Low-cost airline Avelo Airlines will focus on a new passenger segment: migrants, which the Donald Trump administration has will be deported to their countries of origin. According to the company, CBS MoneyWatch, are seeking to expand by handling deportation flights for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Avelo, which launched operations in 2021, said the move is necessary to keep the Houston, Texas-based airline financially stable.
"We know this is a sensitive and complicated issue. After significant deliberation, we determined that these charter flights will provide us with the stability needed to continue expanding our scheduled passenger service and keep our more than 1,100 crew members employed for many years to come," said Andrew Levy, founder and CEO of Avelo, in a statement.
From a new operations center at Mesa Gateway Airport in Phoenix, domestic and international flights transporting migrants will begin on May 14. The airline will park three Boeing 737-800 aircraft there to handle the transfers. The company also announced that, unlike its regular commercial flights, the aircraft used for these trips will not carry the Avelo logo.
And while the exact terms of the deal between Avelo and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have not been made public, the airline has described the agreement as a "long-term charter program."
Avelo also stated that it is already recruiting flight attendants to offer this new service, according to a job posting for what it calls a "charter program for the Department of Homeland Security." During the first year of operation, the position will pay $28 per hour.
"We are seeking energetic and highly motivated flight attendants who wish to join a committed group of safety and service professionals at Avelo Airlines," the announcement states.
The airline has noted that the flights will be both domestic and international, and that they intend to support DHS's deportation efforts.
Avelo offers flights throughout the United States and to international destinations such as the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Mexico. The company operates from eight hubs across the country, serving the following airports: Concord-Padgett Regional Airport in North Carolina; Hollywood Burbank Airport in California; Lakeland International Airport in Florida; Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina; Sonoma County Airport in California; Tweed-New Haven Airport in Connecticut; Wilmington Airport in New Hampshire; and Wilmington International Airport in North Carolina.
