low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines is facing backlash after reaching an agreement with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to operate federal deportation flights.
The flights, which will be operated from Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA), Arizona from May 2025, are a part of the Trump administration’s broader strategy to tighten immigration controls, including halting entry at the southern border and increasing interior enforcement.
Avelo informed Fox News that they would have three aircraft departing from Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) to “support the department’s deportation efforts.” A spokesperson for the airline said that the aircraft will include three 737-800s, with both domestic and international flights set to commence on May 12, 2025.
However, the airline’s CEO Andrew Levy admitted that this decision could spark controversy.
“We realize this is a sensitive and complicated topic,” Levy said in a statement seen by Fox News. “After significant deliberations, we determined this charter flying will provide us with the stability to continue expanding our core scheduled passenger service and keep our more than 1,100 crewmembers employed for years to come.”
Change.org, a website which allows users to create and sign petitions, has released a statement indicating that the airline is currently in the process of hiring staff, including flight attendants, aircraft technicians, as well as local leaders.
An internal memo that was leaked reveals that these deportation flights will make up for operating losses at Tweed New Haven Airport (HVN), thereby funding New Haven’s Airport through “cruel deportation practices”, Change.org statement continued. New Haven is Avelo’s largest hub, with more flights in and out of HVN than any other airport.
In response, Change.org reported that currently hundreds of people are signing a petition to boycott Avelo until it halts plans to carry out deportation flights. Currently more than 3,400 people have signed the petition.
The petition was launched by the New Haven Immigrants Coalition, a group advocating for immigrant rights in the region, where Avelo Airlines’ main East Coast hub is located.
“Trump’s cruel policies go against everything we stand for,” the Change.org petition reads. “These flights are inhumane, dangerous, and, in some cases, illegal. They transport vulnerable people, including children and women, out of the country, at times without due process.”
