EasyJet, British Airways to continue operations to Spain despite UK govt's advisory

According to reports, on July 25, EasyJet and British Airways told their customers that they do not plan to cancel any flights in the coming days. This decision was made even after the Britain government advised to avoid non essential travel to mainland Spain due to the spread of novel coronavirus. Europe’s largest tour operator, TUI, said it was cancelling all holiday departures scheduled for July 26.

Second wave might hit Spain 

As per the new travel rules amid the coronavirus pandemic, travellers arriving from Spain to the UK will have to quarantine for 14 days. These changes were announced on July 25, keeping in mind the hike in coronavirus cases in Spain. Spain has so far seen 28,000 deaths due to coronavirus. On July 23, Spain saw the biggest hike since the lockdown ended. 

Read: Spain Takes Aim At Nightclubs And Beaches As Virus Rebounds

However, Spain said that it was a safe country with isolated and regulated outbreaks of the novel coronavirus. A spokeswoman of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that they respect the decision made by the United Kingdom as safety of citizens is their first priority. She added that they are in touch with the UK authorities. 

Read: UK Removes Spain From List Of Virus Safe Countries

Prominent airlines including the British Airlways criticised the decision made by the Britain government. They termed it as ‘yet another blow’ as it will affect the tourism industry. British Airways told one customer on twitter that their flights are expected to operate normally. An EasyJet customer executive also told the customer that they are planning to follow the complete schedule in the coming days. On July 25, the United Kingdom also removed Spain from its list of safe countries to travel to after the country measured a spike in new coronavirus cases. Deputy Chief Medical Officer for the U.K. Jonathan Van-Tam said the decision came after a "tipping point" with "new data about the level of disease" in the European country.

Read: UK Puts Spain Back On Unsafe Country List For COVID-19

Also Read: Boris Johnson Says The United Kingdom Is 'past The Peak' Of Coronavirus Pandemic

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