Low-fare Avelo Airlines, which offers services to destinations like Florida, California and Connecticut, is taking on a different endeavor. Beginning in May, Avelo’s new customer is Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
What are the flights for?
Avelo will fly migrants out of Mesa, Arizona, to detention centers within the United States as well as flights deporting immigrants in the country illegally to outside the country, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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These deportation and detention flights won’t feature Avelo’s traditional colorful branding, instead the company is opting for a trio of basic white planes void of any brand markings.
Why now?
Avelo’s move has drawn criticism as it wades into a hot-button political issue as the Trump administration continues its mass deportation efforts.
Despite the backlash, Avelo CEO Andrew Levy tells The Journal, “We concluded this new opportunity was too valuable not to pursue, as it will help stabilize our finances and allow us to continue our journey.”
Industry experts also note the consistent nature of the work is part of the appeal for Avelo as it seeks to establish itself among major airlines as a start-up that began flights in 2021.
The Journal reports that one airline that flew around 60 flights per month for ICE made about $4 million per week before it filed for bankruptcy in 2023.
What’s at stake?
The decision, however, carries risk as well.
Connecticut lawmakers are reportedly vowing not to extend a break on aviation fuel taxes if the company moves forward with ICE flights.
Union officials who represent the company’s flight attendants also expressed concerns they may face safety risks associated with handcuffed or chained passengers, saying it may hurt their ability to address emergencies while in the air.
Activists are also targeting Avelo, with more than 34,000 people signing an online petition stating they will boycott the airline unless it pulls back on its decision.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, D, wrote in a letter to Levy in April, “These flights are cruel by design and enormously wasteful of taxpayer resources, no business should be complicit.”
Levy’s company acknowledged concerns coming from activists and state officials in Connecticut, while saying it will be in contact with government officials.
