Flights to Lockdown Italy

[chatterbugmegastar]

Listening to the radio - UK flights are still , this morning, going to the lockdown areas in Italy. Is this crazy? Any thoughts?

Absolutely crackers!!! Also enormously hypocritical. If this was in Asia or Africa there’s no way we’d be flying to them.

We’re leaving Europe and I don’t want the parting gift from the Italians to feed the spread thank you very much!

Are they coming back to the uk too?

@everydaylife yes return flights coming back. I checked on arrivals at MAN and LGW websites.

Apparently the airlines need to keep flying to keep their slots. Many of the flights will be mostly empty. This is ridiculous on an environmental level and governments need to step in to stop this farce allowing airlines to protect slots even if they do not fly temporarily

Even if they were fraying back empty planes, regardless of the environmental impact, someone has to refuel, clean, unload the planes etc and as seen by the baggage handlers at Heathrow this is how things spread.

• flying not fraying???!!

someone from our small village sent a message this week saying she’s just arrived in northern Italy when we sent our messages to our group with advice on washing hands & tongue in cheek “we’d better stay put” she hadn’t checked advice on self quarantining on return & her hubby is a builder who does lots of work around the village where we have lots of elderly many who are ill currently. We also have a thriving nursery & pub. I’m v high risk & said I’m sorry I’m going to have to stay away from them but I’m pretty worried now & think that’s very irresponsible to not check where you are going 🙄

If by 'lockdown' you mean the category 1 ar as, I don't think there are any flights (no airports in the more-or-less closed areas). Flights from all category 1 locations should be subject to specia arrangements, and probably suspended. Though of course that wouid not prevent arrivals of travellers, as there are so many possibilities for indirect routes.

If you think flights should also be stopped from category 2 areas, that's a slightly different question. It wouid either need to be done to all of them, or none of them

Italy wouid be the hardest to 'solve' because of the plethora of other routes for travellers into Europe for onwards travel. EU could end freedom of movement, but is unlikely to for category 2.

Pop up with new measures in Italy arrived whilst I was typing all that!

Presumably the Italian authorities will b enclosing the airports in the newly quarantined areas?

Presumably the Italian authorities will b enclosing the airports in the newly quarantined areas?

I thought that's what lockdown means! Perhaps the Italian authorities are a little tardy in doing this?

Ridiculous FCO advice acknowledges Milan and Venice in lockdown until April but apparently still fine to go there Someone's got shares in insurance companies.

www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy

I don't think the FCO have updated their advice yet

It says they updated it today but hopefully will update again. It includes details of wider lockdown but that area is green.

Me & DP had a break to Milan booked from 12th March, we decided last week not to go so got money back from air BnB but we're waiting to see what happened before changing the flights. I've checked the weather easyjet website & they have cancelled flights from the 13th March!!!! I'm hoping they'll change that & update the website today.

Fucking sods law!

I don't think the FCO advice has been updated yet - the announcement from the Italian authorities was less than an hour ago.

It was announced last night and was on BBC as lead story on internet last night. FCO site says updated 8 March.

When I checked the FCO Coronavirus page this morning it said that it was last updated on 6 March (i.e. Friday).

The link I posted to the FCO travel advice for Italy above says updated 8 March though hopefully it's just a holding update as it's the weekend. Other countries changed Italy to don't travel when outbreak was known.

Flights still going too and from Milan

www.manchesterairport.co.uk/flight-information/arrivals/?name=Milan&code=MXP

www.manchesterairport.co.uk/flight-information/arrivals/?name=Rome&code=FCO

Apparently the airlines need to keep flying to keep their slots

This was on the news the other day and they said that the regulators will not enforce this, they didn't have 9/11 and they didn't when the Iceland volcano erupted. And you don't lose your slots after one day, anyway!

after 9/11

@chatterbugmegastar they’ve changed - it’s now only essential travel.

Thank goodness !