Avelo Airlines Accused of Repainting Planes to Hide Controversial Deportation Flights For ICE

The Background

• Avelo Airlines started life as a low-cost airline based out of Burbank, California, operating flights between secondary, lesser-served cities.
• In April, Avelo’s chief executive, Andrew Levy, confirmed that the airline had signed a deportation contract with ICE.
• Levy said the decision was only made after “significant deliberations” to provide the carrier with a stable stream of revenue.
• Avelo has committed three of its Boeing 737s for the contract, which are based out of Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona.
• Each plane can carry up to 189 detainees between ICE facilities across the United States and internationally for deportation.

The Latest Development

While Avelo Airlines hasn’t been filing publicly available route plans for its ICE flights, there are various social media accounts that have been following the deportation planes.

Earlier this week, one of those accounts, JJ in DC on Bluesky, posted an image of one of the three Avelo planes contracted to ICE painted in a new all-white paint scheme

In a short comment accompanying the photo, the account wrote: “How pathetic is that?”

Until only recently, the plane (registration: N804VL) was painted in Avelo’s standard purple livery. There is no requirement for airlines operating ICE deportation contracts to repaint their planes and, in fact, many airlines choose not to as this is a costly process.

Why it matters

Avelo has come under significant pressure for its decision to partner with ICE and is facing a concerted campaign to backtrack on the deal, including protests, billboard ads, and calls to boycott the fledgling airline.

• The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) has called on Avelo to rethink its decision and says it will fully support any of its members who refuse to work a deportation flight.
• A petition on Change.org calling for a boycott of Aveloe has already garnered more than 38,000 signatures.
• Avelo boycott billboards have gone up near Tweed New Haven Airport – sparking threats of a lawsuit for copyright infringement.

Between the lines

Avelo is just one of several airlines that have accepted contracts with ICE to transport deportees. One of ICE’s biggest deportation contractors is the Miami-headquartered charter carrier GlobalX.

Earlier this month, GlobalX had its website hacked by the so-called Anonymous cyber group.

Anonymous claims it managed to steal personal details of the airline’s passenger manifests, including details of who was on the controversial deportation flights.

What flight attendants are saying

The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) which represents crew members at Avelo, as well as several major US carriers including United Airlines and Alaska, has raised fears that shackled detainees could not be evacuated from a plane within the 90 second required timeframe in the event of a serious incident.

A statement from the airline continued: “It also impedes our ability to respond to a medical emergency, fire on board, decompression, etc. We cannot do our jobs in these conditions.”

What’s next?

• Avelo has been hiring a separate group of flight attendants to avoid a standoff with the crew union over its deportation contract.
• Democrat lawmakers in some states where Avelo operates have called for tax breaks and other incentives to be stripped from the airline.
• The latest in a series of protests is expected to take place at Burbank Airport on Saturday, May 31.