The first deportation flight under the UK-France 'one in, one out' agreement was reportedly grounded after a legal challenge, with no migrants on board. The Air France flight from Heathrow to Paris departed on Monday without the small group of individuals who had been scheduled for removal, according to multiple newspaper reports.
A government source confirmed that the first deportation flights under the deal are expected to take place this week, with seats booked on several flights. However, skills minister Jacqui Smith declined to specify how many people would be returned to France this week, while French officials indicated they would only accept a small initial contingent.
The pilot scheme, announced during French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to the UK in July, allows the UK to send asylum seekers who crossed the Channel back to France in exchange for those who apply and are granted approval to come to Britain. Formal removal directions are understood to have been issued to individuals who arrived on small boats last month, informing them of deportation within five days.
This development comes as the number of people crossing the Channel to the UK has surpassed 30,000 for the year so far, the earliest point in a calendar year that this figure has been reached since records began in 2018.
