French police turn back private jet of holidaymakers from UK, reports say

‘Three luxury helicopters were waiting for them on the tarmac’

A group of people who flew to southern France in a private jet from the UK have been turned away by police due coronavirus restrictions, according to local media.

Seven men aged between 40 to 50, and three women in their twenties, were reportedly onboard and hoping to go to a villa in Cannes last weekend.

Authorities had not given the jet permission to land before it touched ground at the Marseille Provenance airport, according to French media.

None of the group — who were Croatian, German, French, Romanian and Ukrainian — had a valid reason for travelling to the area during the coronavirus pandemic, according to BFM TV.

“Three luxury helicopters were waiting for them on the tarmac to make the journey to the villa,” the head of Marseille-Provenance’s border police told local media.

He told news channel La Chaine Info police refused to let the group onto French territory.

Most of the group have reportedly flown back to the UK, while one of their party is thought to have taken a private jet to Germany.

The French government has placed strict limits on movement in a bid to tackle the spread of the virus, with people only allowed to travel if it is deemed essential.

The public have been ordered to stay at home unless it is for a list of reasons, for example to get groceries or go to work where homeworking is not possible.

Christophe Castaner, the interior minister, has praised the French public for respecting lockdown measures, saying last week he thought the country was one of the best in the world at following the rules.

More than 13,100 people have died after testing positive for the virus in France, according to official figures.

On Friday, the health ministry said 7,004 people were in intensive care after a drop of nearly 1 per cent from the day before.

“We seem to be reaching a plateau, albeit a high level,” Jerome Salomon, the health ministry director, said.

Additional reporting by Reuters