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> Greece

Sixty Brits stranded at Athens Airport after plane was refused landing in Saudi Arabia

The passengers are walking freely around the airport without being screened for coronavirus or wearing gloves and masks

Newsroom March 17 06:53

Sixty people on board a passenger plane from the UK are stranded at the Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”, after the Saudi-bound aircraft  from London was forced to divert and land in Athens, following the refusal by the Saudi authorities to allow it to land in the Arabic state.

The aircraft, after being denied landing in Saudi Arabia, headed for Athens, where it landed unexpectedly at Spata Airport at 9pm yesterday (Monday).

Even though the 60 passengers, including children, are from the UK which has been designated a high-risk country for coronavirus, they were neither screened or examined and are moving freely among the rest of the public around the airport from Monday without wearing masks or gloves.

According to sources, 26 of the passengers will reportedly depart with the Emirates after the UK embassy intervened, with the rest seeking to reach their destination.

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