Avelo said it won't operate deportation flights for ICE anymore

"It turns out that deporting people for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency isn't the profit booster Avelo Airlines had hoped. The budget airline announced a new network strategy on Tuesday designed to strengthen its balance sheet after years of inconsistent earnings, including the closure of several bases and the removal of six aircraft from its fleet. Among the closures is Mesa, Arizona - the core of Avelo's chartered aircraft support for the federal government's highly controversial mass deportations. A company spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that this also means the end of its ICE contract."

""Avelo will close the base at [Mesa] on January 27 and will conclude participation in the DHS charter program," they said. "The program provided short-term benefits but ultimately did not deliver enough consistent and predictable revenue to overcome its operational complexity and costs." The airline began operating these deportation flights in May but received significant backlash from travelers and faced protests at airports like Albany, Burbank, and New Haven, Connecticut. Avelo has not disclosed the amount it has received from the government."

Avelo Airlines began operating deportation flights for ICE in May 2025 and will end participation in January, closing its Mesa, Arizona base on January 27. The airline launched a new network strategy to strengthen its balance sheet after years of inconsistent earnings, including multiple base closures and the removal of six aircraft. Company statements said the DHS charter program provided short-term benefits but failed to yield consistent, predictable revenue to justify its operational complexity and costs. The charters prompted traveler backlash and protests at several airports, and Avelo has not disclosed government payments received.

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