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Blame Covid-19 travel restrictions or Brexit but whatever the cause, some British citizens trying to return home to various European countries over the weekend have been banned from boarding flights.
The airlines rejected documents that before Brexit had been valid proof of the status of the British as residents of Spain, Italy and Germany, although the Spanish authorities claimed that the problem had been resolved by mid-Sunday.
Their ordeal came amid increased travel restrictions due to a variant of the coronavirus that has been blamed for faster contagion in the UK and highlights the bureaucratic complexities resulting from Britain’s departure from the European Union of 27 nations.
Both Spanish and British authorities said on Sunday that the pink EU citizenship certificate with a foreign national identification number issued by Spain remains valid for British citizens residing in Spain under the bilateral provisions that followed. the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the bloc on December 31. .
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Max Duncan / AP
British travelers returning home to Spain wait to speak with airline staff after they were denied entry to planes at London Heathrow airport on Saturday.
But travelers say British Airways and Iberia, which are part of the IAG group, have refused to let them board for the past two days.
Iberia said in a statement late Sunday that a communication from Spain’s border police on January 1 had created “some confusion” and was later clarified. British Airways did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Around 300,000 British citizens are registered as permanent residents in Spain, although before Brexit, many more lived in the country full or part time without officially registering.
Patricia Moody, a 69-year-old retiree who has called the southern Spanish city of Zurgena home for nearly four years, was among a group of at least nine people who were unable to board a BA / Iberia flight with destination to Madrid from London Heathrow Airport on Saturday.
Moody said that she and her husband, who says she needs to see her doctor in Spain, spent 1,900 pounds (NZ $ 3,610) to get tested for the virus, travel to the airport and book new tickets after they were denied boarding. His second attempt was also futile.
Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP
Some British nationals who tried to return home to various European countries this weekend were banned from boarding flights.
“During all the months of Brexit negotiation, we were always assured that nothing would change for us,” he said. Referring to the airlines and authorities of both countries, he added: “It is horrible and we are suffering from their incompetence.”
Following the discovery of the coronavirus variant in the UK, many European nations have banned all travel from the British Isles except for their own citizens and UK citizens with residency rights.
Travelers to Pisa, Italy and Berlin have also reported similar obstacles to boarding planes operated by Ryanair and Lufthansa, despite carrying documents that had been accepted by the Italian and German governments, respectively.
Matt Bristow, a spokesman for the British Residents Association in Germany in that country, said: “This appears to be a case where UK airport staff don’t know what documents to accept or apply the rules more strictly than the police. German border “.
Spain has been implementing a new system for registering permanent foreign residents called TIE, but it is experiencing a delay due to the large number of applications. Authorities told AP that the TIE application test and “green certificate” for EU citizens were still valid for travel for British residents under the new health restrictions in effect until January 19.
Andrew Matthews / AP
A Barcelona-based English teacher says he and his partner were denied boarding a flight that British Airways had initially said they could take.
“This shouldn’t be happening,” the UK embassy in Spain said in a Facebook post. “The Spanish authorities have reconfirmed today that the green residence document will be accepted to travel back to Spain, as indicated in our travel advice.”
But Sam Dakin, a 32-year-old English teacher based in Barcelona for the past four years, and his partner, who has been in the Spanish city for eight years, said they needed more guarantees before they could rebook flights.
The couple were prevented from flying on Saturday morning, despite carrying their certificate, and then denied boarding on another flight Saturday night that British Airways had initially said they could take.
“Just because the government adviser said we could travel, we don’t know if that will happen when we get to the counters,” Dakin said. “We just don’t know where we are going to get answers.”
In a statement, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that there had been “an isolated communication problem with some airlines that affected a very small number of travelers” and that air traffic between the United Kingdom and Spain was progressing “normally” at mid Sunday.
