Overview
- The charter flight, which flew on 29 September, used a Polish-operated Boeing 737 from Düsseldorf to Sofia that carried one Lebanese deportee, crew, police officers and a doctor despite having 189 seats.
- Media estimates put the single-flight cost at more than €60,000, the state refugee ministry says final billing is still pending, and Enter Air is named as the charter operator.
- NRW officials say low occupancy happens when planned returnees cancel or cannot be located, when destination countries limit intake, and when charters cannot be cancelled without cost within roughly 72 hours.
- The single-person flight fits an existing pattern of charter use: the ministry reports 17 charters moving 143 people in 2025–2026 and a 2025 record showing seven charters cost about €515,936 in total.
- The return followed Dublin rules that transfer responsibility to the EU state of first entry, and public outcry over the cost has increased calls for clearer accounting though no policy change has been announced.