Britain charters planes, enlists airlines to bring stranded citizens hom

Britain will spend GBP75m to get stranded citizens home on charter flights, foreign minister Dominic Raab said Monday, adding that airlines would be flexible in offering commercial routes where possible. Tens of thousands of stranded British travellers will be flown home under the new arrangement, which sees airlines including British Airways, easyJet, Virgin, Jet2 and Titan offering alternative bookings where routes are canceled. “Where commercial flights are no longer running, the government will provide the necessary financial support for special charter flights to bring UK nationals back home,” Raab said. “We’ve designated 75 million pounds to support those flights and the airlines in order to keep the cost down and affordable for those seeking to return to the UK.” The chartered flights will operate on a strict cost-recovery basis paid by the taxpayer, ticketed through a government-procured management company, at fares determined by the foreign office (FCO). “Those genuinely unable to pay will be offered an emergency loan by the FCO if they have exhausted all other avenues,” the letter said. Talks between the government and airlines over a broader support package for the sector have so far not yielded a result. The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) called for clarity over the support that airlines would be getting and also sought reassurance that airline staff would have protective equipment.<br/>