How British travellers stranded abroad can get back to the UK

As the barriers go up and the options come down, this is the position as at 5.30pm on 23 March

Simon Calder
Travel Correspondent
Monday 23 March 2020 19:06 GMT
Comments
Travellers wait for their flights out of Peru this month
Travellers wait for their flights out of Peru this month

Many British travellers are stranded abroad and struggling to get home as air routes continue to be axed and borders close. Here are some escape routes to try if you’re heading back to the UK.

Getting home from Europe and the Mediterranean

Repatriation flights are continuing from Spain, where the highest number of British tourists are concentrated, and the Foreign Office is working with the Spanish authorities to get people home as soon as possible.

Elsewhere, there are more flights than you might think, as British Airways and other carriers do what they can to get people where they need to be before global aviation grinds almost to a halt.

BA has arrivals at Heathrow and Gatwick from Germany, Spain, France and many other countries, and the airline is a good place to start looking for flights home.

Rail is an option from France and Belgium on Eurostar, though there is no certainty about how long trains will continue to operate – and how feasible it is for British travellers to gain access to the stations.

What about the British people stuck in Asia?

The main problem is flight bans being imposed by individual countries. British Airways still has flights from Japan, Thailand and other nations coming in. Many travellers were relying on the Gulf-based airlines, especially Emirates, to get them home, but the UAE has now imposed a flight ban from Wednesday 25 March.

Understandably the few remaining departures before then are very heavily subscribed and no seats are available at reasonable prices.

One feasible option may be Aeroflot. The leading Russian airline has reasonable availability at decent prices from Bangkok and Tokyo on 25 March and Kuala Lumpur on 27 March. Visa-free airside transit is currently allowed at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, but that will only apply if you book a through flight.

Can I get home from Australia and New Zealand?

Travellers in Australia and New Zealand are seeing options closing down almost by the hour. While Qantas has been operating its nonstop between Perth and Heathrow – which has the huge advantage of no en-route stops – bookings are very heavy.

Singapore has banned transit passengers, which means that route is now closed – and both Dubai and Abu Dhabi are also to close.

Air New Zealand has ended its Auckland-Heathrow link.

Travelling back from Latin America

There are troubling stories from those attempting to return to the UK. More than 600 travellers are stranded in Peru.The country is under lockdown, with official permission required for any non-local journey.

On Sunday British travellers were emailed to say that “several repatriation flights” should operate this week – with passengers asked to pay only £250, after they have returned home safely. But there is still no clarity about when or where the flights will depart (except that they may take off from military airports instead of civilian facilities).

The Independent has also heard from travellers in neighbouring Bolivia about the sheer impossibility of leaving due to the multiple travel bans in force.

Further north, a group of 20 young British travellers on a volunteering mission in Honduras are still unable to get home.

Travellers in Mexico can access daily flights to the UK – but to reach Mexico from Honduras requires transiting Guatemala.

Is there a travel ban from North America?

No. Flights are continuing from both the US and Canada, with United Airlines and others planning transatlantic links to and from Heathrow until further notice – or until further flight bans or a complete collapse in demand renders them unviable.

What about Africa?

Kenya Airways is shutting down, and many African countries are imposing no-fly bans. But British Airways is continuing to fly from South Africa, and Ethiopian Airlines is offering connecting flights from a wide range of destinations through its Addis Ababa hub.

Is the Foreign Office doing enough?

Diplomatic and consular resources are impossibly stretched. Staff who normally have a workload of a few lost passports and medical emergencies each week are having to deal with thousands of distressed travellers. Anyone who can look after their own situation should do so, to allow consular staff to work with cases of urgent need.

After the coronavirus crisis passes, travellers will need to contemplate how we can sustain ourselves in far flung corners of the world, and consider the medical, psychological and financial stresses that travel can involve.

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