Avelo leaves Sonoma County airport to conduct ICE deportations

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - A small airline will close its hub in the North Bay after accepting a contract with the US Department of Homeland Security to operate deportation flights from Arizona. 

Avelo planes will no longer be at the Charles M. Schulz Airport in Santa Rosa as of May 1. 

In a statement sent to KTVU on Wednesday, an Avelo spokesperson said the reason the airline was leaving Sonoma County was because of "low demand" and "achieving necessary financial results there has proven more elusive than expected."

Avelo said that its employees can transfer to any area where Avelo has job openings, but the spokesperson added, " we also recognize some will not relocate, and we will, unfortunately, have to say goodbye to some great crewmembers."

Avelo Airlines has signed an agreement for a long-term charter program flying for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration Control and Enforcement agency, which will be supported by three 737-800s based at Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona starting on May 12. 

In a statement, Avelo CEO Andrew Levy, said he realizes "this is a sensitive and complicated topic."

He added that "after significant deliberations," Avelo felt that charter flying for ICE "will provide us with the stability to continue expanding our core scheduled passenger service and keep our more than 1,100 crew members employed for years to come."

Levy's comments garnered strong pushback from local leaders.

A year ago, Sonoma County leaders loved the idea of Avelo Airlines, a low-budget airline, setting up shop, offering flights to smaller airports around the country.

Now, those same officials are blasting Avelo for its decision to fly deportation flights for the Trump administration.  

According to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Supervisor Lynda Hopkins said that Avelo will "never get another dime from me."

Others said if any of those deportation flights fly through Sonoma County, that would be grounds for a protest.

Across the country in Connecticut, Democratic New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker reached out to Avelo's CEO and urged the airline's boss to change his mind.

The state's Attorney General also wrote a letter to share his concerns. 

"Travel should be about bringing people together, not tearing families apart," Elicker wrote. 

Tom Cartwright, a flight data analyst for the advocacy group Witness at the Border, whose social media feeds are closely watched in immigration circles, said he isn’t aware of any other commercial airlines that have provided such flights for ICE in the past five years he’s been tracking flights. 

He called the decision by Avelo "unusual" considering charter companies the public likely hasn’t heard of typically make these flights.