“We realize this is a sensitive and complicated topic.”
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velo Airlines has faced calls for boycotts and at least one state government threatening to limit state contracts in the wake of news that they had contracted with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to operate flights supporting that agency’s deportation efforts.
Avelo is an ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) that sells low-fare flights using an “unbundled” business model, meaning the base fare covers almost no extras like assigned seats or bags. The airline also offers aircraft for charter services when they’re not being used on the company’s scheduled flights. Avelo flies to leisure destinations from so-called secondary airports serving smaller communities like Pasco, Washington and Traverse City, Michigan.
The company has agreed to provide deportation flights for ICE starting in May as part of a “long-term charter program.” The flights will be offered to move deportees both within the United States and to points outside the country.
Tom Cartwright, a flight data analyst for the advocacy group Witness at the Border, told the Associated Press said he isn’t aware of any other commercial airlines that have provided such flights for ICE in the past five years he’s been tracking flights. He called the decision by Avelo “unusual” considering charter companies the public likely hasn’t heard of typically make these flights.
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Data collected by Cartwright indicates that the majority of flights, both within the United States and to points abroad, were operated by charter carriers World Atlantic and iAero (formerly known as Swift Air), which ceased operations in early 2024. World Atlantic and the other airlines operating the flights do not offer scheduled service with tickets available for general sale to the public.
It’s not uncommon for US scheduled carriers to provide charter services, and many well-known, major airlines offer charter services for sports teams, school trips, corporate incentives, federal, state, and local governments, and other groups traveling together. Major airlines also routinely provide military charters to assist with troop movements, and as part of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) during times of emergency or massive troop buildups, such as during the Gulf Wars in 1990 and 2003.
Major airlines are, however, generally choosy about which charter contracts they accept, knowing that accepting controversial clients could ultimately affect the public’s perception of their brand.
Avelo is shuttering base operations at Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport to redirect the aircraft for the charter flights. The airport will get a reduced number of flights operating from Avelo’s other bases.
In a statement to the San Francisco news outlet SF Gate, Avelo Airlines founder and CEO Andrew Levy said, “We realize this is a sensitive and complicated topic. 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.”
The news prompted protests and calls for a boycott in Connecticut, where Avelo offers service at Hartford’s Bradley International Airport and Tweed New Haven Airport. A bill is already winding its way through the state legislature to prohibit companies who wish to contract with state agencies from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. Some state lawmakers have said they will oppose the bill, saying the federal government has exclusive jurisdiction over immigration.
Another lawmaker who supports the bill points out that Connecticut has waived state taxes on aviation fuel for Avelo to support the growth of their operations at the state’s airports, and they now worry that state taxpayer funds could, in a roundabout way, support the federal government’s deportation efforts.
Based in Houston, Avelo operates a fleet of 20 Boeing 737 aircraft from seven US bases: Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) in California, Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN) Connecticut, Wilmington Airport (ILG) Delaware, Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) North Carolina, Lakeland International Airport (LAL) Florida, Charlotte’s Concord-Padgett Regional Airport (USA) North Carolina, and Wilmington International Airport (ILM) North Carolina.
