Research to Identify Deportation Airlines: Can You Help?

At Corporate Watch we are carrying out a new research project on airlines’ involvement in deportations (and/or “removals”). Right now we want to make contact with any groups and individuals who may have information that can help. The aims are: (1) to identify which airlines fly deportees from the UK to different countries. (2) to collect any further detail we can on these airlines’ role in “co-operating” with the Home Office on deportations (or, just maybe, standing up to it!)

Specifically, we are looking at scheduled flights — although any information on charter flights is also welcome. If we get enough information, we hope to end up with a kind of “map” showing the airlines involved on different routes, plus mini-profiles of each of these airlines outlining their involvement. These could, for example, include witness statements from people who have been deported themselves, or observed deportations involving those companies. As with all our research, we hope that collecting and presenting this information can be of use to people taking action and campaigning against deportations.

We’d really like to hear from anyone who has any information at all that can help with this. For example, have you heard of, or witnessed, any deportation flights involving any particular airline? All information will be treated in complete confidence, and we don’t need any people’s names or personal details. Even very summary or anecdotal information about a flight or pattern of airline behaviour you have heard of may be useful. Although we’d also be very interested if anyone wants to talk in more detail — for example, to give an anonymous witness statement about their experiences.

Please also pass on this email to anyone else you think could help.

In solidarity, Dariush for Corporate Watch

Reply to: dariush@corporatewatch.org