US Edition Plans for the first joint Anglo-French flight taking immigrants back to Afghanistan fell apart after Paris withdrew its co-operation at the last minute in the face of protests from refugee groups.
A charter flight leaving Britain on Tuesday night carrying a group of deported Afghans was due to stop in Lille en route to Kabul.
On arrival in Lille, Afghans detained by France would have joined the flight.
Reports in France said among their number would have been those detained during raids on the Calais "Jungle" last month.
The Home Office refused to comment directly on the details of the flight, but sources confirmed the British side of the deportation would go ahead as planned, with around 25 Afghans originally held in Britain returned to Kabul.
France's last minute withdrawal followed vociferous protests by a coalition of refugee groups.
Frank Supplisson, France's deputy immigration minister, issued a short statement saying there would be "no return flight" on Tuesday.
"To put a stop to certain rumours, I inform you that no return flight designed to repatriate refugees to Afghanistan will take place today," he said.
Paris agreed to the principle of joint return flights during talks at Evian in February between Phil Woolas, a Home Office minister, and his French counterpart, Eric Besson.
But the last minute change of heart by the French raised doubts about future joint arrangements, particularly after a similar Anglo-French scheme was scrapped last November. At the time, opponents argued that, under United Nations conventions, it was illegal to deport a person to a war-torn country like Afghanistan.
Flights returning failed asylum seekers are a routine part of British immigration policy but are much more controversial on the other side of the channel.
In addition to paying for the flight home, Britain meets the cost of travel for the Afghans from Kabul to their home towns and hostel accommodation in the Afghan capital for up to 14 days.
French police took around 100 people into custody two weeks ago after the shanty town known as the Jungle was levelled.
It was used as a base for groups of immigrants trying to avoid detection by border officials and enter the UK in the back of lorries crossing the Channel.