LONDON — A charter airline contracted by the British government to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda has pulled out of the deal following outside pressure, a further blow to Britain’s sweeping immigration plan to to send asylum seekers to the small African nation.
Britain’s Rwanda deal came as Western countries take tougher stances against accepting refugees and thousands of people have crossed the English Channel in small boats this year to seek asylum. Rwandan President Paul Kagame aims to position his country as a solution to the migrant crisis, although critics see the country as trying to benefit financially from the arrangement.
Under the deal, Britain would pay 120 million pounds, or $135 million, to Rwanda to fund opportunities for migrants, including education, job skills and language training. Those granted asylum would not be able to return to Britain and would remain in Rwanda.
Privilege Style, the Spanish charter airline that pulled out of the arrangement, operated a deportation flight in June that became the center of a legal and media storm and was halted after court intervention European human rights. It was the first and so far only attempted flight under the deal between Britain and Rwanda.
In a letter the charter airline sent to a UK charity which opposes the flights, Privilege Style said it would “not operate flights to Rwanda in the future”. The letter, which was seen by The New York Times on Friday, added that the charter company had not flown to Rwanda “since the only flight scheduled for June 2022, which is the reason for this controversy, was suspended.”
The company’s withdrawal from the arrangement was first reported by The Guardian on Friday. The company did not tell The Times the value of its contract.
A UK Home Office spokesman said he would “not comment on operational matters” when asked how he now intended to transport asylum seekers to Rwanda and whether other companies charter airlines were contracted for the flights.
The company’s withdrawal could present a potentially insurmountable obstacle to a plan that has so far failed to send a single asylum seeker to Rwanda amid ongoing legal battles. Charter airlines that have operated deportation flights in the past to other countries have already have moved away of the regime.
Boris Johnson, the former British prime minister, previously said that “tens of thousands” of migrants would be sent to Rwanda.
Opponents of the policy hailed the airline’s decision to ax flights.
“The withdrawal of Privilege Style is a cautionary tale for any other airline that is even considering getting into bed with the UK government on a plan like this,” said Sonya Sceats, chief executive of Freedom From Torture, an organization British charity which led the campaign for the airline to withdraw from the effort. “Any company that wants to go down this path again now knows that it will come at an incredible cost to their brand.”
Liz Truss, who resigned as prime minister on Thursday, has remained firm throughout her six weeks in office on her support for the migrant plan. The current favorites to replace her – Rishi Sunak, Mr Johnson and Penny Mordaunt – have taken similarly tough stances on immigration issues.
“Any incoming prime minister who thinks he’s going to get this plan off the ground is delusional,” Ms Sceats said. “I think this is a real moment for the leadership of the Conservative Party, whoever takes on this role, to ask themselves if it’s really worth it.”
The British government has been repeatedly warned by its own advisers that sending asylum seekers to Rwanda may not be a sensible policy due to concerns about Rwanda’s human rights record.
In a statement, a Home Office spokesman said the government remained “committed” to the plan. “Rwanda is a safe and secure country with a strong track record of supporting asylum seekers, and we will continue to vigorously defend the partnership in court,” the statement added.