A Portland city councilor says she has heard mounting concerns from constituents in recent weeks over the city’s relationship with Avelo Airlines, which began flights at the Portland International Jetport last month and has faced backlash for carrying out deportation flights on behalf of the Trump administration.

Though Avelo says deportation flights are not departing from the jetport, some city leaders remain concerned about the airline benefiting from the jetport’s fee waivers — and worry that, should deportation flights ever start in Portland, the city would have no way of knowing or stopping them.

Avelo Airlines has been flying in and out of the Portland Jetport for about a month, with the Houston-based low-cost carrier operating flights to and from Connecticut’s Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport on Thursdays and Sundays.

Avelo also contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to carry out deportation flights, which have ramped up significantly since President Donald Trump returned to office.

A spokesperson for Avelo said in an emailed statement Thursday that its deportation flights leave exclusively from Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona, and that the airlines’ operations with ICE are separate from its commercial services.

“We are not aware of any Avelo deportation flights” out of Portland, Jetport Director Paul Bradbury said in a brief phone conversation Thursday. The city declined to make Bradbury available for a full interview.

The city offers an Air Service Incentive Program to airlines that are running new nonstop routes from the jetport. According to the jetport’s policy, an airline is eligible to have 100% of its landing and terminal use fees waived for the first year of a new nonstop route.

The city and Avelo both declined to answer questions about how much money the airline is receiving via the incentive program.

According to the policy, terminal use fees for 2025 are around $220 per flight. Landing fees for a Boeing 737 — which make up Avelo’s entire fleet — typically come out to about $400 per flight. Since the airline flies in and out of Portland twice per week, the waived fees would total roughly $1,200 per week.

Additionally, the airline is eligible for the city’s marketing incentive program, through which it can receive $3 per available outbound seat up to a total of $100,000. It’s unclear how much money Avelo has made via this incentive.

LACK OF OVERSIGHT

As word spread that Avelo was operating out of the jetport, questions from constituents have grown, said Portland City Councilor Kate Sykes.

Sykes said she has become increasingly concerned about Avelo’s operations over the last few weeks and ultimately called a meeting with top city officials. On June 20, Sykes met with Bradbury, Mayor Mark Dion, Assistant City Manager Greg Jordan and Corporation Counsel Michael Goldman.

In a memo after the meeting, Sykes wrote that Bradbury said the city’s ability to oversee flight activity is extremely limited.

“He likened the legal framework to a car traveling on Congress Street,” Sykes wrote. “While the city has the responsibility to ensure the vehicle is registered and driven by a licensed operator, we cannot look inside, or inquire about passengers without probable cause or warrant.”

Sykes said she was informed at the meeting that a government aircraft with about 13 passengers had been scheduled to depart from the jetport a few weeks ago, but staff couldn’t confirm whether that flight was related to ICE activity.

“My primary concern is lack of transparency about what’s happening with these flights. … I feel that we’re being shut out,” Sykes said.

Sykes remains concerned about the city’s lack of purview over Avelo’s operations at the jetport, and doesn’t believe the airline should be receiving fee waivers from the city. She’d like to see the airline terminate its contract with ICE or stop operating in Portland.

But city spokesperson Jessica Grondin says it may be impossible for the city to bar Avelo from the jetport.

“As a commercial service public use airport, the jetport must allow any certificated carrier to access the jetport if they choose to service Portland,” Grondin wrote in an email Thursday. “The jetport does not have the authority to regulate, inspect or impede interstate air commerce.”

Still, Sykes still remains eager to find a way for the City Council to intervene.

“We’re being given a lot of legal information about the fact that we operate a public facility but there are deeper questions here around our values,” she said.

The council is scheduled to meet in executive session on June 30 to discuss the issue further.

UPCOMING PROTEST

Meanwhile, the Maine Democratic Socialists of America have organized a protest against Avelo Airlines at the jetport for Saturday.

“All of us are really concerned about what we’re seeing on the news of people being ripped off the streets by ICE agents and taken out of the country. … That’s undemocratic and really scary,” said Sophie Garner, a co-chair of the Maine DSA who is organizing the protest. “We’d like to see the jetport cut ties with the airline if they aren’t going to end their contract with ICE.”

Garner said information about the protest has been shared with about 7,000 people, though she wasn’t sure Thursday how many people will ultimately attend.

Whatever the outcome, Garner says fighting back against Avelo’s operations will remain a top priority for the group until the airline cuts ties with ICE or is ousted from the jetport.

“This kind of thing is not in the spirit of Maine,” Garner said. “We are such a welcoming community across this state, and we thrive having immigrants here — and this is just not OK.”