A BUDGET airline is to cancel all of its flights from Newcastle International Airport to Spain as the country declares it has gone into lockdown due to coronavirus.

Easyjet, which flies to Malaga, Barcelona, Alicante and Malta from the region, made the announcement over the weekend as COVID-19 concerns worsen across Europe.

So far Easyjet has had to suspend its flights to Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Morocco as the number of reported cases in countries rises each day.

The airline said "strict travel restrictions" imposed by the Spanish authorities from Monday (March 16) will mean flights scheduled to depart on Tuesday (March 17) will be cancelled.

Easyjet said flights from UK airports to Spain would remain cancelled until at least March 29 and that only a number of rescue flights would be operating to bring Britons back to the UK.

The latest announcement came as Easyjet today revealed it had made "further significant cancellations" across the group and warned that the "majority" of its planes could be grounded in the future.

What you need to know

According to the airline, passengers who have their flights cancelled will receive an email and SMS from easyJet with details of how to book onto the rescue flights.

If you no longer want to travel, passengers can choose to switch to a different flight through the Easyjet website - or you can request a refund through the website.

Those who are stranded in Spain are being advised to check the Easyjet website daily for the flight details of its rescue flights.

A statement online said: "To try and make sure everyone who needs to travel is able to, easyJet are putting on a number of rescue flights over the coming days, which will be posted at the bottom of this page when they are released on Monday.

"Turn up at the airport as early as possible on your preferred day of departure and we’ll get you onto a rescue flight if there are seats available.

"We’ll be accepting bookings on a first-come, first-served basis so if you do wish to fly, please book yourself on as soon as you can.

"Once you are confirmed on a flight, we do ask that you please show up for that flight – this will help us get people home as quickly as we can.

"In addition, if you do not show up, you will no longer be entitled to claim expenses under Regulation (EC)261/2004. 

"Please note, you will not be able to book on more than one flight, so make sure you have reviewed your time and date before confirming your booking."