Global Crossing Airlines
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Airline |
| Founded | 2018 |
| Founder | Ed Wegel |
| Headquarters | Miami , United States |
Area served | United States, Europe, Caribbean, Latin America |
Key people | Chris Jamroz (former executive chairman) |
| Products | Passenger services, charter flights, cargo transportation |
Global Crossing Airlines, Inc. (doing business as GlobalX Airlines) is a U.S.-based Part 121 airline specializing in domestic, flag, and supplemental charter operations, with its main office located in Miami, Florida. The airline manages the majority of deportation flights commissioned by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including contracts originating from the Trump administration that deport individuals to El Salvador’s high-security CECOT prison.
Established in 2018 by Ed Wegel, who also co-founded the relaunched Eastern Air Lines, GlobalX provides both on-demand and scheduled passenger services, charter flights, and cargo transportation throughout the United States, Europe, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
History
In 2020, GlobalX finalized a merger and spin-off arrangement with Canada Jetlines, an ultra low-cost airline headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario. That same year, the airline introduced CubaX, a travel service offering weekly nonstop flights from Miami to Havana, Cuba. By 2021, CubaX had expanded to daily charter flights operated by GlobalX aircraft on behalf of Havana Air.
On January 14, 2025, GlobalX announced it had entered into an electronic interline partnership with United Airlines to share cargo capacity on the Chicago–San Juan route through the Airblox platform.
Deportations
Beginning operations in deportation flights in 2024, GlobalX has managed more than half of these missions through 2025. The airline frequently conducts internal transfers of migrants within the United States, which complicates tracking efforts by immigration attorneys.
In January 2025, a GlobalX flight carrying shackled deportees from the U.S. to Brazil experienced multiple technical difficulties including challenges during takeoff, malfunctioning air conditioning, and an unplanned landing. Several passengers suffered heat exhaustion and fainted, leading to diplomatic strain between the U.S. and Brazil. Brazilian officials publicly criticized the treatment as "unacceptable" and "degrading."
During March 2025, GlobalX operated several contentious deportation flights. On March 15, three aircraft (tail numbers N278GX, N837VA, N630VA) transported Venezuelan detainees from El Valle Detention Center in Raymondville, Texas to prisons in Honduras and El Salvador. Despite a federal judge's injunction issued on March 20 prohibiting such actions, GlobalX proceeded to fly hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador.
A ProPublica report published on April 1, 2025 highlighted flight attendants’ safety concerns regarding ICE-chartered detainee flights operated by GlobalX. The report underscored risks linked to emergency evacuations given that passengers were restrained with handcuffs and shackles.
On April 16, Chris Jamroz, GlobalX’s executive chairman, stepped down from his position on the board of the Royal Ontario Museum following media coverage connecting him to the deportation operations.
On May 5, 404 Media revealed that hacker collective Anonymous infiltrated GlobalX’s IT infrastructure and defaced its website. The group released flight logs and passenger lists spanning January 19 to May 1, 2025. They claimed their access was gained through an Amazon Web Services account by exploiting a developer token to obtain keys tied to GlobalX’s AWS instances containing sensitive data. Subsequently, GlobalX reported the incident to the SEC, acknowledging the breach but neither confirming nor denying any data compromise.
Current
As of , GlobalX's fleet comprises the following aircraft:
| Aircraft Type | Number in Service |
Pending Orders |
Seating Configuration | Remarks | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biz | PE | Eco | Total Seats | ||||
| Airbus A320-200 | 10 | — | 68 | – | – | 68 | |
| 12 | 24 | 114 | 150 | ||||
| – | – | 179 | 179 | ||||
| – | – | 180 | 180 | ||||
| – | 24 | 156 | 180 | ||||
| Airbus A321-200 | 4 | — | 12 | 22 | 149 | 183 | |
| – | – | 200 | 200 | ||||
| – | – | 210 | 210 | ||||
| XCargo Aircraft Fleet | |||||||
| Airbus A321-200P2F | 4 | — | Cargo Only | ||||
Former
| Aircraft Model | Quantity Operated | Year Introduced | Year Retired | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A319-100 | 1 | 2023 | 2025 |