TUI Calls Off Travel Packages, Flights to Mainland Spain

(BBC) - The UK's biggest tour operator, TUI, has cancelled all mainland Spanish holidays until 9 August.

The move comes after the government imposed a 14-day quarantine on people arriving in the UK from Spain.

The firm said all those going to the Balearic and Canary Islands could still travel as planned from Monday.

The airline industry has reacted with dismay to the decision to impose the quarantine, calling it a big blow.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is advising against all but essential travel to mainland Spain. Quarantine measures apply to those returning from mainland Spain, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, such as Majorca and Ibiza.

British Airways is still operating flights, but said the move was "throwing thousands of Britons' travel plans into chaos". Budget airline easyJet is also maintaining a full schedule, as is Jet2.

Quarantine measures for UK travellers were first introduced in early June. But after pressure from the aviation and travel industries, the government and devolved administrations published lists of countries exempt from the rules.

The decision to remove Spain from those lists was announced on Saturday following a spike in Spanish coronavirus cases, with more than 900 new cases reported on Friday.

Spanish officials have also warned a second wave could be imminent as major cities have seen cases surge.