Avelo to end US deportation flights, close Arizona base

NEW YORK, Jan ⁠7 (Reuters) - Avelo ⁠Airlines, ‍a Texas-based budget carrier, said on Wednesday that it will stop operating deportation ‍flights for the U.S. Department of Homeland ​Security by late January and shut its Arizona base, ​citing high costs and complexity despite earlier expectations of steady revenue.

Avelo, which previously said the opportunity was "too valuable not to pursue," ​faced backlash from both customers and employees over its decision to operate deportation flights ​under a contract with the Trump administration.

"The program provided short-term benefits ‌but ultimately did not deliver enough consistent and predictable revenue to overcome its operational ​complexity and costs," an ⁠airline spokesperson said in a statement.

The airline will on January 27 close its ‌Mesa, Arizona, base, where it had stationed three aircraft for deportation flights under a charter-only operation, according ‌to an internal company memo previously reported by Reuters.

Avelo ‌signed a contract with DHS last April to transport migrants to detention centers inside and outside the U.S. The ‍company said calls for boycotts had not had an impact on its ⁠business.

Avelo said it carried a record 2.6 million customers in 2025 on scheduled commercial service, an 11% increase year-over-year.

(Reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by Nia Williams)

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