TL;DR: Avelo Airlines announced January 8, 2026 that it will end deportation flights for DHS/ICE by January 27. The low-cost carrier started migrant flights in May 2025 as a subcontractor for CSI Aviation. After months of protests, boycotts from travelers, pressure from flight attendant unions, and criticism from local politicians, Avelo is out. CEO Andrew Levy admitted the program put them "in the center of political controversy." Avelo is also closing its Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport base. Activists are claiming this as a victory, proving that sustained pressure on corporate participants in the deportation machine can work.
What Happened
Avelo Airlines, a budget carrier founded in 2021, will stop operating deportation charter flights by January 27, 2026.[1]
The company's official statement cited business reasons:
"The program did not deliver enough consistent and predictable revenue to overcome its operational complexity and costs."
But CEO Andrew Levy was more honest in additional comments: the agreement placed Avelo "in the center of a political controversy."[2]
That controversy was no accident. It was organized.
How Deportation Flights Work
ICE doesn't contract directly with most airlines for deportation flights. Instead:
- ICE contracts with CSI Aviation, A government contractor that manages the deportation flight program
- CSI subcontracts with airlines, Companies like Avelo provide planes and crews
- Airlines get paid, ICE gets distance, The structure lets ICE claim they "never directly contracted" with specific carriers
Avelo began these flights in May 2025, operating out of Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport.[3] The Phoenix base was central to the operation, and it's now being closed entirely.
The Pressure Campaign
Avelo didn't quit because of spreadsheets. They quit because activists made participation costly:
- Traveler boycotts, Customers switched to competitors
- Flight attendant union pressure, Workers didn't want to crew deportation flights
- Protests at airports, Public demonstrations at Avelo destinations
- Local politician criticism, Officials in Avelo's markets spoke out
- Sustained media coverage, Story stayed in the news for months
Immigration activists targeted Avelo specifically because it was visible and vulnerable. A budget airline depends on customer goodwill. That goodwill evaporated when customers learned their plane might be used for deportations the next day.[4]
What This Means
The good news: Corporate participation in the deportation apparatus can be challenged. Public pressure works. Avelo calculating that deportation revenue wasn't worth the reputational cost is exactly the outcome activists wanted.
The reality check: CSI Aviation will find other subcontractors. ICE's deportation flight program continues. One airline exiting doesn't stop deportations, it makes them slightly more expensive and complicated.
But "slightly more expensive and complicated" matters. Every friction point slows the machine. Every corporate defection signals that participating has costs.
Who Else Operates These Flights?
The deportation flight network involves multiple contractors and subcontractors:
- CSI Aviation, Primary ICE contractor for charter flights
- Swift Air, Major deportation flight operator
- World Atlantic Airlines, Has operated ICE charters
- iAero Airways, Known deportation flight operator
Activists are already targeting other carriers. The Avelo victory provides a template: identify the company, document their participation, organize boycotts, apply sustained pressure.
What You Can Do
Research Before You Fly
Check if your carrier operates deportation flights. Flight tracking activists document which planes are used.
Support Ongoing Campaigns
Organizations like Never Again Action and Mijente track corporate participation and organize pressure campaigns.
Pressure Other Airlines
Swift Air and others continue operating. The Avelo model, boycotts, protests, union pressure, works.