The first flight of 2026 to return asylum seekers who came to the UK on small boats to France has been cancelled, the Guardian understands.
Detainees earmarked for the UK government’s “one in, one out” scheme who had tickets for a flight on Wednesday morning to Paris were told their tickets had been cancelled.
One person who had his ticket cancelled said: “I came on a boat with 80 people onboard. Ten of us were detained and 70 were taken to hotels because their asylum claims will be processed here. That’s not fair. I was delighted when our tickets were cancelled but the guards would not tell us the reason. When I asked a guard he said: ‘We can’t tell you why.’”
It is thought to be the first time a “one in, one out” Home Office deportation charter flight to Paris has been cancelled but it is not thought to be because of a legal challenge.
The cancellation follows the circulation of a report on Monday compiled by 80 “one in, one out” detainees held in Harmondsworth immigration removal centre close to Heathrow airport, in preparation for forced removal to France.
The report highlights concerns from detainees that while the majority who arrive on small boats are having their claims processed in the UK a minority have been detained and issued with removal directions for France. The report states that the men consider their detention to be “arbitrary and discriminatory”. It adds: “We are not criminals. We are people who fled war, persecution, and injustice. We came to the UK believing in human rights, freedom, and protection. Instead, we are detained, isolated, and silenced.”
If the Home Office cancels a deportation charter flight shortly before the plane is due to be used they may have to pay compensation of tens of thousands of pounds to the company the plane is leased from. However, it is not known what the specific arrangements are for the UK to France deportation charters. According to sources involved in Home Office deportations the average cost of one deportation charter is about £250,000.
Data released by the Home Office under freedom of information laws about deportation charter flights in 2022 showed the average cost of a deportation charter flight was £180,000, although costs vary depending on the type of plane used, the destination and other factors.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “It’s a longstanding government policy to not comment on operational matters.”
