With many countries worldwide suspending flights to the United Kingdom due to the spread of a new and more contagious strain of COVID-19, Latin American nations have not fallen behind. Many governments in the region have decided to close their airspaces to the UK. But two of the most countries in Latin America have not yet agreed to do so. Let’s investigate further.
Brazil and Mexico still allow connectivity with the UK. British Airways flies to Mexico City, Cancun, Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Getty ImagesWhich countries have restricted UK travel?
It all began with the Netherlands closing its airspace during the weekend. Many European countries followed swiftly, introducing more chaos into the European airspace right before Christmas.
Many countries followed worldwide, like Canada. There’s even the possibility that the US blocks flights from the UK.
In Latin America, Argentina was one of the first countries to ban the entrance of people coming from the UK. The last British Airways flight landed in Buenos Aires on Monday. The whole crew and passengers onboard the flight are currently undertaking a seven-day quarantine.
Other Latin American nations that have taken such measures are Colombia, El Salvador, Paraguay, Peru, and Chile.
The Colombian airline Avianca recently announced the cancellation of its flights to London. It was operating three weekly flights between Bogota and London, as reported by Reportur. The airline said,
“The company understands and shares the thought that the priority is the wellbeing and health of passengers and cabin crew alike. Therefore, it will remain in communication with the Colombian government and continuously check the route’s possible reactivation.”
Avianca recently suspended its three weekly flights to London from Bogota. Photo: Getty ImagesWhich countries have not restricted UK travel?
So far, the two most significant countries, by the number of passengers transported, in Latin America, haven’t closed their airspaces to flights to and from the UK.
Both Mexico and Brazil continue allowing connectivity with London. British Airways has daily flights from Heathrow to Mexico City. It also flies twice a week from Gatwick to Cancun. Aeromexico has suspended its route between Mexico City and London until February, 2021.
Today, the Mexican authorities said that they will not ban the air connectivity with the UK. The health authorities in the country argued that there is no evidence pointing out that a border closure would do any better in containing a virus that is already spreading through the country. Mexico has over 1.3 million COVID-19 cases and more than 119 thousand deaths.
Meanwhile, in Brazil, British Airways flies daily to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. LATAM Airlines also flies directly from Sao Paulo to London Heathrow.
LATAM flies from Sao Paulo to London Heathrow. Photo: Getty ImagesUntil when are the bans in place?
This situation is similar to the total lockout that China suffered during the first weeks of the pandemic. The governments are currently in contention mode and are not specifying when the ban will end.
For instance, Chile just said that it will reassess the current banning in two weeks. In the meantime, every Chilean and resident that has been in the UK during the last 14 days must isolate.
According to Entrepreneur, the Peruvian Ministry of Transport and Communications said,
“As a preventive measure, we will not authorize direct flights or flights with a stopover in the United Kingdom until further notice.”
Colombia, El Salvador, and Argentina didn’t announce when the ban will end.
Were you expecting to travel any time soon from the UK into Latin America? Let us know in the comments.

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