Avelo Airlines Faces Backlash Over Deportation Contract as Humboldt Air Travel Soars
By Lauren Schmitt, KMUD News
Visit California, a nonprofit organization that promotes the state as a premier tourist destination, has revised its 2025 travel forecast, citing “shifting sentiment” from foreign travelers.
In a letter to industry partners, Visit California wrote:
“At the beginning of the year, spending was expected to grow by 6% compared to 2024. That year-over-year growth has now been revised down to just 2%
The letter attributes this recalibration to evolving global dynamics, including domestic economic headwinds, unfavorable exchange rates, and reduced interest from international travelers—particularly from Canada, California’s second-largest international market. Weaker-than-expected airlift from key global hubs and a rise in outbound U.S. travel also factored into the revised forecast.
According to Visit California’s website, travelers spent over $150 billion in the state in 2023, supporting more than 1.2 million jobs and generating $12.7 billion in state and local tax revenue.
Local Airport Sees Record Numbers
While the state outlook may be softening, Humboldt County is seeing the opposite trend. According to Fly ACV, the Department of Transportation recently released updated passenger data for U.S. airports, and the numbers for the California Redwood Coast – Humboldt County Airport (ACV) are strong.
In 2024, ACV set a new record with nearly 134,000 enplaned passengers, surpassing the previous high of 118,905 set in 2022. The addition of flights to Los Angeles (2018), Denver (2019), and Hollywood Burbank (2021) has helped increase local passenger volume. ACV also posted a record “load factor,” the percentage of seats sold on available flights, topping 80%.
However, that momentum may be at risk. One of ACV’s two commercial airlines—Avelo Airlines—has come under national scrutiny for signing a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to operate deportation flights.
National Backlash, Local Silence
A Change.org petition protesting Avelo’s participation in deportation efforts has garnered over 19,000 signatures. The petition reads, in part:
“We demand that AVELO AIR halt plans to carry out deportation flights in cooperation with the Trump Administration. We pledge to boycott the airline until they stop plans to profit off ICE flights that are tearing families and communities apart and removing some legal residents, such as Maryland father Kilmar Abrego Garcia, with no recourse for returning to their families.”
Avelo CEO Andrew Levy confirmed the agreement in a leaked internal email dated April 3. In the message, Levy acknowledged that while the decision to support President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda may be seen as controversial, the opportunity was “too valuable not to pursue.” He stated that the deal would help stabilize the budget airline’s finances.
Avelo has since confirmed to Fox News that it will operate three Boeing 737-800 aircraft out of Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona beginning May 12, 2025. Both domestic and international deportation flights are expected.
The story first broke in New Haven, Connecticut, where Avelo maintains a base. Local leaders there quickly condemned the airline’s decision. New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said:
“For a company that champions themselves as New Haven’s hometown airline, this business decision is antithetical to New Haven’s values.”
In contrast, Humboldt County officials have not issued public statements directly addressing Avelo’s actions. KMUD News reached out to Arcata Mayor Alex Stillman for comment but has not received a response as of publication. Earlier this year, however, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors reaffirmed its support for Measure K—the county’s sanctuary ordinance.
“We commit to taking all necessary steps to ensure that this trust remains intact and that the County and elected officials within Humboldt make every effort to safeguard justice and equity for everyone,” the supervisors wrote in a joint letter. “We stand prepared to assert and defend these commitments, including through multiple layers of legal and policy protections already in place at the state and local levels.”
Both Arcata (in 2017) and Eureka (just last month) have passed their own sanctuary ordinances with unanimous support.
Local Immigrant Advocates Speak Out
Despite the silence from elected leaders, local journalist Isabella Vanderheiden of the Lost Coast Outpost—who was first to report on the issue locally—says the backlash is building.
““Last I checked, there were almost 800 comments on the story, with many people saying they’re done flying with Avelo,” said Vanderheiden.
Members of Humboldt County’s immigrant rights group, Centro del Pueblo, have also voiced their support for the boycott. Executive Director Brenda Perez said:
“Avelo—and any airline that supports deportation and family separation—doesn’t have a place in a sanctuary county or sanctuary city. We’re calling on every customer to think twice before selecting Avelo as an airline.”
Perez agrees with Vanderheiden that Avelo could lose local support despite its budget-friendly prices and frequent flights to Los Angeles.
“Avelo is definitely going to feel the impact of collaborating with ICE. I see how people’s protests and opposition will translate into fewer customers,” she said. “In their statement, they expressed that they answered executive orders and they collaborate with the country, but I will ask them to collaborate with the workers, with the Latino and immigrant workers from around the world and the people, the passengers that particularly choose Avelo because of their low cost. And these are people that sustained airline is not the government. Sustaining the airline is the customers and the workers. Think about them first.”
