The French government will set up an air system, in conjunction with the company Air France, to allow French people stranded abroad because of the Covid-19 to return home, three ministers announced on Wednesday evening. "A global and global mechanism to allow our nationals who wish to return home to France by air will be set up very quickly, in connection with Air France" , assured the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, of the Interior and the Secretary of State for Transport in a press release.
"It will be based on an air transport plan adapted for the whole world, according to local priorities and emergencies, and will allow everyone to book a return ticket with a company" , added Jean-Yves Le Drian, Christophe Castaner and Jean-Baptiste Djebbari. Many countries have suspended air links with Europe, the new epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving tens of thousands of French citizens on the sidelines. "We will thus be able to propose, with the airlines involved, reasonable commercial solutions to return home to our compatriots," said the three ministers.
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The French Minister of Foreign Affairs called by then the thousands of French travelers stranded around the world to take their trouble in "patience" . "It is true that it is difficult, it is difficult for everyone (...) We must therefore calmly, serenely, with composure, wait for my turn if I dare say" , did he he declared on the channel BFM TV.
Some 6,000 to 7,000 French people are notably still stranded in Morocco and 4,000 in Tunisia, whether they are tourists or on personal and professional travel. Since Friday evening, 90 flights, including many special flights, have made it possible to evacuate two thirds of the 20,000 French detained in Morocco, said Jean-Yves Le Drian. Thirty flights will also be organized to allow the French to return from Tunisia, he added.
The government has also invited French residents living abroad to avoid international travel as much as possible, including to return to national territory, unless there are compelling reasons. “We think that for their own safety and to fight against this virus, we must stay at home. And if your home is abroad, you stay at home abroad, ” said Jean-Yves Le Drian. For those residing in the European space who would nevertheless like to return, "direct returns by air should, as far as possible, be privileged" rather than crossing several land borders, noted the three ministers.