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Government weighs up Caribbean rescue flight options

The government is considering special rescue charters from islands across the Caribbean if there is sufficient demand from stranded Britons

The Foreign Office is assessing British nationals’ interest in flights where commercial airline links have been halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.


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The islands being considered include St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica and Grenada.

The plans emerged after a special flight laid on from Jamaica to Heathrow on Thursday was fully booked within days of going on sale.

The FCO said its travel advice would be updated when departure options become available from the other islands and people were requested to register their interest on an online form.

“You will need to pay for your return travel to the UK,” the FCO added.

“If departure options are available but you cannot afford the travel costs and have exhausted all other options for getting funds, you may be eligible to apply for an emergency loan from the government.

“This is a last resort option and you would need to repay the loan when you are back in the UK.”


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