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BERLIN, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- The number of deportations by air from Germany which are cancelled at short notice has risen dramatically, Bild newspaper reported Wednesday, referencing data from the German interior ministry.

According to Bild, 387 deportations were halted in the first six months of 2017, an increase of around 70 percent compared to the same period last year.

The report cited 186 cases of resistance from migrants regarding their relocation as the most common reason for the cancellations.

In 133 cases, flight staff refused to grant access to the plane for those scheduled to be deported. A total of 61 migrants reported sickness at short notice and were officially deemed unfit to fly. In 27 cases, countries of origin refused to take back their citizens.

In general, the number of deportations had fallen by nine percent during the first half of 2017 to 12,500 from 13,700 last year.

Simultaneously, less asylum seekers are returning to their country of origin voluntarily. Until the end of June this year, 16,700 individuals had participated in the German government's program for voluntarily re-patriation, which offers migrants financial help. Meanwhile, in the first six months of 2016, more than 30,500 individuals accepted financial incentives to leave Germany this way.