The Maryland state government is facing increasing pressure from activists to boot Avelo Airlines from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI). The activists object to the discount airline operating ICE deportation flights on a charter contract for the US Department of Homeland Security. When Avelo announced the contract in May, it immediately faced a wave of public backlash, including organized boycotts, public protests, and calls for legislators to take punitive action.
Avelo operated nearly 20% of all ICE deportation flights last month, according to flight tracking data compiled by TTW. The airline has struggled financially, and says that the revenue opportunity from operating deportation flights is “too valuable not to pursue.” However, its decision has left it exposed to potential action from state legislatures such as Maryland and others.
The Activist Demands In Maryland
BWI has witnessed growing protests against Avelo at the airport since the airline announced its decision to start deportation flights. This past weekend, activists scaled up their actions as multiple organizations linked up in Annapolis, the Maryland state capital, to deliver tens of thousands of petitions to Maryland Governor, Wes Moore. The organizers are demanding that the state cancel its contract with Avelo for commercial operations at BWI.
But even if the Moore administration sought to remove Avelo from BWI’s lineup of commercial flights, it cannot prevent Avelo from running immigrant detainee flights out of BWI. That’s because those trips are overseen by the federal government, and while the state controls the terminal and associated businesses, it does not have jurisdiction over airport runways, control towers, or other flight operations.
Nevertheless, the protesters’ objective is to get Moore to terminate Avelo’s lease and concession contract with the State of Maryland for commercial operations at BWI. Either party can terminate the contract with 30 days notice. Ashanti Martinez, a member of the Maryland House of Delegates and one of the activists, explained:
“I feel really deeply that if we have any control over the business taking place at BWI, we shouldn’t be supporting businesses that don’t reflect the values of Marylanders. We need to prevent our state resources and our facilities from being used to allow private companies to profit from things like deportations.”
Avelo Is Vulnerable To Blue State Activists
Avelo currently has relatively limited operations at BWI. It services just two routes from Maryland’s busiest airport, with twice-weekly flights to Tweed New Haven Airport in Conneticut, and Wilmington, North Carolina. In the context of Avelo’s full network, BWI is a drop in the ocean. But the concern for the airline is the ripple effect that could occur across other Democrat-run “blue states” should Maryland set a precedent of taking action against Avelo.
The airline currently has 65 routes from “blue state” airports in the Northeast and Midwest, and it is provided with substantial state subsidies and tax breaks to operate at many of them. Avelo is therefore vulnerable not only to having its contracts terminated, but also to states potentially removing those financial benefits while maintaining or even increasing them for competitors such as Breeze Airways.
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Blue States Where Avelo Operations Are Most Vulnerable |
|
|
State |
Number Of Routes |
|
Connecticut |
31 |
|
Delaware |
14 |
|
New York |
10 |
|
Michigan |
4 |
|
New Hampshire |
4 |
|
Maryland |
2 |
Thus far, the response of state governments has been relatively limited. In Connecticut, where Avelo operates 28 routes from New Haven, lawmakers have introduced legislation that could ban the state from doing business with airlines that contract with ICE. But there have been no actual contract terminations or withdrawal of state tax breaks and subsidies that Avelo benefits from.
Cancellations In California And Connecticut
Even in the absence of direct intervention by state governments, Avelo has been in retreat since announcing its contract for conducting ICE deportation flights:
-
California: In July 2025, Avelo announced it would close its base at
Hollywood Burbank Airport
, ending all West Coast operations and canceling routes in California, Oregon, and Washington. While the airline officially cited inadequate financial returns, activists believe the political and reputational pressure from the ICE contract was a significant driver. -
Connecticut: Just last week, Avelo announced it would exit Hartford’s
Bradley International Airport
by January 2026, citing cost pressures. The Connecticut Airport Authority criticized the decision as “inexplicable” given the subsidies the airline receives and strong ridership, suggesting that ICE backlash was a factor.
The ICE deportation flights are not the sole cause of this pull-back. Avelo was already facing cost pressures that made its continuance at Burbank uncertain. It has also faced intense competition from Breeze at Hartford, which has rapidly expanded to nearly 30 routes from there versus just three for Avelo. But what is also true is that ongoing negative sentiment in Avelo’s core markets is having a depressive effect on demand and jeopardizing its business.
