Avelo Airlines’ decision to operate chartered deportation flights for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) comes amid amid softening demand for low-cost airline seats, with the carrier moving to provide stability for its scheduled passenger service.
The Houston-headquartered airline said last week that it has engaged in a “long-term” charter contract with the US Department of Homeland Security to assist with deportation flights from Mesa, Arizona.
Avelo will launch domestic and international flights for ICE on 12 May, using three of its 20 Boeing 737s.
The start-up carrier says it is opening a base at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway airport to support the new charter programme, and is hiring new pilots, flight attendants and technicians “immediately”.
“Current Avelo crew members will have the first option to transfer to our new [Mesa] base,” the airline says.
Founding chief executive Andrew Levy acknowledges that Avelo’s decision to participate in deportation flights “is a sensitive and complicated topic”.
“After significant deliberations, we determined this charter flying will provide us with the stability to continue expanding or core scheduled passenger service and keep our more than 1,100 crew members employed for years to come,” he says.
The plan to assist deportation efforts under the administration of US President Donald Trump has prompted pushback from some consumers, with a Change.org petition calling on air travellers to boycott the carrier gathering some 30,000 signatures as of 14 April.
Avelo notes that it operated similar charter flights for the administration of former president Joe Biden. ”Regardless of the administration or party affiliation, as a US flag carrier, when our country calls and requests assistance our practice is to say yes.”
A spokesperson for Avelo refutes that the recent closure of its base at Charles M Schulz-Sonoma County airport was related to diverting resources toward charter operations, though it admits some markets have not worked out as envisioned.
The carrier says that it closed its base in Sonoma – north of the San Francisco Bay Area – and pulled back flights there due to “low demand and disappointing financial results”.
Northern California has not proven to be a fruitful geographic area for Avelo, which last year pulled operations from Redding.
The fledgling carrier, launched in 2022, is likely feeling squeezed by softening demand for low-cost and leisure travel in the USA. Last week, ultra-low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines lowered its full-year financial expectations, citing slowing demand and market uncertainty.
Avelo is not a publicly traded company and does not release full quarterly results, though Levy previously told Airline Business that the airline is considering making an initial public offering as soon as this year.
