Avelo Airlines is backing away from the ICE deportation flight business, and the implications are bigger than one carrier ending one controversial contract. This is about how a small airline tried to buy stability, got swallowed by politics, and is now retreating like a dog with its tail between its legs.
Avelo CEO Andrew Levy said that these flights “provided short-term benefits” but ultimately did not deliver enough “consistent and predictable revenue” to justify the operational complexity and costs. That is a telling admission, because it frames this as a business decision, not a moral epiphany.
Even so, the politics were never incidental here. Levy also told employees that Avelo “moved a portion of our fleet into a government program” that “promised stability” but instead placed the airline “in the center of a political controversy.”
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
