Jet2 planes heading to Spain turned back in mid-air on Saturday as the airline cancelled all flights to the country because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The decision follows a sharp increase in infections in Spain and a rise in the death toll to 120. The government has declared a two-week state of emergency and placed 60,000 people in four towns under mandatory lockdown on Friday.

The airline, which flies from nine UK airports to destinations including Alicante, Málaga and Lanzarote, said it was cancelling all flights to mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands immediately.

Jet2 said in statement: “In response to local measures introduced throughout Spain to prevent the spread of Covid-19, including the closure of bars, restaurants, shops and activities including any water sports, we have taken the decision to cancel all flights … with immediate effect.

“We know these local measures will have a significant impact on our customers’ holidays, which is why we have taken this decision. We are contacting our customers who are currently in these destinations, and who are due to travel, to advise them of their options, so we urge customers not to call us.

“This is a fast-moving and complex situation and we are reviewing our programme as a matter of urgency, so that we can fly customers back to the UK. The health and safety of our customers is our number one priority, and we would like to thank our customers for their understanding.”

Jet2’s decision came after LOT Polish Airlines suspended all flights from Poland and Hungary for 10 days from 15 March.

The coronavirus outbreak has had a dramatic effect on air travel. British Airways has told its staff that it expects to make job cuts and cancel an unprecedented number of flights.

Donald Trump’s unilateral ban to the US from Europe is expected to affect 13,500 flights and 4 million passengers over the next four weeks, according to the aviation analysts OAG.