US President Donald Trump has announced a 30-day suspension of flights between 26 European countries and the US, but the ban does not include the UK or Ireland.
In a bid to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, travellers from countries in the Schengen border-free travel area are now barred from entering the US.
The rules go into force on Friday at midnight and do not include American citizens, who will allowed to enter after health checks.
The ban applies to anyone who has been in the EU’s Schengen border-free area in the 14 days before their arrival in the US.
Trump said the European Union had ‘failed to take the same precautions’ as the US over the coronavirus crisis by restricting travel from China.
In a speech from the White House he said he was taking ‘strong but necessary actions to protect the health and wellbeing of all Americans’.
US airlines are now scrambling to make the necessary changes.
Delta ‘will continue to quickly make adjustments to service, as needed, in response to government travel directives’.
“We will comply with the administration’s announcement,” United Airlines said.
With the UK exempt, Heathrow Airport could see a spike in traffic as the major gateway betyween North America and the European continent, even though general travel demand has plummeted.
