Avelo Airlines is ending its controversial operations with the US Department of Homeland Security to operate deportation flights by the end of January and will be closing its bases at airports in three US cities to focus its efforts on five others.
Avelo spokesperson Courtney Goff confirmed to the Lakeland Ledger that with the Mesa, Arizona, base closure, it will end deportation flights for the US Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The airline opened the base nine months ago to support ICE flights.
BACKGROUND: Avelo Airlines begins deportation flights for ICE with start of Arizona operations
“No more government flying,” Goff said via email. “The program provided short-term benefits but ultimately did not deliver enough consistent and predictable revenue to overcome its operational complexity and costs.”
The Texas-based airline known for operating out of smaller airports announced on Jan. 6 that it will be dropping bases in Mesa, Arizona (AZA); Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina (RDU); and Wilmington, North Carolina (ILM).
Instead, the company will streamline around bases in Central Florida / Lakeland (LAL), New Haven, Connecticut (HVN); Philadelphia / Delaware Valley (ILG); and Charlotte / Concord, North Carolina (USA). The airline will also open a base in Dallas / McKinney, Texas (TKI) in late 2026, the release said.
Booked flights to or from Mesa, Raleigh-Durham or Wilmington may be impacted.
“Avelo will make near-term schedule changes that will impact many Customer itineraries,” the company said. “Communication will be sent directly to impacted Customers by email and text. Customers needing additional help can seek assistance from Avelo’s Customer Support Center.”
In October, Avelo announced it was dropping three routes due to lack of demand.
Avelo saw backlash after partnering with ICE for immigrant deportation flights
In May 2025, protests erupted at airports in 26 cities—including Daytona Beach, Sarasota, Fort Lauderdale, and Lakeland, Avelo’s Central Florida base—over the airline’s agreement with the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to carry out immigrant deportation flights from Arizona.
Critics said the flights were inhumane and carried out without due process. Millions nationwide have protested ICE and Homeland Security for increased raids by masked officials and a perceived lack of public accountability.
“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,” Avelo’s founder and CEO, Andrew Levy, said in a statement.
Reporting by C. A. Bridges and Sara-Megan Walsh, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
