Plaid MS calls for UK Government Action on Euro 2020 flights

Plaid Cymru MS for South Wales West, Dr Dai Lloyd has called on the UK Government to step in over concerns thousands of Welsh fans planning to travel to Azerbaijan for Euro 2020 could be left out of pocket due to the non-cancellation of flights to Baku.

Euro 2016 saw tens of thousands of Welshmen and women descend on cities across France to witness Chris Coleman’s men reach the semi finals of their first major tournament since 1958. The tournament earned Welsh fans a reputation as passionate, well behaved supporters with L’Equipe paying tribute to the members of the Red Wall who followed their team across France.

A 2-0 win over Hungary in November 2019 saw Wales qualify for Euro 2020, to be staged across Europe for the first time. Welsh fans booked travel to Azerbaijan and Italy in their thousands, hoping for a repeat of 2016.

However, Euro 2020 was postponed until 2021 by UEFA on 17th March in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic and jubilation has now turned to frustration for many of those planning to travel to the Azerbaijani capital. Azerbaijan has confirmed it does not plan to allow any arrivals until 15th June, two days after Wales would have started their campaign against Switzerland.

Dr Dai Lloyd MS stated,

“I have received representations from constituents across the region who are extremely concerned that they will be losing hundreds, and in some cases thousands of pounds on flights they will be unable to take. People have saved incredibly hard to be able to afford to follow their country on the international stage and should not be left with nothing to show for it."

Dr Lloyd MS will be raising the issue with UK Government foreign secretary Dominic Raab MP.

"I will be writing to Dominic Raab MP with the concerns of many thousands of Welsh football fans, I am urging Mr Raab to work with the Azerbaijani authorities to guarantee no Welsh fan is left out of pocket following the postponement of Euro 2020.

Despite the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advising against all but essential travel, many insurers do not take this into account and therefore unless the flight is cancelled the chances of a refund are incredibly slim, which is incredibly frustrating for those who have spent their hard earned money.”

Jamie Akerman and Paul Edwards are two of many Wales fans who stand to lose money on travel they are unable to take, Mr Akerman contacted Dr Lloyd MS regarding the situation and stated;

“With everything that's going on, I and many people I know have paid out lots of money for things that won't be going ahead. Travel costs for the Euros are particularly painful, as I've massively tightened the belt since Wales qualified to be able to afford all of the travel involved.

I did the responsible thing in taking out insurance to protect against things going wrong, but I worry that loopholes will still see us take the brunt of the costs.”

Mr Edwards added;

“We put so much planning into what was going to be the highlight of the year for us. I understand this is a difficult time for the airlines, but it is a real kick in the teeth to see some of them try and wriggle out of giving refunds for cancelled flights. Even with insurance I can see us losing a lot of money over this trip.”