HOUSTON – Avelo Airlines will now fly deportation flights for the U.S. government starting next month.
The Houston-based airline said they just signed the contract, which will provide the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration Control and Enforcement (ICE) three Boeing 737-800 airplanes based at Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) in Arizona.
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The contract begins May 12, 2025, a spokesperson said.
“We realize this is a sensitive and complicated topic,” Avelo Airlines Founder and CEO Andrew Levy said in a statement. “After significant deliberations, we determined this charter flying will provide us with the stability to continue expanding our core scheduled passenger service and keep our more than 1,100 Crewmembers employed for years to come.”
A petition has been filed via Change.org titled “We Won’t Fly Avelo until they stop ICE flights,” which has since gained nearly 4,000 signatures, as of Tuesday afternoon.
Current airline employees, Avelo noted, will have the option to work the deportation flights first. Then the airline will begin hiring locally in Arizona.
