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Brit Foreign Office shamed again over Peru repatriation chaos
| Published: | 1 Apr at 6 PM |
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As pressure on the government to repatriate all stranded Britons grows, UK citizens formerly in Peru tell of their experiences.
Following the UK government’s recent announcement of its intent to bring home all stranded Brits, the chaos and confusion surrounding repatriation flights from Peru isn’t something to be proud of. Three chartered flights had been organised, with the first arriving on schedule at Heathrow Airport, but its passengers were far less than impressed by the performance of the Foreign Office. All those who landed were more than happy to be back in the home country, but won’t forget the chaos and confusion caused by the British authorities’ handling of the repatriation.
It seems those allocated seats on the initial flight endured poor communication and short-notice information, with Britons been given just an hour to confirm their flights. One returnee told the media everyone had been put on standby, but those given actual seats on the first flight received confirmation emails at midnight telling them to arrive at the airport at 7 a.m the following morning. Many British expats missed out as they were asleep by the time the email arrived. Another expat noted there were around 50 people on standby, but only 12 actually made it to the airport in time to board.
Others said no-one had been able to contact the British Embassy during the previous week, causing added confusion and stress during a very difficult time. Most couldn’t understand why other countries seem to be handing repatriation flights easily, whilst the Foreign Office seemed unable to do the same. On Twitter, one worried user whose son is at present in Nepal compared the British effort to that in Germany, where some 160,000 nationals have already been brought home.
Following the UK government’s recent announcement of its intent to bring home all stranded Brits, the chaos and confusion surrounding repatriation flights from Peru isn’t something to be proud of. Three chartered flights had been organised, with the first arriving on schedule at Heathrow Airport, but its passengers were far less than impressed by the performance of the Foreign Office. All those who landed were more than happy to be back in the home country, but won’t forget the chaos and confusion caused by the British authorities’ handling of the repatriation.
It seems those allocated seats on the initial flight endured poor communication and short-notice information, with Britons been given just an hour to confirm their flights. One returnee told the media everyone had been put on standby, but those given actual seats on the first flight received confirmation emails at midnight telling them to arrive at the airport at 7 a.m the following morning. Many British expats missed out as they were asleep by the time the email arrived. Another expat noted there were around 50 people on standby, but only 12 actually made it to the airport in time to board.
Others said no-one had been able to contact the British Embassy during the previous week, causing added confusion and stress during a very difficult time. Most couldn’t understand why other countries seem to be handing repatriation flights easily, whilst the Foreign Office seemed unable to do the same. On Twitter, one worried user whose son is at present in Nepal compared the British effort to that in Germany, where some 160,000 nationals have already been brought home.
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