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More rescue flights to help British travellers stranded in South America

More than 900 British travellers stranded in South America are to be returned home on four rescue flights.

The government charters will run from Columbia, Honduras and Argentina over a period or two weeks in May.

The flights will operate on May 1 and 4 from Bogota via San Pedro Sula in Honduras to Heathrow.

Additional charters from Roatan and Utila in Honduras have been arranged to enable British travellers to reach San Pedro Sula, in time for the connecting flights to London.

Flights from the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires are due to operate on May 7 to Gatwick and May 12 to Heathrow.

Priority is initially being given to vulnerable passengers including those over 70 and others who have medical requirements.

The new charters flights follow flights from  Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, meaning more than 2,100 British travellers will have been returned from South  America plus hundreds more via commercial routes.

Wendy Morton, Foreign Office minister for the Americas, said: “These special charter flights will provide a lifeline to hundreds of British travellers who have been stranded in South America.

“We have already brought home over 1,200 British travellers from the region on charter flights and these will return over 900 more.”

They are part of a £75 million partnership between government and airlines to bring home British travellers left abroad due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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