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  • Jet2 planes flying from the UK to Spain turned back mid-air on Saturday.
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  • The U-turn came after the airline announced it was cancelling all flights to Spain due to the coronavirus outbreak.
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  • Jet2 has halted to travel to mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands with immediate effect.
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  • Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez has declared a two-week state of emergency as the death toll reached 120.
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  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Jet2 planes to Spain turned back in mid-air today as the airline announced it was cancelling all flights to the country amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The airline, which is based at nine UK airports, said it was halting travel to mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands with immediate effect.

New infections have risen sharply in Spain and the government put 60,000 people in four towns on a mandatory lockdown on Friday.

Prime minister Pedro Sanchez also said a two-week state of emergency will come into force as the death toll reached 120.

A spokeswoman for the airline confirmed on Saturday morning that flights had turned back while on their way to Spanish destinations.

A statement from Jet2 said: "In response to local measures introduced throughout Spain to prevent the spread of Covid-19, including the closure of bars, restaurants, shops, and activities including any water sports, we have taken the decision to cancel all flights to mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands with immediate effect.

"We know these local measures will have a significant impact on our customers' holidays, which is why we have taken this decision.

"We are contacting our customers who are currently in these destinations, and who are due to travel, to advise them of their options, so we urge customers not to call us.

"This is a fast-moving and complex situation and we are reviewing our programme as a matter of urgency, so that we can fly customers back to the UK.

"The health and safety of our customers is our number one priority, and we would like to thank our customers for their understanding."

Jet2 flies to destinations including Alicante, Malaga, and Lanzarote.

Read more: Spain declares a state of emergency after the number of coronavirus cases surged across the country How Italy spiraled from a perfectly healthy country to near collapse in 24 days as the coronavirus took hold Quarantined Italians are singing and dancing together from their balconies and windows
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