March 26, 2020, 4:30pm
Message from the U.S. Embassy Spokesperson
We are in Day-5 of the 30-day national quarantine in El Salvador. The U.S. Embassy in El Salvador is continuing to work 24/7 to provide assistance to U.S. citizens in El Salvador. We are tireless in this endeavor, and we take nothing more seriously.
I’ve been asked a lot about the flights that commercial airlines are offering online for future dates. The Government of El Salvador has closed the international airport in San Salvador to all departing and arriving commercial flights. They have not announced a date in which the airport will reopen to commercial flights. If you choose to book a commercial flight now, I strongly recommend that your ticket is changeable or refundable.
Actually, I have noticed that many of you have similar concerns, and we have compiled some of your common questions into an FAQ. Please visit: https://sv.usembassy.gov/19-repatriation-flights-qa/
The Embassy is working on U.S. Government organized evacuation flights. We have already had one evacuation flight depart on March 24, and we are directly contacting U.S. citizens who have expressed an interest to depart El Salvador as more of these flights become available. While the exact cost of evacuation flights has not been determined, the price should be comparable to a full-fare economy commercial flight price before the #COVID19 outbreak. However, these flights may have baggage /pet restrictions and do not operate on a set schedule. The embassy is notifying those people who have expressed interest of flight opportunities as evacuation flights become available. If you have not already registered your interest in returning to the United States, please fill out the U.S. Citizen request for Evacuation.