May 10, 2026 — The first evacuation flight carrying passengers from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius has left Tenerife bound for Madrid as Spanish and international authorities continue a coordinated repatriation and quarantine operation.
The aircraft departed with 13 passengers and one crew member who were evacuated from the Hondius after the vessel anchored off the Port of Granadilla in Tenerife. Spanish nationals on the flight are to be quarantined in a military hospital in Madrid. Spanish Health Minister Mónica García said the operation was proceeding normally.
The Hondius, a Dutch-flagged cruise ship that began its journey in Argentina on April 1, is carrying nearly 150 people from more than 20 countries. The ship was held offshore and passengers have been transported ashore in small boats in controlled groups. Medical teams boarded the vessel to screen everyone for acute symptoms before disembarkation.
According to the World Health Organization, as of May 8 there were eight cases linked to the outbreak (six confirmed and two probable), including three deaths (two confirmed and one probable). Three deaths have been associated with the ship: an initial Dutch man removed at St. Helena, his wife who died after disembarking in South Africa, and a German woman whose body is expected to be transported to a Dutch port.
Countries are organizing charter flights and special repatriation plans. France, Germany, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands confirmed they would send planes; the EU has made additional aircraft available; the UK and US arranged their own contingency plans. Evacuations are expected to continue through Sunday and Monday, with the final flight planned to Australia. International passengers will be allowed to leave only when their home-country flights are ready.
Germany said a Dutch flight will bring passengers from several countries to Eindhoven; four Germans will be met there by German firefighters and flown to Frankfurt. Germany’s Robert Koch Institute recommends up to six weeks of isolation for suspected contacts without symptoms. The WHO and national health authorities plan quarantine on arrival for returning passengers; the hantavirus incubation period can be as long as eight weeks.
The UK military conducted an urgent operation to deliver care to Tristan da Cunha after a British national with a suspected infection disembarked there. RAF crews parachuted clinicians, oxygen and equipment to the remote island, which lacks an airstrip.
Spanish authorities initially faced regional resistance to allowing the Hondius into port, but Madrid overruled local objections. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Spain had a moral and legal duty to provide a safe port and assist with evacuation at the WHO’s request. Pope Leo XIV publicly thanked the people of the Canary Islands for accepting the ship and helping with the humanitarian operation.
After all passengers and some crew are evacuated, the Hondius is expected to sail to the Netherlands for disinfection in line with international protocols. Health officials emphasize that while there have been fatalities linked to the outbreak, the risk of wider spread to the general population remains low. Authorities continue epidemiological investigations and close monitoring of disembarked passengers during the quarantine period.