Passengers on board a Jet2 flight to coronavirus-ridden Spain were just 40 miles away from landing in Alicante when they were told their flight had to turn around and go home.
Beryl Carrick, 78, flew from Leeds Bradford Airport for a family holiday in Benidorm with her husband, daughter and two granddaughters.
The family were mid-flight when they were told they weren’t allowed to enter the country ‘because of coronavirus’.
Their flight was one of several Jet2 planes – including flights from Birmingham to Malaga, Glasgow to Alicante and Leeds to Alicante – who did a U-turn and came back.
Several Jet2 planes – including flights from Birmingham to Malaga, Glasgow to Alicante and Leeds to Alicante – did a U-turn and came back to the UK today
The Jet2 check-in queues were left empty at Edinburgh airport as flights to Spain were diverted earlier today
It was today announced that Spain would be put on lockdown as part of desperate measures to tackle the coronavirus outbreak as cases soar by a third overnight to 5,753. More than 120 people have died.
This is the second European nation to put extreme measures in place after Italy – the worst affected country outside China with more than 17,000 cases of the killer bug and 1,000 deaths – was quarantined this week.
Mrs Carrick, from Driffield, East Yorkshire,said: ‘We were about 40 miles away from the airport in Spain when an announcement came on the tannoy.
‘They told us that the Spanish are stopping people going into the country because of coronavirus and that our flight was turning around to go home.
Beryl Carrick, 78, and her family were mid-flight on their Jet2 plane when they were told they weren’t allowed to enter the country ‘because of coronavirus’ (stock image)
A bachelorette party dons protective face masks as they walk the streets of Barcelona after the state of emergency was announced
‘We were all quite surprised to hear that and it was rather bizarre to be so close to our destination only to come home again.
‘Everyone on the plane was obviously disappointed, we all wanted to go on holiday, but also understanding that these things are out of our hands.
‘There was no screaming or shouting or anything like that, everyone was very calm, and the staff were really nice about everything.
‘It is a real shame that we won’t get to spend a week in the sun, we love Benidorm and go most years.
‘But it’s not the end of the world, I do understand there are bigger and more important things happening at the moment.’
Under emergency measures announced yesterday, beaches are being closed along the Costa Blanca which covers resorts like Benidorm and the Costa del Sol
Mrs Carrick said the family were going away to celebrate her husband Arthur’s 80th birthday next week.
She has been told by Jet2 staff that all travellers will be entitled to a full refund or be able to rearrange their flights to Alicante at another time.
Mrs Carrick’s granddaughter Niki said: ‘It’s a frustrating situation because people arrange time off work and organise their lives around a holiday, but what can you do?
‘The plane was only about half full so I think a lot of people who should have been on board had anticipated what was going to happen and cancelled at the last minute.’
Worried residents queued up outside a supermarket in Irun near San Sebastian, Spain, after the Spanish government declared a state of emergency
The lockdown announcement – detailing how people will only be allowed to leave their homes under certain ’emergency’ conditions – was made just one day after the Spanish government announced a 15-day state of emergency.
Under these guidelines, beaches were closed along the Costa Blanca which covers resorts such as Benidorm and the Costa del Sol.
The bathing ban is coming into force on the back of the forced closure at midnight last night of all bars, nightclubs, restaurants, cafes, gyms and cinemas in the Costa Blanca resorts as well as the rest of Alicante and the neighbouring provinces of Castellon and Valencia.
Fellow traveller Anne Thomas, 62, was flying back to her home in Spain after spending the last few days looking after her dementia-suffering mum in West Yorkshire, where she is originally from.
Winding queues stretched along the outside of a supermarket in Spain after the Spanish government declared a state of emergency in the country
The expat said: ‘I’ve barely slept because I’m been looking after my poorly mum and after almost getting home to Spain I’ve been turned around again.
‘It’s a very frustrating and quite stressful situation to be in.
‘I have been told that Jet2 flights are still going and picking holidaymakers up to come back here so I don’t understand why I can’t be dropped off.
‘If I have to self isolate or go into quarantine after arriving then that’s fine, I just wish they could get me back home.’
Ms Thomas added: ‘Luckily after I landed I was able to book a Ryanair flight to the same airport later on today, so hopefully I will get home today.
‘But with how quickly things are changing at the minute because of the coronavirus outbreak I’m worried there will be issues with that one too.’
A street artist sits in Plaza Mayor in central Madrid. The popular location is usually over-crowded with tourists but there are barely any following the government’s state of emergency announcment
A Jet2 spokesperson said: ‘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 cancel all flights 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 programme 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.’