As Ryanair announces a large-scale resumption of holiday flights from July, the Spanish government has imposed a 14-day quarantine for all  foreign travellers coming to the country from Friday, 15 May.

The move is intended to curb the spread of coronavirus in Spain, which is by far the most popular holiday destination for British travellers.

New arrivals will largely be restricted to their accommodation, and will be allowed out only for basic shopping, medical treatment and “situations of need”.

It is due to end at the same time as the current “state of alarm,” which currently expires on 24 May – but restrictions could be extended beyond that.

On Sunday the Spanish government published details of a gradual restoration of domestic transport links, leading to hope that the country would be open for tourists during the summer.

UK holiday companies had been hoping to resume trips to Spain in late June, with much larger numbers in July and August.

But the measure announced in Madrid, together with a planned quarantine for everyone returning to the UK, appears to rule that prospect out.

Yesterday 28 aviation leaders wrote to Boris Johnson, saying: “People will simply choose not to travel to and from the UK, at the same time as economies in Europe begin opening up.”

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