The stopover on direct flights from the UK will continue until Christmas Day – E24

The stop on direct flights is maintained to prevent the spread of the new variant of the virus that has been discovered in the United Kingdom, the government writes in a press release this Wednesday morning.

– We want more time to gain more knowledge about the virus variant and to prevent the spread in Norway. If this variant of the virus does not exist in the country, there will be significant health benefits if it is excluded, says Minister of Health and Care Services, Bent Høie (H).

On Monday, the Health Minister declared that Norway would stop all direct flights from the UK with immediate effect, and the measure would apply in principle for two days with the possibility of an extension.

Following Monday’s press conference, a number of measures were also introduced for UK travelers, which apply until 10 January.

I had to spin the plane in the air

Following Monday’s announcement, Widerøe canceled a plane from Scotland and made the decision to return the plane crossing the North Sea.

– We made that decision this morning based on what Bent Høie said that the airspace is likely to be closed in the morning, communications manager Catharina Solli at Widerøe told E24 on Monday.

After the press conference it turned out that it was the right decision to cancel the plane, Solli said.

Can travel from Norway

SAS head of communications John Eckhoff says you can still travel from Norway to the UK with the company.

– We flew to the UK, but canceled for passengers and flew “cargo only” back to Norway, says Eckhoff.

Customers affected by canceled flights from the UK will be automatically notified by SMS and email as soon as the flights are canceled.

The money for the trip they had planned will be returned to them within seven days of the flight cancellation.

– You always get a refund of the money when the airline cancels, says the communications manager

The coronavariant

Even before Norway took control of flights from the UK, several European countries had canceled their flights from the country. Among them are Germany, France, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The setup comes after a new variant of the virus was discovered in the UK that is estimated to be 70 percent more contagious than the original coronavirus, NTB writes. The virus should not cause a more serious illness.

The virus has also been detected in Denmark, the Netherlands and Italy, among other places, but is currently not relevant for stopping planes from other countries, Høie claims, according to NTB. New measures are being evaluated on an ongoing basis.