Sussex MP praises government’s £75 million pledge to bring stranded Brits home

A Sussex MP has praised the government’s partnership with airlines and for pledging £75 million to fly home stranded British travellers stuck abroad during the coronavirus pandemic.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The government made the announcement earlier today (Monday) stating that they have come to an agreement with multiple airline companies, which include Virgin, Easyjet, Jet2, Titan Airways and British Airways and potentially more, to fly stranded tourists home.

A government spokesperson said, “The government is focused on getting Brits home through a twin-track approach:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Airlines recognising their responsibility for transporting their passengers with pre-booked tickets home, through offering them alternatives where routes are cancelled, allowing them to change tickets, where permissible – including between carriers – and offering them the latest information and advice as the situation changes.

Gatwick stock photoGatwick stock photo
Gatwick stock photo

“And where commercial routes do not exist, the government will provide up to £75 million financial support to enable special charter flights – operated by the airlines above and others – to fly to priority countries to bring back UK residents.”

Wealden MP Nusrat Ghani said on Twitter, “It’s been some task to get stranded Wealden residents home. Today’s Foreign Office partnership with airlines to fly home Brits is great news.

“If you are a trying to get home to our villages and towns of Crowborough, Hailsham & Uckfield - Please see updated guidance.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps said, “This is a very difficult time for British citizens travelling overseas, or those with families and loved ones abroad, which is why we are doing everything we can to ensure airlines can operate and bring people back home safely.”

Alastair Willson, managing director of Titan Airways said, “As a proud British company, we stand ready to work with the government to do all we can to bring stranded British travellers home.

“The government continues to urge countries around the world to keep transit hubs, airports and airspace open to ensure travellers are able to return to the UK.

“The Foreign Secretary has spoken to over 20 of his counterparts to support this effort and we have helped hundreds of thousands of British tourists return from all over the globe including 8,500 from Morocco, around 5,000 from Cyprus, and an estimated 150,000 from Spain.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A government spokesperson said special charter flights for countries with no commercial routes will be prioritised according to the number of stranded British travellers and their vulnerability.

According to the government, charter flights are already up and running to Ghana and Tunisia, and more countries will be added to the list this week, with the aim of bringing people back from countries such as India and South Africa.

Government advice is that British tourists who want to return to the UK should first check if there are commercial routes available by visiting the airline websites, FCO travel advice pages for the country they are in and local British embassy social media.

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

Thank you for reading this story on our website.

But I also have an urgent plea to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality local news on this free-to-read site and in print, please purchase a copy of our newspaper as well. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on our town centres and many of our valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you buying a copy.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Our journalists are highly trained by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards anywhere in the world. Our content is universally trusted - as all independent research proves.

As Baroness Barran said in a House of Lords debate this week on the importance of journalists: “Not only are they a trusted source of facts, but they will have a role to play in rallying communities and getting the message across about how we can keep ourselves and our families safe, and protect our NHS. Undoubtedly, they have a critical role.”

But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. In return we will continue to forensically cover the local news - not only the impact of the virus but all the positive and uplifting news happening in these dark days.

In addition, please write to your MP urging the Government to provide some additional financial support for local newspapers and their websites like this one and ensuring that supermarkets continue to stock them. I cannot stress enough how important such an intervention would be.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

We thank all our readers and advertisers for their understanding and support - and we wish YOU all the best in the coming weeks. Keep safe, and follow the Government advice. Thank you.

partnership between government and airlines to fly home stranded British travellers

government chartered flights from priority countries to UK over the weekend and more to take place this week

up to £75 million government funding pledged to bring UK travellers back home

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

More tourists stranded abroad because of coronavirus will be able to get back to the UK following an arrangement struck between the government and the airlines industry.

The global travel situation caused by coronavirus has led to many people becoming stranded overseas. This is an unprecedented challenge with many countries closing borders and imposing travel restrictions with little warning. This has left many UK travellers struggling to get home.

Virgin, Easyjet, Jet2 and Titan Airways have today signed a memorandum of understanding negotiated by the Foreign Secretary and Transport Secretary. British Airways have also made clear that they will work with us in the national interest to get people home, and other airlines are expected to join. The Secretaries of State have published a joint letter to the airlines. The government is focused on getting Brits home through a twin-track approach:

airlines recognising their responsibility for transporting their passengers with pre-booked tickets home, through offering them alternatives where routes are cancelled, allowing them to change tickets, where permissible – including between carriers – and offering them the latest information and advice as the situation changes

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

where commercial routes do not exist, the government will provide up to £75 million financial support to enable special charter flights – operated by the airlines above and others – to fly to priority countries to bring back UK residents

Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, said:

This is a worrying time for many British citizens travelling abroad. We’ve already worked with airlines and governments to enable hundreds of thousands to return home on commercial flights, and we will keep as many of those options open as possible.

Where commercial flights are not possible, we will build on the earlier charter flights we organised back from China, Japan, Cuba, Ghana and Peru. The arrangements agreed today will provide a clearer basis to organise special charter flights where Britons find themselves stranded. Our priority will always be the most vulnerable.

Special charter flights for countries with no commercial routes will be prioritised according to the number of stranded British travellers and their vulnerability, including an assessment of the local health provision. In some places, access for flights to land and the ability to move around within the country to assemble for return flights will also be decisive factors.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Charter flights are already up and running to Ghana and Tunisia. We will add more countries this week with the aim of bringing people back from countries such as India and South Africa where large numbers of British travellers are stuck and commercial routes are completely suspended. We are negotiating intensely with countries around the world to secure permissions for return flights where airspace has been closed.

The government has pledged up to £75 million to pay airlines for the additional charter flights to ensure tickets are affordable. Once special flights have been arranged, these will be promoted through the government’s travel advice and by the British embassy or high commission in country. British travellers who want a seat on the flight will book and pay directly through a dedicated travel management company.

British tourists stranded abroad who want to return to the UK should first check if there are commercial routes available by visiting the airline websites, FCO travel advice pages for the country they are in and local British embassy social media.

If there are no commercial options, they should visit the travel advice pages and sign up to alerts for their location and follow embassy social media and email updates. When special return flights become available, these will be advertised by the embassy and British nationals on Travel Advice Pages and Embassy social media and those who have registered for updates will be contacted via email. British nationals will be asked to register their interest through our booking agents CTM.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Where people are in real need, our consular teams will work with them to consider their options. As a last resort, the Foreign Office will offer an emergency loan.

We have also tripled the capacity of the FCO’s call centre to ensure that people in emergency situations around the world are able to get assistance.