Low-cost airline calls deportation flights 'too valuable'

The carrier scored a controversial contract under the Trump administration.

Apr 23, 2025 - 17:59

Low-cost airline calls deportation flights 'too valuable'

Since President Donald Trump began his second term in the White House in January, the issue of deportations has been constantly in the news cycle.

On April 19, the Supreme Court ruled that the White House had to halt any ongoing deportations of Venezuelan migrants for the court to hear a lawsuit filed on their behalf by the American Civil Liberties Union. The Trump administration had invoked the rarely-used Alien Enemies Act to justify expulsion of Venezuelans suspected of gang activity while also running deportation flights to countries such as Colombia, Mexico, India, and Panama.

Based out of Houston and flying to 56 destinations across 23 states, ultra-low-cost airline Avelo Airlines has recently secured a $151 million contract with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to run such deportation flights.

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Avelo Airlines called choice to run deportation flights 'controversial'

Avelo CEO Andrew Levy confirmed that three of the Boeing 737-800s (BA) planes currently kept at Arizona's Mesa Gateway Airport will be used to "support the Department's deportation efforts" starting on May 12. Levy further acknowledged the decision as "controversial" but said the financial opportunity "was too valuable not to pursue."

"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 crew members employed for years to come," Levy said to a local Arizona branch of ABC.

Such news immediately prompted a wave of protests in different states where Avelo has a presence. A petition calling upon Avelo to give up the flight contract has gained nearly 35,000 signatures, while many are boycotting it until it does.

Deported individuals from the U.S. arrive at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela on March 24, 2025.
Image source: Bloomberg/Getty Images

“Avelo Airlines likes to advertise that it will seat families together on flights, but in reality, they are helping to facilitate breaking up families," Rachel Barnhart, a lawmaker in New York's Monroe County, said at an April 17 protest in Rochester.

In statements to news outlets at places where similar protests took place, Avelo repeatedly doubled down on running deportation flights and said that it had been contracted to run similar ones under the Biden administration.

"Regardless of the administration or party affiliation, as a U.S. flag carrier, when our country calls and requests assistance, our practice is to say yes,” the airline said in a statement to KEZI in Oregon.

Another protest against the airline took place in Eugene, a city 50 miles off the Oregon Coast. Since launching in 2021, Avelo was able to find a customer base in the city of just under 180,000 residents. On top of running charter destinations for contractors including the federal government, the carrier's strategy has been to launch commercial flights out of secondary destinations generally overlooked by larger airlines.

Chartered deportation flights weren't always so controversial

While significantly less visible due to not running commercial flights with its name, other carriers chartering government deportation flights include CSI Aviation and Global Crossing Airlines.

Under past administrations, the carriers transported individuals with a valid deportation order issued by a judge. Under the Trump administration, human rights groups have questioned the legality of the president's rapid-fire deportations.

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"The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order," Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III wrote, rejecting the government request to undo a district court ruling that required it to bring back deported Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia.