Latest UK Travel News as of 16:00 Monday 21 December

The following countries have issued travel restrictions to and from the UK as a result of the new COVID mutation that has been found in parts of the UK.

As of 16:00 the latest countries to have suspended flights from the UK are:

  • Spain
  • Russia
  • Israel
  • Iran
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Jordon

And from Latin America the following countries have banned flights from the UK:

  • Argentina
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Ecuador
  • El Salvador
  • Peru 

As of 14:00 the latest countries to have suspended flights from the UK are:

  • Poland
  • Finland
  • Romania
  • Malta
  • Croatia
  • Lithuania
  • Latvia
  • Estonia

In addition

  • Greece extended its quarantine period for travellers from the UK from three days to seven

As of 12:00 the latest countries to have joined the restrictions on flights form the UK are:

  • India has now suspended flights from the UK from Tuesday 22 until 31 December.
  • Switzerland has also suspended flights from the UK
  • Norway has suspended flights from the UK
  • Austria has suspended flights from the UK

As of 09:00 the latest countries to have joined the restrictions on flights form the UK are:

  • France suspended all travel links, including freight lorries, with the UK for 48 hours from midnight (23:00 GMT) on Sunday. Thousands of lorries move between the countries every day.
  • Eurotunnel said it would suspend access to its Folkestone terminal for traffic heading to Calais. People booked to travel on Monday can get a refund. Trains will still run from Calais to Folkestone.
  • The ferry terminal at Dover is now closed for all accompanied traffic leaving the UK until further notice because of the French restrictions.

Other countries took different action in response to the new virus variant:

  • Denmark suspended flights from the UK for 48 hours beginning at 09:00 GMT on Monday.
  • The Netherlands is banning all passenger flights from the UK until 1 January “at the latest”. Ferry passengers arriving from the UK will also be barred, although freight will continue
  • In the Republic of Ireland, flights arriving from Britain are banned for 48 hours at least from midnight on Sunday and people have been asked not to “travel to Ireland, by air or sea”. Ferry crossings for freight will continue
  • In Germany, planes from the UK have not been allowed to land since midnight on Sunday, although cargo is exempt
  • Belgium halted flights and trains from the UK from midnight for at least 24 hours
  • Italy has blocked all flights from the UK until 6 January
  • Turkey has temporarily banned all flights from the UK as has Switzerland
  • Austria will ban flights from the UK from 23:00 GMT on Monday and anyone arriving in the country before that point must quarantine for 10 days
  • Bulgaria has suspended flights to and from the UK from midnight with the ban to continue until 31 January
  • Canada has suspended entry of all passenger flights from the UK for 72 hours, effective from midnight (05:00 GMT). Passengers who arrived in Canada from the UK on Sunday would be “subject to secondary screening and enhanced measures, including increased scrutiny of quarantine plans”, it said.
  • Hong Kong, Israel, Iran, Croatia, Argentina, Chile, Morocco and Kuwait brought in restrictions on UK travel
  • Saudi Arabia has suspended all international flights for one week because of the pandemic

There are likely to be updates on the above throughout the day.

Source BBC News.