Travel

FCO rescues 1.3 million Britons but more remain stranded – how is the government helping?


As part of an ongoing repatriation effort, the FCO is “working around the clock” to try and bring stranded Britons back to home soil during the coronavirus lockdown. While many commercial flights and airports have now shut down in response to a number of strict border closures, repatriation flights by the government and some commercial flights in partnership with particular airlines continue to fly.

However, many more still remained trapped overseas, with an estimated 3,000 in India and around 6,000 marooned in New Zealand alone.

The FCO has announced today it will be bolstering flights to India particularly, meanwhile, commercial routes continue to run where possible to help with the rescue mission.

The repatriation effort was announced by Dominic Raab at the end of March and will see the government putting around £75 million into rescuing UK nationals.

The government has also partnered with UK airlines including British Airways, easyJet, Virgin, Titan and Jet2 to set up a repatriation effort and ensure those who want to fly home are able to do so.

Though this may come as an additional expense, the government is urging Britons to come home now if they want to otherwise they may face riding out the COVID-19 pandemic abroad.

Countries, where commercial routes have stopped, are being offered specially chartered flights which can be booked via the FCO website.

A statement on the FCO travel advice page says: “Where commercial routes remain feasible, airlines will be responsible for getting their passengers with pre-booked tickets home. Where commercial routes do not exist, the government will provide up to £75 million to enable UK residents to buy tickets for special charter flights to return home from priority countries.

“If you are in a country where UK-bound flights are still available, book or rebook your flight and return home as soon as possible

“To find out if a special charter flight is available where you are, see the ‘Return to the UK’ section of the country’s travel advice page. This page will also explain who is eligible, how to book a ticket and how much it will cost.

“If there are no commercial or special charter flights for the country you’re in, follow the guidance in the ‘Return to the UK’ section of that country’s travel advice and see our guide to staying where you are if you cannot return home.”

Once payment has been made for a place on the government charter flights travellers are advised that they will receive their itineraries within 24 hours of the flight’s departure.

A tweet issued by FCO travel advice explained:



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