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Investigatesdeportation flightsDEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN the United States have come under increased scrutiny amid a crackdown on immigration.
This deportation policy has caused significant controversy within the US which could spill over to those associated with the deportation industry.
With Ireland being a hub for aircraft leasing companies, The Journal Investigates team looked at the links between Irish companies and the operators of deportation flights in the US.
We found that two Irish aircraft leasing companies are leasing planes to operators running deportation flights for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Several other international companies with offices in Ireland also have links to these airlines operating deportation flights from the US.
Some of these planes owned by Irish companies may also be being used to facilitate this crackdown, though it is unclear whether specific planes leased from Irish companies were used.
Our investigation team examined Irish links to two deportation flight operators — GlobalX and Avelo. Both companies have attracted criticism and, in Avelo’s case, protests, over their involvement with ICE’s deportation flights.
These airlines are customers of Irish aircraft leasing companies Genesis and Aercap.
Our team also found links between these airlines and three companies with offices in Ireland — Airborne Capital, WNG Capital and DAE Capital.
The leasing of planes is a common practice in the commercial aviation industry, and Ireland has become a hub for these companies. Roughly a quarter of the world’s commercial planes are owned by companies based in Ireland.
In supporting an important industry to the economy, the Irish government has previously supported some of the companies involved through funding or through millions in investments.
Genesis is an aircraft leasing company headquartered in Dublin, which The Journal Investigates has found is leasing planes to two operators of ICE deportation flights.
The company’s website prominently features an agreement to lease an Airbus A320 plane to GlobalX, a charter airline based in Miami, Florida. GlobalX operates the majority of deportation flights on behalf of ICE.
Our team contacted GlobalX for comment but did not receive a response prior to publication.
It also announced in December 2023 that Genesis had acquired two Boeing 737-800 planes. These planes were then leased to low-cost US airline Avelo.
Avelo has recently signed a long-term contract with ICE to carry out deportation flights for the agency.
A spokesperson for Avelo told The Journal Investigates that three 737-800 planes will be used and that “flights will be both domestic and international to support the Department [of Homeland Security’s] deportation efforts”.
Aviation data suggests that the company currently has 12 of these 737-800 planes in its fleet.
Avelo has faced protests and backlash to its agreement with ICE to operate deportation flights. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Avelo founder and CEO Andrew Levy also said: “Regardless of the administration or party affiliation, as a US flag carrier, when our country calls and requests assistance, our practice is to say yes,” adding that the company also flew deportation flights under the Biden administration.
It is unclear whether the specific planes leased by Genesis to GlobalX and Avelo are used in deportation flights and Genesis did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication.
AerCap, an Irish-American company with headquarters in Dublin, is also leasing planes to Avelo.
The company lists Avelo as one of its customers on its website. Aviation data suggests that a 737-800 is among the planes leased to Avelo, the same type of plane used in the deportation flights.
However, it is not clear if the specific plane leased by AerCap is used in the deportation flights.
Our team reached out to AerCap for comment, but we did not receive a response prior to publication.
There is no suggestion that any of the leasing companies with bases in Ireland have actively endorsed the controversial deportation policy of the US administration.
Aircraft leasing is “a significant contributor to the Irish economy”, according to Michael McGrath in 2023, when he was Minister for Finance.
At the launch of a PWC report on the industry he said that “Government will continue to support the industry and take actions to ensure Ireland remains the leading worldwide hub for aviation leasing firms long into the future”.
That report found that the industry is worth almost €900 million to Ireland’s economy and it supports over 8,500 jobs.
Many companies choose to set up in Ireland due to its favourable corporate tax rate and regulatory stability, much like how many of the world’s big tech companies have a presence in Ireland.
Both Genesis and AerCap have both benefited from this State investment in the industry.
In 2018, Genesis received a €50m investment from the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), according to a press release by ISIF at the time.
At the time, Eugene O’Callaghan, then director of ISIF, said: “Our investment will support Genesis in its plans to scale its operations substantially and, by managing the targeted fleet of narrowbody planes from Ireland, Genesis is expected to create significant opportunities for maintenance, repairs and overhaul service providers throughout Ireland”.
The ISIF is Ireland’s sovereign wealth fund and is managed and controlled by the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA), which reports to the Minister for Finance.
Genesis also received a further €13m investment from ISIF in 2021 to support its “ongoing operations”, according to another ISIF press release.
On the Genesis website, the investment from ISIF is prominently featured as one of the company’s shareholders. It says that it was “designed to enable Genesis to scale its existing Irish operations and allow for a significant component of the enlarged Genesis fleet”.
A spokesperson for ISIF told The Journal Investigates, that “this investment has been structured from the start as an indirect, non-controlling, minority investment”.
A spokesperson for the Department of Finance referred to the statement from ISIF, adding that they had nothing further to add.
AerCap has also previously received state support.
In 2015, the Department of Enterprise, through IDA Ireland, invested in the company which resulted in the creation of “over 100 new highly skilled jobs in Ireland”, a government press release stated.
The monetary value of this investment is unclear.
A spokesperson for IDA Ireland confirmed to The Journal Investigates that AerCap is a client of IDA Ireland, but said it “does not comment on specific matters relating to client business”.
A spokesperson for the Department of Enterprise declined to comment, referring to the statement from IDA Ireland.
Screenshot from deportation video shared by El Salvador President Nayib Bukele showing two planes operated by GlobalX (Global Crossing Airlines is GlobalX’s official company name). X
X
Dublin-based aircraft leasing company Airborne Capital is another Irish company that has links with GlobalX.
In 2023, the company announced that GlobalX had taken delivery of an Airbus A320 on lease from Airborne Capital.
Other companies with links to Ireland also include WNG Capital, an aircraft leasing company whose global operations are based out of its offices in Dallas, Texas and Dublin.
GlobalX is listed as a customer of WNG Capital on the company’s website. Like AerCap, WNG Capital is a client of IDA Ireland.
A spokesperson for IDA Ireland said it “does not comment on specific matters relating to client business” when asked about the links to GlobalX.
DAE Capital, a Dubai-based company with offices around the world, including Dublin, is another that lists GlobalX as one of its customers on its website.
It is not clear if the planes leased to GlobalX by these companies are used in the deportation flights.
Because US law restricts the ownership of planes to citizens, some US banks offer aircraft ownership trusts which are used by companies and individuals to register the plane with the Federal Aviation Administration.
These agreements are common for businesses, however, they are also confidential meaning it is not possible to determine who owns a specific plane as the bank trust is listed as the registered owner.
Our team reached out to Airborne Capital, WNG Capital and DAE Capital but did not receive a response prior to publication.
GlobalX remains at the centre of ICE’s deportation efforts.
In March of this year, the Trump administration deported Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador despite a judicial order that the planes carrying them be turned around.
Video footage circulated by El Salvador President Nayib Bukele shows three planes on the runway with GlobalX company branding and flight tracking data confirms these were operated by the airline. We asked GlobalX about these flights but it did not respond.
These migrants were transferred to El Salvador’s notorious mega-prison. The deportations sparked reaction from across the world, including a protest march in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela.
Reporter: Conor O’Carroll • Editor & Additional Reporting: Maria Delaney • Social Media: Cliodhna Travers • Main Image Design: Lorcan O’Reilly
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