Stranded Britons stuck thousands of miles from home because of the coronavirus pandemic face having to pay £40,000 to fly back.
One couple, from Norwich, have slammed the Foreign Office, who they claim has failed to support them as they struggle to get back from New Zealand, which is also under lockdown.
Marine engineer Tim Johnson, 30, says the only available flights to the UK for him and his wife Nikki, are priced highly with even the cheaper tickets costing as much as £15,000.
A Qatari Airlines flight from Auckland to London on March 31 was priced at NZ$83,534 (£40,096), he told The Observer.
He said: “The cost of the flights has been far out of reach of the people stranded. Yet the embassy and Foreign Office lauded these flights as a diplomatic breakthrough.
“The German government chartered a whole bunch of Lufthansa and Condor planes. A lot of Europeans have been repatriated without needing to kick up a fuss.”
Global travel is widely suspended as the world’s coronavirus death toll hit 30,000 with more than 650,000 people infected.
NHS doctors and individuals who have lost their jobs, their home or who are running out of medication are believed to be among an estimated 6,000 Britons stranded in New Zealand.
The government says between 300,000 and one million Britons could be abroad.
A flight to rescue some of the UK nationals who were stranded in Peru arrived in London on Thursday.
On Friday, it was announced that there will be three more flights to bring UK tourists back from Peru - with the first one due to leave today.
British passengers are also stranded on a cruise ship anchored off the coast of Panama, where four people have died and two have tested positive for coronavirus.
More than 130 people aboard the Florida-bound Zaandam have reported flu-like symptoms and it is being refused permission to dock at nearby ports.
In a statement, the company said it hopes to get healthy passengers onto a second ship.
Bodies of those who have died will stay on the Zaandam until the liner arrives at its final destination.
The Zaandam left Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 7.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab addressed the issue of stranded Britons in Parliament on Tuesday saying his staff were working with other nations and airlines to "overcome barriers".
He claimed the situation was being made worse by countries closing their borders "with no or little notice".
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We recognise British tourists abroad are finding it difficult to return to the UK because of the unprecedented international travel and domestic restrictions that are being introduced around the world – often with very little or no notice.
“The FCO is working around the clock to support British travellers in this situation to allow them to come back to the UK.
“The Government is seeking to keep key transit routes open as long as possible and is in touch with international partners and the airline industry to make this happen.
“Consular staff are supporting those with urgent need while providing travel advice and support to those still abroad.
