»»‘No tests’ for arrivals at UK airports

biggest carrier, says it plans to cut 75 per cent of its international flights until May 6.

Delta and United have also cancelled thousands of flights. Yesterday, British airline Jet2 began stopping flights to Lyon, Grenoble, Paris and Nice due to French travel restrictions. The firm was today flying customers back via Paris and Nice but warned they were the last flights from Paris until April 26 and Nice until May 4.

Ryanair Group Airlines, including Buzz and Lauda, has also been forced to reduce flights to and from the same areas of Spain until midnight on Thursday. And hundreds of Brits are believed to be stranded amid claims Ryanair passengers were unable to re-book flights.

Norwegian Air yesterday laid off 5000 staff temporarily, having said it would cancel more than 4000 flights. Scandinavian carrier SAS axed 10,000 temporarily – 90 per cent of its staff.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority’s Richard Moriarty said: “This is the most challenging period for aviation we have witnessed. The threat to survival of some businesses is real.”

Passengers returning here yesterday slammed the “zero checks” at Heathrow, Manchester and Gatwick airports.

David Unesco tweeted: “Been in Manila, temperature taken 2 times a day. Flew back to Manchester and wasn’t a single check. They couldn’t care less.”

Spain’s 47million citizens are banned from leaving home except for work or groceries. Streets were almost deserted yesterday with police telling people to go home – and even using a drone to blare out the message in Madrid. Spain was the second European nation to adopt extreme measures, following Italy – the worst-hit country outside China with 24,000 cases.

Pope Francis held services at the Vatican yesterday without the faithful attending. France is also in lockdown with all nonessential public locations closed. It has also shut ski resorts and efforts to repatriate 30,000 Brits were under way amid alerts of “widespread failures” in the travel sector.

Germany will impose temporary controls on its borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark and Luxembourg today.

Austria has banned gatherings of more than five and Denmark has shut its borders, while Poland plans to shutter at midnight.

Meanwhile, 682 mostly British passengers and 381 crew remain stranded on the Braemar cruise ship in the Caribbean after five passengers tested positive.

Owner Fred Olsen said 19 more passengers and 16 crew are now in isolation with flu-like symptoms.