NEW HAVEN —
Avelo Airlines plans to begin flying deportation charter flights for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security out of Arizona, a move that is drawing sharp criticism from local and state officials and on social media.
While the flights beginning May 12 will be out of Mesa, where Avelo plans to base three planes, and there is no mention of any such charters out of Tweed New Haven Regional Airport or Bradley International Airport, which together comprise Avelo’s largest East Coast base, the announcement has stirred some people up..
In Connecticut, Avelo has been a fast-growing aviation player . But the decision to work with ICE to transport people being deported drew a sharp rebuke from the city’s top official and the state attorney general.
“Avelo Airlines’ decision to charter deportation flights from Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona is deeply disappointing and disturbing,” said New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker in an emailed statement. “For a company that champions themselves as ‘New Haven’s hometown airline,’ this business decision in antithetical to New Haven’s values.”
Tong suggested the state consider pulling it’s “support” from Avelo. The state suspended the aviation fuel tax for Avelo for a period of time, which was announced around the time Avelo began flying out of Bradley . Tong’s office said the state also provided Avelo a guarantee against losses up to $2 million.
“Violent criminals should be arrested, prosecuted, and where appropriate, deported. But Trump’s cruel and reckless deportation program has unlawfully undermined legitimate law enforcement by ensnaring innocent parents, students, and children,” he said in a statement. “These efforts are inconsistent with the policies of the State of Connecticut, and no business receiving support from the State of Connecticut should volunteer to assist.”
Tong said while “the federal government has broad immigration enforcement authority, many of these flights have been operated in clear abuse of that power.”
“If reporting is accurate, Avelo has freely chosen to profit from and facilitate Trump’s inhumane and unlawful atrocities,” he said. “The State of Connecticut has an obligation now to review this business decision and to reconsider the viability of our choice to support and partner with Avelo.”
Elicker, who has spoken out forcefully against Trump Administration deportation plans and leads a city that has sued the federal government over other Trump Administration policies, said he “personally called Avelo CEO Andrew Levy over the weekend to express my strong objection to this business decision and to urge him to reconsider.
“While no one objects to deporting individuals who have committed violent crimes, it is well-documented that the Trump Administration is violating basic due process rights when it comes to our immigrant community, and we need corporations to step up and stand up to the Trump Administration’s unconstitutional, illegal and inhumane actions — not to be complicit with them,” Elicker said.
“Travel should be about bringing people together, not tearing families apart,” he said.
The New Haven Immigrants Coalition has begun an online petition drive stating that signers won’t fly Avelo until it stops flying ICE charter flights .
“We demand that Avelo Air halt plans to carry out deportation flights in cooperation with the Trump Administration,” the Change.org petition reads. “We pledge to boycott the airline until they stop plans to profit off ICE flights that are tearing families and communities apart and removing some legal residents, such as Maryland father Kilmar Abrego Garcia , with no recourse for returning to their families.”
Avelo confirmed its plans in an emailed statement to Hearst Connecticut Media Group. It has an advertisement seeking flight attendants on an online recruitment site via a link on Avelo’s website .
“We realize this is a sensitive and complicated topic,” said Avelo Airlines Founder and CEO Andrew Levy. “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.”
The statement reads that “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,” the statement reads. “Flights will be both domestic and international to support the Department’s deportation efforts.”
Houston-based Avelo, one of the nation’s youngest airlines, began service from Tweed New Haven, which was its first East Coast base, in 2021.
