Since January 2026, Portsmouth has been used as a refueling stop for eight charter deportation flights to Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia, according to data from ICE Flight Monitor, a part of nonprofit organization Human Rights First.
This is a shift in how the airport is being used by federal immigration. Between July and October of last year, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement flights through Portsmouth used to be “shuffle flights” — domestic transfers of New England detainees to other U.S. airports near ICE facilities.
Now, these charter flights are booked on private airlines Journey Aviation and Omni Air. They start and end in cities that have large ICE processing centers, and stop in Portsmouth ahead of making days long transatlantic flights to destinations in Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia.
This shift is concerning to New Hampshire activists, particularly in two Journey flights that refueled in Pease last week. The flights made a round trip from Phoenix, Arizona to Rzeszów, Poland with stops in Portsmouth and Shannon, Ireland.
Activists from No ICE NH allege that both flights deported Ukrainian citizens, and said one of the planes that stopped at Pease is owned by a prominent Trump donor and was the same one used to deport Palestinian citizens to the West Bank, according to an investigation from the Guardian.
“No ICE NH asserts that this was a flagrant violation of US and International asylum law, which forbids the return of refugees to a country where they face prosecution or danger,” the group said in a statement.
They further demanded the flights to be grounded, the city to provide housing and transportation for detainees, and called for legal sanctions against Journey Aviation.
Omni has not responded to a request for comment from NHPR. Journey said it does not comment on flight operations, contractual arrangements, clients or passenger lists as part of longstanding company policy.
“Any inquiries related to the assumption of government activity, including the use of chartered aircraft for official purposes, should be directed to the relevant government agencies,” they said in a statement.
ICE has also not responded to multiple requests for comment from NHPR.
This is the latest in a series of immigration controversies at the airport, including one where a flight operated by Omni Air was grounded on the tarmac for over twelve hours in a blizzard.
Port City Air, the operator at Pease, said that all decisions are made by the Department of Homeland Security.
“Port City Air has no authority over flights arriving and departing Pease Airport. PCA is legally obligated to safely service any flights into and out of the airport,” they said in a statement.
