After the intensive efforts of the Spanish Embassy in Venezuela, this morning a flight to Madrid from Caracas landed that has facilitated the return of a total of 376 European passengers. Of these, 136 are Spanish who traveled with, among others, 60 Italians, 45 Germans, 24 French, 14 British, 13 Portuguese, 5 Poles, 5 Danes, 4 Slovaks, 4 Dutch, 3 Greeks, 3 Croats and one Swede. The operation led by our Embassy in Venezuela, and in collaboration with the rest of the European embassies, contemplates the repatriation from Spain to their countries of origin of the rest of European citizens that will be done through the diplomatic representations that each one has in Spain. .
Two flights from Peru will be added to this flight, where the Spanish Embassy has managed to authorize operations despite the airspace being closed to commercial flights. While other countries, such as Germany, have not yet received formal authorization to take a plane to the country, the planes managed by Spain are waiting to carry out operations to be carried out from a Military Base because the Lima airport remains closed. With these two operations, a total of 600 Spanish tourists will arrive in Spain.
Separate mention deserves the case of Cuba where there are 1,115 Spaniards registered as Spanish tourists while that figure was a week ago of 2,345 Spaniards, that is, that in recent days 1,320 tourists have left. However, of the tourists who remain on the island, where confinement measures have begun to be adopted, only 95 Spaniards had addressed the Consulate to express their intention to travel to Spain, of whom 51 would have left the country.
On the other hand, the flight chartered by Spain is expected to arrive in Spain tomorrow after the activation of the European Civil Protection Mechanism and that he will make three stops (El Salvador-Guatemala-Honduras) to return with 334 Spaniards on board, as well as numerous Europeans, and that he left Madrid with 39 Guatemalans on board.
With the operations planned from Bogotá (Colombia), the two from Quito (Ecuador) that will stop in Guayaquil to pick up passengers and return to Madrid, the two from Buenos Aires (Argentina), one from Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) and the other from Panama City (Panama), the figure would comfortably exceed the 4,000 tourists who will have managed to return home thanks to the efforts of our Consulates and Embassies.
Meanwhile, the situation begins to normalize in the different points of Europe that are used as a connection point to continue the flight to Spain. This is the case of France where yesterday a total of 19 Spaniards from Haiti arrived, who today fly to Madrid and Barcelona; Like the 23 Spaniards from Chad who also arrive in Madrid from Paris today.
In Asia and the Pacific, the progressive tightening of the measures adopted by the countries delays the departure of those Spaniards who try to return to Spain, although progress is being made in the search for solutions for each case. In the case of India, of the 338 tourists who still remain in the country, they would have expressed interest in leaving it 242.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation continues to work to assist all Spaniards who are still trying to return to Spain. The 215 Spanish Embassies and Consulates around the world keep their 4,500 officials deployed to attend to Spaniards both in person, as well as by phone, email or social networks.
The Crisis Unit telephone number, +34 913 948 900, is kept activated 24 hours a day and is attended by more than 140 people from the Ministry.
