Immigrant rights advocates want the Tweed New Haven Airport Authority to reconsider its relationship with Avelo Airlines, saying the budget carrier's decision to transport deportees for the federal government is "bad business."
Avelo came under fire last week after the company said it would fly charter flights carrying deported immigrants on behalf of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Avelo plans to begin operating the deportation flights out of Mesa, Arizona on May 12.
Since then, thousands of people have signed a petition calling for passengers to boycott Avelo. That petition was launched by the New Haven Immigrants Coalition, which has also organized protests against the airline.
Hope Chavez, who is part of the coalition, urged the airport authority’s board members Wednesday to consider putting pressure on the airline to change course.
“Join with the state of Connecticut in lobbying to not renew Avelo’s various subsidies and fuel tax moratoriums that expire this year,” she said. “Take this opportunity to protect your bottom line and to protect the ethics of what it means to be a New Havener.”
The airline enjoys certain public benefits, including a fuel tax exemption from the state, which is set to expire. Some Democratic state lawmakers are exploring avenues to cut future public benefits Avelo receives.
Avelo said its long-term charter program would provide domestic and international trips to support deportation efforts, according to an April 2025 job posting, which has since been taken down.
The airline said operating deportation flights will give it more stability while it expands service and keeps more than 1,100 employees on the payroll.
The Tweed New Haven Airport Authority oversees operations at the airport, which is Avelo's largest commercial hub.
During a regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday, Robert Reed, the chairman of the authority, didn't directly address the controversy, but read aloud a prepared remark, which he said was not alluding to anything specific.
“Every airport experiences push and pull dynamics as we balance operations, passenger experience, and the business of running a travel hub,” Reed said. “Tensions between airports and their tenant airlines are not only normal, they are a healthy part of business.”
Avelo flew more than half a million passengers from the airport last year, according to the authority.
Airline spokesperson Courtney Gaff told Connecticut Public in an email that the deportation flights would “offset revenue loss across the airline’s entire network.” She added that the airline flew these types of charters under the Biden administration.
Attorney General William Tong, a Democrat, asked Avelo last week to provide a copy of its contract related to the deportation flights by April 15. The airline declined, however, writing in a letter signed by Avelo CEO Andrew Levy that the contract could be obtained through a request to DHS made under the Freedom of Information Act.
"Avelo remains committed to public safety and the rule of law," Levy wrote, "as evidenced by our public, continuous, and persistent compliance with all federal regulations governing commercial air travel in the United States."
