Avelo Airlines, an airline with a hub at Tweed New Haven Airport, confirmed Monday it plans to work with the federal government to run deportation flights out of Mesa, Arizona.
The agency says it will run a long-term charter program for the Department of Homeland Security with 鈥渄omestic and international trips to support DHS's deportation efforts,鈥� .
The deportation flights will be carried out by three 737-800 airplanes based at Mesa Gateway Airport starting on May 12, the company said Monday in a statement.
鈥淲e realize this is a sensitive and complicated topic,鈥� Avelo Airlines Founder and CEO Andrew Levy said. 鈥淎fter significant deliberations, we determined this charter flying will provide us with the stability to continue expanding our core scheduled passenger service and keep our more than 1,100 Crewmembers employed for years to come.鈥�
The move drew immediate condemnation from , which is calling for a boycott of the airline on social media and through .
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, a Democrat, the airline's decision was 鈥渄eeply disappointing and disturbing.鈥�
鈥淔or a company that champions themselves as 鈥楴ew Haven鈥檚 hometown airline,鈥� this business decision is antithetical to New Haven鈥檚 values,鈥� Elicker said.
黑料吃瓜网 Attorney General William Tong blasted Avelo and said on Tuesday that the state will review its support of the airline.
"These flights are cruel by design and enormously wasteful of taxpayer resources and no business should be complicit," Tong said in a statement.
The Houston-headquartered Avelo has expanded at Tweed in New Haven in recent years and also added service from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks. Monday鈥檚 statement on the company鈥檚 upcoming work with ICE did not mention either 黑料吃瓜网 facility.
Avelo says it will open a base in Mesa for Avelo pilots, flight attendants and aircraft technicians, as well as appropriate local leaders.
黑料吃瓜网's Matt Dwyer contributed to this report.
