Foreign Office sets out New Zealand repatriation programme

Flights will get under way on Friday (24 April) and will run every second day, with departures alternating between Auckland and Christchurch.

Lord Goldsmith, the minister responsible for New Zealand, said vulnerable Britons and those "most at risk from coronavirus" would be prioritised.

According to the FCO, some 2,600 Britons have made their way home from New Zealand via commercial means since the Covid-19 outbreak began.

However, the government announced on Monday (20 April) it was stepping in to provide a charter programme now it was "no longer possible" to book commercial flights back to the UK from New Zealand.