###

After brokering a deal with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Avelo Airlines next month will begin working with federal immigration officials to run deportation flights out of Arizona. The “long-term charter program,” which will be based at Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA), will include both domestic and international flights to “support the Department’s deportation efforts,” according to a statement from the airline.

Reached via email this morning, Avelo’s Communications Manager Courtney Goff told the Outpost that the flights are limited to Arizona and “will not affect our California flights.” She directed further inquiries to the Department of Homeland Security.

The budget airline, which launched service between Humboldt County and Burbank in 2021, is actively recruiting “energetic, highly motivated” flight attendants to service deportation flights, which will begin on May 12. 

The deal has drawn sharp criticism from local officials in some of the communities Avleo serves, including Justin Elicker, the Mayor of New Haven, Conn., who called the decision “deeply disappointing and disturbing” in an interview with the New Haven Register. The New Haven Immigrants Coalition launched an online petition to boycott the airline, which, as of this writing, has garnered 514 signatures. 

Statement from Avelo Airlines:

Avelo Airlines has signed an agreement for a long-term charter program flying for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Immigration Control and Enforcement agency. Avelo’s DHS operations will be supported by three 737-800s based at Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) starting on May 12. Flights will be both domestic and international to support the Department’s deportation efforts.

With this, Avelo will open a base at AZA with Avelo pilots, flight attendants and aircraft technicians, as well as appropriate local leaders. We expect to begin hiring locally for these positions immediately. Current Avelo Crewmembers (employees) will have the first option to transfer to our new AZA base.

Avelo Airlines Founder and CEO Andrew Levy said, “We realize this is a sensitive and complicated topic. 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.”