UK transport secretary Grant Shapps to return from Spain amid quarantine row – as it happened

16:56

The airline Jet2 has cancelled all flights from the UK to mainland Spain up to 16 August after the government’s surprise imposition of mandatory quarantine on all arrivals from Spain . Jet2 said it would contact all customers of its cancelled Spanish flights and holiday packages about refund options. The company is seeking clarification from the government before advising customers with holidays booked from 17 August. Rival package holiday company Tui has also cancelled Spanish holidays, although airline EasyJet has continued to run a full schedule. However, Jet2, whose parent company Dart Group is based in Leeds, said that flights would continue from the UK to the Balearic and Canary islands, including popular holiday destinations such as Mallorca, Ibiza and Tenerife. Travellers from the Spanish archipelagos must also quarantine under the UK restrictions, but the islands have a lower incidence of coronavirus infections than the mainland, and the travel industry is lobbying to have the quarantine restrictions limited to the mainland only.

A spokeswoman said:

Following the latest government advice regarding travel to mainland Spain from the UK, we have taken the decision to suspend our flights and holidays programme to Costa de Almeria, Alicante, Malaga and Murcia from 28th July up to and including 16th August. We urge the government to provide the industry with clarity, so that we can keep everybody up-to-date and informed. We are continuing to operate flights and holidays to our destinations in the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands as scheduled. Because the FCO travel advice to these destinations remains unchanged, our usual terms and conditions apply. This is a fast-moving situation, which we are continuing to monitor very closely.
A Jet2 plane landing at Manchester airport.A Jet2 plane landing at Manchester airport. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA