Flights leaving the UK bound for Spain were abruptly told to return home mid-air, leaving many sun-seeking British travellers disappointed.
Seven Jet2 flights completed U-turns above France when they were on their way to Alicante or Malaga due to Spain declaring a two-week state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
We are currently tracking 27 Jet2 flights. 7 of them with destination Spain have turned around and are returning to the UK.
At this point we don't know the reason. Other airlines keep flying to Spain. pic.twitter.com/FTrWpWXqrk
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) March 14, 2020
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez made the decision to close all but essential services within the holiday region of Valencia and urged citizens to stay at home to stem the spread of coronavirus.
With 191 deaths and 6,300 confirmed cases, Spain is now the second worst-hit country in Europe after Italy.
The low-cost British carrier, realising it may be transporting travellers into lockdown or empty resorts, made the decision to turn the flights around.
Jet2 said in a statement, “In response to local measures introduced throughout Spain to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including the closure of bars, restaurants, shops, and activities including any water sports, we have taken the decision to suspend all flights for at least the next seven days to mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands with immediate effect.
“We know these local measures will have a significant impact on our customers’ holidays, which is why we have taken this decision.
“We are contacting our customers who are currently in these destinations, and who are due to travel, to advise them of their options, so we urge customers not to call us. This is a fast-moving and complex situation and we are reviewing our program as a matter of urgency so that we can fly customers back to the UK.
“The health and safety of our customers is our number one priority, and we would like to thank our customers for their understanding.”
All EasyJet and Ryanair flights to Spain from the UK continue to operate as normal.
