First ‘one in, one out’ deportation flight delayed after legal challenge

Tuesday 16 September 2025 - 08:00

By: Sahili Aya

First ‘one in, one out’ deportation flight delayed after legal challenge

The first deportation flight under Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s “one in, one out” migration agreement with France has faced an unexpected setback. Reports indicate that an Air France passenger plane scheduled to carry a small group of people who had crossed the Channel was forced to depart without them after a legal challenge was filed on Monday.

According to multiple outlets, the individuals due to be sent back to France from Heathrow to Paris were removed before departure. The government confirmed that seats have been booked on several flights this week, and the first deportations are expected in the coming days.

The scheme, unveiled during French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to the UK in July, allows Britain to return migrants who arrived by small boats across the Channel while admitting an equal number of asylum seekers through official resettlement routes.

Earlier, Skills Minister Jacqui Smith declined to specify how many people would be deported this week. French officials have also indicated that they will initially accept only a limited number of returns.

Formal notices of removal have reportedly been issued to people who crossed the Channel last month, informing them they could be deported within five days.

So far this year, the number of arrivals in the UK via small boats has surpassed 30,000—the earliest point in any year this figure has been recorded since monitoring began in 2018.