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Avelo Airlines Ceases Deportation Flights Amidst Controversy and Operational Shifts
Avelo Airlines, the ultra-low-cost carrier, has announced its decision to terminate its contract with the U.S. government for conducting deportation flights. The airline had been transporting individuals for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security since May of last year.
The move comes as Avelo closes its operations in Mesa, Arizona, the primary hub for its ICE flights, resulting in impending layoffs for employees based there. Additionally, the airline will shutter its bases in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina.
While these bases are closing, Avelo will continue to serve Raleigh-Durham from New Haven, Connecticut, and Rochester, New York, and Wilmington from Nashville, Tennessee; New Haven, Connecticut; Tampa, Florida; and Washington, D.C. /Baltimore, Maryland.
In an internal email to employees, CEO Andrew Levy acknowledged the controversial nature of the government contract. “We moved a portion of our fleet into a government program which promised more financial stability but placed us in the center of a political controversy,” Levy stated.
He further explained that while the program offered “short-term benefits,” it ultimately “did not deliver enough consistent and predictable revenue to overcome its operational complexity and costs.” This strategic shift will lead to job reductions, though some transfer opportunities will be available.
The airline also confirmed it would be returning six of its Boeing 737-700 aircraft.
Avelo’s initial decision to engage in deportation flights had drawn significant public backlash, including boycotts and protests. At the time, Levy defended the contract as a financially necessary step to ensure stability and continued employment for its over 1,100 crewmembers. Public records indicate that ICE awarded CSI Aviation, the company managing Avelo’s flights, a contract now valued at over $560 million.
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA has expressed its support for Avelo’s decision to end the ICE flights, hoping for a more stable future for the airline’s flight attendants. Andrew Willis Garcés, a senior strategist with Siembra NC, an advocacy group, hailed the decision as a “victory for the thousands of people who have been protesting the airline for most of the last year.”
This announcement follows Avelo’s previous withdrawal from West Coast service in July and its September order for 50 new Embraer E-195-E2 planes, with options for 50 more, valued at $4.4 billion.