• The Court of Appeal is set to decide later if the Home Office flight can depart as scheduled on Tuesday.
• Campaigners and migrants last week failed to win an injunction against the government policy in the High Court.
Image: BBC
The number of asylum seekers due to be removed from the UK on the first deportation flight to Rwanda has fallen to close to single figures.
The Court of Appeal is set to decide later if the Home Office flight can depart as scheduled on Tuesday.
Campaigners and migrants last week failed to win an injunction against the government policy in the High Court.
But the planned number of deportations has rapidly reduced, with 11 due to fly according to the charity Care4Calais.
A Home Office source told the BBC that, of the original 37 scheduled to fly to the east African nation's capital Kigali, legal challenges relating to modern slavery and human rights claims have drastically reduced that number.
On Friday it emerged six people had their deportation orders cancelled, while Care4Calais has now confirmed a further 20 planned removals were called off over the weekend.
This leaves 11 people still set to fly on Tuesday, including four Iranians, two Iraqis, two Albanians and one Syrian, the charity said.
But BBC home editor Mark Easton says it is expected that could be "whittled down to zero" before the plane is due to take off.
As of Friday, up to 130 people had been notified they could be removed.
The appeal to the Home Office's policy has been brought by Public and Commercial Services Union, who represent 80% of Border Force staff, along with the charities Care4Calais and Detention Action.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government had anticipated "very active lawyers" would try to challenge the policy in the courts.
Speaking on LBC, he said activists "want to have a completely open-doors approach to immigration" and it was important that the government "stop criminal gangs" trafficking people across the Channel in dangerous boats.
"They are selling people a false hope, they are luring them into something extremely risky and criminal," Mr Johnson added.
A separate case is also due to be heard in the High Court on Monday, after another refugee charity, Asylum Aid, applied for an urgent interim injunction against the flights to the east African nation.
The Rwanda policy has been criticised by charities, religious leaders, opposition parties - and reportedly by the Prince of Wales, who privately described it as "appalling", according to the Times.
Campaign group Care4Calais, which is among those appealing against the High Court decision, wrote on Twitter: "We pray that the courts act today to stop this cruel and barbaric plan."
Rwanda's high commissioner to the UK Johnston Busingye told the Daily Telegraph his country would be a "safe haven" for migrants.
Home Secretary Priti Patel says the "vast majority" of those who arrive via illegal routes - such as unauthorised boats and stowing away in lorries - will be considered for relocation to Rwanda.
But it is understood that those prioritised under the scheme will be adults, with officials insisting families arriving in the UK will not be split up.
At the High Court on Friday, Mr Justice Swift said there was a "material public interest" in the home secretary being able to carry out her policies. He said he did not consider there was evidence asylum seekers would be ill-treated in Rwanda.
He said there would be a full judicial review, where the High Court will hear a challenge to the government's plan, before the end of July.