TUI issues statement to UK passengers who have booked flights to Sri Lanka

With TUI cancelling all holidays to Sri Lanka departing up to and including May 31, 2022, many holidaymakers will be frantically looking for answers if they've already booked their flights. It comes as the Foreign Office updated its travel advice for Sri Lanka, urging Brits not to go to the country unless it’s absolutely necessary.

The change in advice comes after protests have been taking place across Sri Lanka as the country faces an economic crisis. It includes shortages of medicines, fuel and food. Locals are also suffering from power cuts every day due to electricity rationing.

Protests have also been happening since March 31, while a state of emergency has been declared in May, alongside an island-wide curfew. Violence against those peacefully protesting in recent days has prompted the Foreign Office to update its travel advice to warn UK travellers not to travel unless they have an essential reason.

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But what should you do if you've already booked flights to the country? Here at Manchester Evening News, we've done some digging and this is what we found.

TUI has released a statement regarding the decision to stop all flights to Sri Lanka. A spokesperson wrote: "Due to the ongoing political and economic instability in Sri Lanka, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has advised against all but essential travel.

"As a result, we’ve unfortunately had to cancel all holidays to Sri Lanka departing up to and including 31 May 2022. We will be proactively contacting all impacted customers in departure date order to discuss their options.

"Please note this advice does not apply to customers transiting through