TUI cancels flights to Spanish islands until August 4 and adds extra trips to Greece and Turkey
TUI has announced that it is scrapping flights to the Balearic Islands and Canary Islands until August 4.
It comes after the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) updated its guidance just yesterday to ban all but essential travel to mainland Spain and the islands.
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They have already cancelled all holidays to mainland Spain until August 10.
However, the travel company has announced that it will be adding additional flights on August 1, 2 and 3 to popular destinations in Greece and Turkey.
They have added seven new flights this weekend to Crete, Rhodes, Zante and Corfu in Greece and Dalaman and Antalya in Turkey.
TUI has Turkey holidays
They also have holidays in Greece starting
Customers due to travel to all Spanish destinations between July 26 and August 9 will be able to receive a full refund or the option to rebook their holiday.
Andrew Flintham, Managing Director of TUI UK and Ireland, said: “Our customers still want to travel aboard this summer, with over 70% of customers with cancelled holidays moving to another destination over the same period or in the coming weeks."
He continued: “Importantly, we also call upon the UK Government to work closely with the travel industry and remove the ‘blunt tool’ approach to quarantine and consider the rapid introduction of regional Travel Corridors.
"The level of uncertainty and confusion created this week is damaging for business and customer confidence in travel.”
The announcement by TUI follows a decision by Jet2 yesterday to cancel all holidays and flights to the Balearic and Canary Islands until August 10, after the quarantine-free air bridge was axed.
On Saturday the UK government announced that people travelling from Spain from July 26 will have to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
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Before, the UK had allowed Brits to travel to the holiday hotspot without needing to self-quarantine on return.
But after a spike in coronavirus cases in Spain, holidaymakers in the country - including Balearic island hotspots like Majorca and Ibiza - will now be forced to quarantine for two weeks upon returning home to the UK.
It is thought more than 600,000 British tourists will be affected by the restrictions as many already on holiday or having booked one face uncertainty as to whether their trip will still go ahead.
