Avelo Airlines Cuts Ties With ICE, Ends Deportation Flights and Closes Mesa Base by Jan. 27
Avelo Airlines has confirmed it will end its controversial deportation flights for ICE and restructure its operations, closing key bases and refocusing its route network. The announcement matters now because the move marks a major reversal for the budget carrier just months after it entered federal deportation work.
The decision follows protests, boycotts and political pressure from immigrant advocates and local officials who opposed Avelo’s involvement in traveling immigration removals. Those tensions raised questions about the airline’s brand and future strategy.
Avelo began carrying out scheduled deportation charters in May 2025 from its Mesa, Arizona base under a subcontract with CSI Aviation for DHS/ICE. Citing inconsistent revenue and operational complexity, the airline said it will cease these flights when the base closes on Jan. 27, 2026, and will also shutter its Raleigh-Durham and Wilmington, North Carolina facilities while reinforcing hubs like New Haven, Connecticut.
However, the company denies having a direct federal contract with ICE, even as flight data shows it operated deportation flights. This contradiction leaves unanswered how future DHS charter work will be managed without Avelo’s aircraft.
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“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,” Avelo CEO Andrew Levy said in an internal message.
Ending the deportation flights could ease public tensions and defuse boycott campaigns, but advocates say legislative efforts to block other carriers from similar contracts are still likely. Airlines nationwide could face scrutiny if they engage in federal deportation operations.
Avelo will now focus on commercial service growth, including opening a new base near Dallas in late 2026 and optimizing operations at other hubs.
What happens next…
Immigration advocates will push for transparency on future airline participation in deportation programs while Avelo transitions away from federal charter work.
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