Rights Groups Urge Airlines to Cease Complicity in ‘One In, One Out’ Deportations

28 NGOs demand Air France and other carriers stop facilitate ‘one in, one out’ asylum flights as legal challenges mount against the UK-France returns treaty.

By: AXL Media

Published: Feb 19, 2026, 8:12 AM EST

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Guardian

Activists Demand Airline Boycott Amid Forced Removals

A coalition of 28 NGOs from the United Kingdom and France has issued a formal plea to four major airlines, urging them to sever ties with the Home Office’s deportation operations. The letters specifically target Air France, Titan Airways, AlbaStar, and Corendon, accusing them of “shameful involvement” in the “one in, one out” returns policy.

The campaigners have gone as far as calling for a public boycott of Air France, while demanding that the other three carriers issue public declarations to halt their participation. Rights groups allege that these airlines are complicit in the forced removal of vulnerable individuals, including victims of modern slavery, human trafficking, and torture.

Legal Challenges and Human Rights Concerns

The latest push to ground deportation flights follows the launch of an expedited High Court legal challenge by 16 asylum seekers. The claimants are seeking to overturn new government guidance that restricts the ability of victims to have trafficking claims reconsidered. Furthermore, the case questions whether France is adhering to international treaty obligations regarding the protection of trafficking survivors.

UN experts have already cautioned that the “one in, one out” framework may breach international human rights laws. Critics point to the use of riot officers, dogs, and teargas during previous deportation attempts as evidence of a “dehumanizing” system that lacks proper safeguards for those in distress.